is it really that time again?

The end of August always comes with mixed feelings. It is the time of year when all the kids go back to school, and while I must admit I enjoy the 6 hours of peace and quiet and being able to work without countless interruptions, and the fact that I can clean my house before 8:00 in the morning and it miraculously stays the same until 2:30 when they all come home, I have found that I already miss the carefree time of summer. It is the rush of getting up at 6:00 a.m. and trying to get the kids out of bed, including chores, packing school lunches, and doing the hair and having them look like they have parents, being bombarded with homework after school (and what is that anyway - doesn't school get enough of our time?), various activities to drive them to, trying to make them well rounded, dinner, and then the endless bedtime routine, trying to be responsible and get them to bed at a decent hour, reading to them, making sure homework is done for those teenagers, and trying very hard to get myself to bed at a decent hour, only to fall into bed realizing the same thing must be done tomorrow. I almost feel more in need of a quiet weekend after a week of school than I ever did during the summer. Oh well, the routine is good and keeps us all in check, but I really miss them. it seems so quiet. only 8 more months until summer.

keeping up with technology?!?

Remember the days when we used to have to actually write a letter, LICK a stamp and put it in the mail box? It is such a vague memory in my mind as we now have email which keeps us in touch with people we probably wouldn't ever touch base with. When my son left to Brazil a few weeks ago for a couple of years, I was mentally up to having to write those letters, grateful for self-adhesive stamps, and I can generally find the time to go to the grocery store and put my letter in the mail slot. There are now websites where you can actually go to where you can write a letter and submit it, they will print it out and put it in an envelope for you. And, once a week, we get email from Brazil just like he was next door. I wait anxiously every Wednesday morning for that email to come, and yesterday....it didn't come. I know it was written and sent because he let other family members know it was coming and to read the longer details of his letter, but the only ones that came through were emails saying "Is anyone home" and "Are you there"? Had I been online, I would have been able to have a little "chat" with him, but it was too early for me that morning. So out there somewhere in cyber space is a letter from a missionary son and I hope someone enjoys is, because it is killing me. So today, I can figure out if I want to submit a letter electronically, or...heaven forbid, get out a pen and paper, stick a stamp on, and head off to the store to mail my letter. ...What did we do without technology?

where did the summer go?

I just absolutely cannot believe it. Where did the summer go? It seems like just yesterday that i was blogging about my trip to the store where the kids were fighting about who got to sit in the front seat, etc., and here it is 1 week until school starts. Of course, settling back into a routine will be wonderful, but then we are back to getting up at 6:00 a.m., making school lunches, car pools, and all the things that go with it. I am, I will admit, looking forward a little bit to being able to clean my kitchen before 8:00 a.m. and having it still be clean until 2:30 when they all come piling home, and being able to finish a thought or being able to get out the brownies in the middle of the day without having to share, but then it is back to just me at home, no more late night movies and junk food parties, smiling through gritted teeth trying to drag my 9-year-old out of bed, not to mention dragging myself out of bed. But if the school year goes as fast as the summer has, which is usually does, then it will be summer again before we know it, and I will thorougly enjoy it.