~just life & iPhone pics~

I hate to have to say the S word. (not snakes.....the OTHER S word), but I do.....because it's taken up an hour or so of my week so far and a little $ out of my pocket.

School.

I know, I know.  It sends shudders up your spine, you wrinkle your nose, and if you're at all like me, you just twitched, then sighed and groaned a very unhappy groan.

Let me be clear. We are not focusing on the S word yet but I had to order s books. And I have been looking at backpacks just because I like to have all that junk stuff done so I can just coast right on in to August 8 or whatever it is.

I don't know that there's any hope for my kids because I dislike school almost as much as they do. Don't get me wrong. We do it whole heartedly, I just empathize with them.

I can't fake it.

"Mom. I don't want to do school."

What do I say?

"I know, dude. Me either."

I can't work up a fake, " Oh, school is great!"

The only response I can muster is,

"Well, guess what? I don't really want to do laundry either. And I'm guessing Daddy probably didn't really want to go to work today. And I'd rather go to the beach than cook dinner. But! We have to work. You better get used to the idea. Work hard so you can play hard later. It's just the way life is."

It's not sexy but it's the hard, cold truth. And most of us don't even know what real work is, so I say, let's get to it with as little complaining as possible.

Have no idea where I was going with the above but there it is.

We recently celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary.

There was no sweet, long tribute but I think following pretty much sums it up.
THIS is why I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world:

and this is weird. my girl is doing her round-off back handspring in the purple leo.

it's like a 13 second video but it's playing non stop. 

have no idea. 

but this is where she spends 7 and 1/2 hours a week....working her happy little rear end off. 

sweetest girls from the sweetest Mama and Daddy. (not mine, but our friends) 

~I'm not that arrogant~

and......it could have been a Matilda Jane convention.

we hung curtains finally and baby got a new rug.

anyone who asks her about it hears,

"and it's SO soft!"

yes, that's Reese rolling or flipping......shocker.

  

she loves my bed and I love summer days where I can take 20 minutes and lay there

and listen to her giggle and hear her whisper, "Mommy, you're my girl, aren't I?"

what my mud room looked like when I walked by it.

(almost done organizing it....)

my pattern is this:

 organize,  gradual mess accumulates, pick it up, 

more gradual mess, a couple crazy days go by, 

I peek in and declare,

"good grief! Looks like a bomb went off in here!"

re-tidy, re-organize.

repeat.

(oh! and this picture is mild mess. gets WAY worse. trust that.)

what it would look like if I, hypothetically spruced it up for a picture. 

why do we do that?

....I guess it does look like this sometimes just not nearly as often as it does the other.

and! 

I'm working on some really good plans to make our home life during the school year go a little smoother. 

here's hoping I actually finish planning and implementing before crazy fall schedule kicks in.

~stacey