things to do, things to do ...

Wow ... It's sort of hard to believe that this week is almost over ... thank goodness it's almost Friday! Around here, this summer at least, Friday's are the designated sleep-in & cuddle morning. I'm at Rice Bowls two days a week and the kids are enjoying daycare while I'm there, and then two days a week Matthew & Mattie (niece & nephew) are here, so we have to get up early those days to open the door. Anyway, today just happens to be one of the days that the cousins are here, so it's already been a long & busy day. First, up & eating breakfast by 7:30 a.m., then clean kitchen while the kids play. They all love to entertain "Elly Belly", so I have a few minutes to load/unload the dishwasher & do a little general straightening (not something I love to do, so it really is a chore). Then outside for a couple of hours of rough & tumble play. Matthew is quite the dare devil - he's almost 7 & loves to do anything that could potentially break a limb; Mattie's not far behind him, but thankfully DJ is a little more hesitant to climb trees, fences, houses (no kidding), or to race go-karts down the driveway & off a ramp (seriously!!) ... Anyway, the three of them require more than passing watchfulness! Usually Elly Belly ( I love, love that they call her that!!) is sleeping through all of this, so every now & then I get a little something accomplished during this time. Yesterday I "accomplished" finding out where all of the poison ivy is in our yard. A better question might have been, "Where isn't there poison ivy in our yard?"

But back to today ... we took a break from outside play to run my sister to work (she doesn't drive ... another day, another post). It was only 11 a.m. and I was already tired!! So, I called an audible & we had Chic-Fil-A for lunch & the kids played in & on the air-conditioned play area ... then, in a stroke of genious, I decided we'd go to the park for a little while before nap time. So we did. And it was hot, hot, hot!! They played for about an hour, and when everyone was good & pink-cheeked, we loaded back up & headed home. Everyone's been down for about an hour, and I'm hoping for nice, looooong naps, since they aren't being picked up until late. Afternoon holds the hope of pool time, if the thunderstorms hold off.

Anyway, I'm avoiding doing the things that need doing while kids are sleeping ... cleaning the den, sweeping & mopping, maybe vacuuming, maybe even (gulp) cleaning the bathrooms. Have I mentioned that cleaning is sooo not my thing? I mean, whose thing is it, anyway? But I need to do it today, since I've committed my Friday morning to snuggling my kids, then to RB & my afternoon to helping my sister-in-law set up baby stuff for my new niece, and then a Girl's Night out with my friend, Julie. So, today or not at all. argh.

But let me just say, the initial point of this post was to say that: I can't wait to go to sleep tonight, just because I know that when I wake up, there's nowhere to go, no one to open the door for and no need to rush around getting ready ... just a good, snuggle morning, maybe watching a little PBS (can't miss Berenstein Bears or Curious George, right?). So ... signing off ...