Finally, A Summer That Doesn't Suck That Much!!

Boy, do I ever need one of those!! 2 summers ago it was my mom with breast cancer and last summer we buried her. I'm still pissed off about that. I think I always will be. But I digress. Duh. Things have been moving along at a nice little clip this summer. It isn't much, but I will take a silver lining every chance I get.

I have read my brains out this summer. I haven't read the classic fiction I keep swearing I'll get to, but I've been reading none the less. My request list at the library is constantly full. I've requested books and movies and CD's and whatever else I can get my greedy hands on. I have a list from all my book sites that I've been using to request books. Summer is my only real reading time. I may take a book with me to dance, but I usually end up talking with my dance mamas instead of cracking open the book. During school, I'm so busy schooling my kids, my reading list falls to the wayside. I picked up 10 books yesterday and what was my first reaction? Yea, I get to request 10 more things!! But I gotta do it soon, since we start school at the beginning of August. I've even been making the kids trade TV and video game time for reading. The downside? I don't want to do anything else. Not make dinner, not work out, not anything. I have to drag myself off the couch to get anything done. Know what helps with that?

Bowling. The last few summers, I've signed the kids up for Kids Bowl Free. We would use it sporadically, and have fun. This summer, we've been going bowling with a group of friends. I have added and deleted kids from my account to take friends with us that aren't signed up. It has been amazing! My sweet friend, K, signed hubby and me up under her family pass, so we even get to bowl for free. The kids have had a great time. I even have my friend N and her daughter bowling with us. I'm not a great bowler, but I enjoy it and so do my kids. Hubby's only been able to go a couple of times, but at least he got to go. The kids have really made an effort to improve their skills and it shows. The big girl even broke 100 yesterday. Go on with it!

As much as I love my kids, I am with them all the time! What helps with that? Drop off days!! My friend M has been having drop off days at her house. I think she's nuts, but she would have to be to invite a ton of kids to her house and let the parents go. For 4 hours! Do you know how much napping I can get done in 4 hours? A ton! Last time I went to the big box book store, grabbed a couple of books off the shelf, copped a squat and read my brains out. It was awesome. I did need a coffee, because that much reading makes mama sleepy. If I could have curled myself in to a ball in that chair and napped, it would have been 10 times better. I think management would have frowned on that. One week I went to a movie. All by myself. I didn't have to share popcorn or my drink. I got to spend the afternoon with Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel. Um, hell, yeah! And the best part? Hubby is off for the next drop off day. We're going to go eat sushi. With out the kids! Oh, yeah...

This has been the year of stress for us. Between the loan modification, foreclosure, and the bankruptcy and a million other things, I have found that my attention span has shortened. My stress level just will not allow me to focus on more than 1 major life event at a time. As soon as we get through one thing, I can focus on the next. Sometimes. It has been a blessing to have friends that help, whether they know they're helping or not. It has been a blessing to have a mini vacation, if only for a couple of hours. And know what we're doing today? We're going swimming with friends. Working on my tan and swimming? Sign me up for that!!