The lazy days of summer.

This summer has flown by.  The end of May through the beginning of July were really busy.

School got out.

                                                                         We planted our garden.

We celebrated some birthdays.......      










   We went to camp.

And of course, we celebrated the fourth.

After that, things just kind of stop.  At first the breather is a very welcome thing.  There are bikes to be ridden, dirt to be dug in, hoses to play in.   There are cartoons to be watched and video games to be played.  Even a few books to be read.

But after a couple of weeks without the bustle, the kids start to get restless.  We really don't spend a lot of time doing nothing.  My first defense against such things is to clean, or rather, have them clean.  Then to pull out the workbooks and such to wake up rusty brains.  Yesterday, none of that was working for our seven year old daughter.  She and her six year old brother had lost all digital for the day due to a disagreement over Mario Cart.

"Mom, I'm bored."

"Go swing on your swing set."

"I don't want to."

"Play with your toys."

"I've already played with them all."

"Read a book."

"I'm tired of reading."  

At first I didn't understand.  How could anyone ever be tired of reading?  Then I thought about it.  She is in that "awkward" stage between picture books and chapter books.   

"Honey.  Come out on the porch with me.  I have a book I'll read to you."

"I don't wanna."

"Too bad."   

Outside we went.  We both picked a chair on the side porch and I began to read The Phantom Tollbooth.

"There was a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself-not just sometimes, but always......"

At first she was stubbornly set on hating it...but then the tollbooth was PURPLE.  She went in the house, but left the door open.  I kept reading out loud, and she answered back to a question midway through the second chapter.  By chapter three, she was back outside.  By the end of the afternoon we had finished chapter four.  After dinner, she brought me the book and I read her chapter five, this time with her jr. partner in crime playing on the steps of the porch listening.  Today I am sure we will read some more.

Fee payment for the high school would be today, if my high schooler was home.  Fee payment for middle school is next week.  An ice cream social to meet the elementary kids teachers is the week after.  We did it.  We made it through the lazy days of summer.  Come tomorrow, the bustle of back to school has to begin.

Happy Birthday Princess!

Today is Ms. D's ninth birthday!  She is so excited to have friends who are in town and able to go to a movie with us.  At noon, two of her buddies will descend upon our home, and we will go hang out with some 3-D minions.

She has a lot of opinions right now.

"This year mom, I want to MAKE my cake.  I don't want a store bought one."

"Okay honey."

"Mom, there are two books I want for my birthday."

"Okay honey."

"Which cake mix do you want dear?"
"THAT ONE!"  she says pointing to Duff's tie-dye cake.  Oh boy.

Last night, we baked the cake.  It was a learning process.  She was satisfied with going to bed once we had them in the oven.  A bit of foreshadowing about what she'd find this morning.  

1) Mr. Man wasn't real happy with how one of the eggs separated.  He was worried there was too much white left behind. We probably should have put in an extra, and reduced the water a bit.

2) I let the girl grease the pans, but wasn't overly careful about checking them before we added the batter.

3) It was really, really, humid from the rain.

4) It said to cool in pan 10-20 minutes.  I forgot about it for almost an hour.

The first cake came out almost okay.  A little bit tore on the top, but it was on the inside and not too deep.  Nothing a knife couldn't fix.  After the battle with the second my first thought was, birthday rainbow trifle?

Somehow I knew that wouldn't fly with the girl.

This morning, when she first saw it her eyes went wide with horror.  So I did what any mom would do.  I totally bluffed my way through it.

"Don't worry honey.  It'll be fine.  We'll use the torn up one for the bottom layer and make a filling.  If we try to frost the middle it would just shred more."

She calmed down immediately, but was still uncertain.  I was too.  

And that friends, is the maturity peeking through.  The ability to self calm, even when there's still doubt.

Unfortunately that doubt is part of it too.  If she was six, she would have beamed at me, blindly believing I could fix anything.  The time is quickly approaching where she will insist on fighting her own battles alone sometimes, and I won't be "allowed" to save her, nor should I.  The struggle is just part of the "becoming."  Thankfully, that day is not today...and I have a strawberry cream recipe.  Here's hoping she thinks the cake is delicious.