Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Whipping Through the Week!

I am continuing the roller coaster ride of craziness this week...planned and otherwise!

With Sarah's 8th grade field trip, semi dance, and graduation all coming up quickly there are still a lot of 'extra stuff' that needs to be fit in!

The most positive 'extra' is the Valedictorian Speech that Sarah has to write!  Sarah found out yesterday that she is her class' valedictorian and is soooo excited!  Before the school year even started, Sarah made a goal to be the valedictorian.  It was a close race with 5 kids in the running going into final exams.  Sarah was super nervous!

Now, Sarah is super excited to have reached her goal!  Jay and I are proud of all the hard work and effort she put into all of her school work all.year.long!  Congratulations, Sarah!

The most negative 'extra' is that our washing machine broke....again!:(  Both the washer and the dryer have been limping along for quite a while.  It makes doing the laundry even more tedious than it already is!  The dryer has been the main culprit since the door has been fixed so many times that it only stays shut enough to work with duct tape.  And, almost every cycle, that duct tape loosens and the door opens so that, when I go to switch the loads, I find a dryer full of damp clothes!

Things that make you go 'grrrrrrr'!  The Daily Grump | June 3, 2013

The washer broke Monday morning and duct tape would not fix the problem!  (I tried it!)  I was exhausted, emotional and overwhelmed already on Monday morning after our eventful weekend.....so not being able to do laundry was threatening to throw me 'over the edge' emotionally.

My text to Jay read something like..." The washer is broken...again!  I can't take it anymore!"

Ok...maybe a little melodramatic!  I know it's just a washing machine....but laundry in our house is a full time job!  So, after a meeting I had on Monday night for Sarah's semi dance coming up on Saturday, Jay and I headed out with Kate and Luke to buy working appliances.  They get delivered on Monday.  I.can't.wait!

In the meantime, we are lucky enough to have my parents across the street from us so we are using their washing machine!  I don't know how people do it that have to use the laundromat!  A little inconvenience reminds me of how blessed I am!

My head is still a whirl trying to process all the accomplishments and changes that have been going on...and will continue to go on.  The next 2 weeks will speed on by and the official summer vacation for everyone will be here.....and I'm feeling unprepared!

I want to have a family meeting to come up with ideas for the summer.  The ideas will have to be inexpensive (very)...but I want to have some plans to look forward to!  While I want the summer to be laid back and restful, I also need a little bit of structure! (and so do the kids!)

The summer always seems so long but goes by so fast!   I want it to be enjoyable memories...and some regular excursions to get the kids out of the house once in a while!(Other than going to the grocery store...lol!)

Weekly visits to a library are on my short list...I like going to different local libraries occasionally just to keep things interesting, too!  The beach will be an occasional thing....an occasional visit to our local zoo and hopefully a day trip to a new zoo, too!  Some of the older kids have a retreat week and/or weekend planned and some of them are doing week long basketball camps during different weeks throughout the summer.

What summer ideas do you have to keep the kiddos occupied (and your sanity intact!)?