Checklists-Schedules-Organized Chaos-Oh MY!

...And then all of the sudden, the summer was GONE.

Enroll 2 in elementary school.
Enroll 1 in first year of Middle school.
Enroll 1 in college sciences and algebra.
Piano lessons for three.
Band for two.
Gymnastics-Musical Theater-Football.
Don't forget Boys Scouts/Young Men's/Mutual.
And Activity Days....

All recently were added to my "to do" list...

...to broaden our horizons and enlarge our minds. Really?

Must. Not. Over-schedule.

A stack of brand-new spiral notebooks for 10 cents a piece just out-ranked my snazzy Franklin-Covey-leather-bound organizer. EVERYTHING goes in the NOTEBOOK. They will be labeled, "Thing 1", "Thing 2", etc....one will be close at hand at all times.

Gonna be a busy semester...busy with trying to MAINTAIN BALANCE. I'll keep ya posted....

The more the merrier!

The line up...
3 nieces
1 nephew
2 friends
my own 4 children...

A day of abandoned responsibilities=mandatory FUN!

When You're Having Fun...

...I have to hurry and sneak this in before the date of my last post turns into ONE YEAR...

You know what they say about how time flies...especially when you're having fun...

To the doubting among you, I WILL return to blogging.

Soon.

Like NOW, see?

Summer of the "Cousin-Swap"

This summer, one of my sisters and I thought it'd be fun to swap kids throughout
our days of summer break. Her four and my four. And for the record, it WAS fun!
It began with my family getting sweet Bridgett for a week. She's the most pleasant, helpful, tender-hearted girl! Our time with her included a fun trip to Zonkers!
Then it was Katie's turn to go to their house (2 1/2 hrs away), and her favorite part was the fantastic shopping spree at the mall!
When she came home, little Miss Catryna came with her. Cute little "Teenie" enjoys being the center of attention, and she's QUITE the fashionista! :) While here, she was able to get in on the birthday action for Maddie, and that was priceless.
Next, it was Jacob to their house, and Aerian to ours. During Aerian's stay, we especially enjoyed gourmet cooking/eating and time at the pools, where she showed off some of her graceful, athletic talent. She is also an AVID reader (I really mean AVID). So, we hit up the library and several bookshops as well. (I caught her reading her own library book when we were shopping at the charming and quaint Reading Reptile bookshop in Brookside. LOL)
Then Maddie had her turn at their house.
The big exchange ended with my nephew Brendan, prince of Pet Kingdom.
We found a beautiful tortoise (pretty sure it was an abandoned pet) at one of our area ponds, so Uncle Joe declared that Brendan was the true and perfect caretaker, and we relinquished custody to Brendan. Then, with his spending money from his mom, Brendan purchased a Robo hamster. They are lightning fast, trust me, and he was aptly named, Speedo. He could almost make his hamster wheel SMOKE when he was running on it! Three different times, the little booger escaped his box while at our house, and it is truly a miracle he was ever found!

It sure was a fast summer. Can't believe that it's over. But, we can honestly say, it was time well spent. What a privilege to care for and enjoy time together with these sweet kids. Our time together is becoming more and more sporadic as they all grow, as we all become more involved with extra-curricular activities. So, this provided a perfect opportunity to keep the precious bonds of family maintained and held close.

Geared-up

Football registration!!!
We have waited a long time for this...that is, Joe and I have waited a long time.
We'll see what Jake thinks after his first season ends!
Until then, he's being advised to gear up and get ready to PLAY HARD!!!

!!!8!!!

Tenderhearted
Loyal
Methodical
Strong
Beautiful
Decisive
Playful
Determined
MADELYN

School's Out--Let's get this party started!

We wait OVER NINE MONTHS for this time of year...
that fact alone is cause for CELEBRATION!!!!



~~~SHERIDAN'S after the Last Day of School~~~

~~~DUNKIN' DONUTS Breakfast to start the First Day of SUMMER VACATION~~~
We're off to a good start!