Testing. Testing, so this is what it's like not to have little kids.

For the next couple of weeks, our youngest four are hanging out with grandparents.  This leaves us with twelve and thirteen year old boys at home.  It is so much quieter!  It's kind of a sneak peek at our life eight to ten years down the road.  When they left, I wondered if I was going to be lonely and bored.
  Fortunately, I'm not.  I am somewhat calmer though.  There is no lack of things to do.  First, is carting the thirteen year old to and from Shakespeare camp, which he LOVES.  It seems I have a fellow literature/theatre nerd in my line.  Yay!  He's performing this Saturday in A Midsummer Night's Dream at Southmoreland Park at 10am if any of y'all want to come see us in the flesh.  Next week he'll be gone-gone, at Super Summer with our youth from church.
  Next, is making sure the twelve year old has enough to do.  He's pretty easy though.  Just keep him in video games and library books...with occasional outings to the pool.  Sweet quiet boy, takes after the sweet quiet man.
  Then comes the undercover mom.  With all these kids gone, it's the perfect time to clean their rooms!  So far, we've just worked on the boys room downstairs.  We've found some neat things, and some oh-dear-what-was-that kind of items.  All in all, they've done a pretty good job of taking care of it themselves for a five and nine year old.  We only used one trash bag.  They will come home to a new bookshelf and storage cart for toys as well.  Mostly toy cars with those two.  Although E2 has expanded into action figures and dragons.
  I thought I'd have plenty of time to clean the rest of the house as well, but other obligations keep sneaking in.   Maybe I should pencil in a couple days to lay around at the pool with a book.  Nah, there's plenty of time for that once the kids I can't drop off are back.