Summertime!!

Oh what do YOU do in the summertime?  (LDS homeys - crank up the jammin tunes!)

Got any fun summer plans?  We're not going anywhere (at least - no where major) and are having the hot new vacay - the Staycation.  That's a fancy way of saying we're staying at home, doing nothing.

The kids have a couple of low-key camps and we'll do swim lessons and some things with friends. My big goals for the summer are to help the big girls learn to cook more and to get Annie caught up some for next school year.  She'll be reading, writing, and 'rithmetic-ing it up so that we can get some gains made.  At least, that is the plan.  

Last summer, we didn't have the money to do many fun things and I didn't even get away with my friends like  I'd planned to. In some ways, it was rough - don't get me wrong. There was a (snotty, catty, unattractive) disappointment in not having the opportunity to do some fun things.  But in time, I did come to enjoy the lack of schedule and routine and how many fun things we got to do that we otherwise would never have.  We read tons of books together and then would watch the movies, I achieved THE perfect tan, and we bonded. We played more with the neighbors and had tons of sleepovers and simple, spontaneous parties.   I was sad to see my little homeys go to school at the end of vacation. It didn't start off as the summer I'd been dreaming of, but it did end up rather lovely (minus diverticulitis.)

Speaking of having a summer you weren't dreaming of - a little cutie (link below) is having a rough patch. I thought I'd link to her here so that if any of you have experienced something like this, you could share with her.  I know when I have experienced trials, it has helped immeasurably to know someone else who has been through it and who can show me the ropes. I didn't know if any of you might have a clue?  And I think we all could send warm thoughts her way...  http://www.busybeelauren.blogspot.com/ 

Ok - I'm going to the pool.  Last one in is....Marksmomm!!