Summer ups and downs

As the current school year approaches it’s final day(s), I am experiencing many varied emotions, which I would like to share with you, my friends, at this time.

 To many of you with children, you will relate.

Several of my friends are current or former school teachers, and may be experiencing a whole different set of euphoric feelings, which may or may not cause them to break into hysterical laughter and/or dancing at random times. If you have been my children’s teachers, you have my sincerest :

a) Thanks!

 b) I’m Sorry

 c) Stop Laughing At Me.

Melinda is graduating from high school on the 30th. It seems weird to be the mom of 2, COUNT THEM: TWO, high school graduates. You understand that means that TWO of my CHILDREN are over 18. Just sayin’…..

My Baby… aka Nicholas, who is actually 6 and not really a baby… just finished kindergarten, which means that next year, all my kids, minus the above mentioned, will be in full day school. For those of you with pre kindergarteners and current kindergarteners, you know what a big deal this is!

Bonuses of Summer:

1) No more homework for 3 months! Yahoo!

2) No more searching for Library, Government, Math, Spelling, Spanish or Biology Books!

3) No more driving of Trumpets, Homework, or the previously mentioned books to various children in various schools because they can never remember that they have these classes on a regular basis.

4) No more teachers/librarians/administrators/nurses calling me to tell me my children do not have their homework, instrument, or book with them, or that they were bleeding, burping, seizing, coughing, or had had some kind of embarrassing bodily function incident.

5) No more teachers calling/emailing to tell me my kids don’t actually do their homework but are in fact smart enough to do it. (What? You think I just met these pple? I know they are not doing their homework.  They spend half their lives grounded for not doing it and the other half calling me from school so I can bring them the assignments they actually DID do.)

6) No more  getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to wake up people who do not want to be awake to go to a place they do not want to go. No more people who did not get up the first time they were called and are now racing frantically through the house yelling at everyone in their path.

7) No more searching for socks! Shoes! DAFOs! Backpacks!

Summer minuses:

1) Approximately 3 months of:  *I’m bored, but I don’t want to weed, clean, babysit or do anything that remotely resembles anything that could be construed as useful to a parent.   *Can I have a ride? But why not??? *Can I have some money? But why not????  *Can I watch TV? But why not????

2) Children and their Velcro (friends who seem semi-permanently attached to your children) eating me out of house and home.

3) Sunburns, despite the 14 bottles of sunblock we own in varying smells and strengths to accomodate every skin sensitivity, smell preference, and degree of swimming possibility

4) Never, never, never being able to find a clean dry towel.

Don’t misunderstand me, I love summer. I love being warm, I love sitting in my backyard with a cold Diet Pepsi watching children bake in the sun:)

I love barbecuing and eating potato salad.

I’m hoping the kids who are mine will keep themselves fairly entertained, and that I will not be completely broke, mentally or financially at the end of it all.

I’m hoping that Blair being in Africa for a month is fun for both of us.

I’m hoping to be able to keep track of my own towel, finish the garage project, and still enjoy a long, hot, summer!