country girls cross the street!

Just to be clear, I wasn't always a country girl, I grew up walking distance from the best new mall in the suburbs. We did have empty lots in the neighborhood, which were our usual destinations. A little creek to play in, a field for baseball. (When I drive through my old neighborhood, I am saddened that there are now houses built in those nooks and crannies, can't let prime real estate just sit there collecting butterflies!

Anyway, now our present house is built in a former corn field, and cows live on our road. My kids have grown up playing in our own creek, and playing ball in our own yard, exploring the woods and fields of our country road.

Crossing busy streets isn't something we do, unless we drive to the city to get passports or take driving permit tests. Most of our shopping is done by parking in parking lots and walking into the store.

Our trip is coming up soon, we leave next Thursday! We are driving to New York City, and listen to this: I have lived in New York State for fifty years, and haven't visited NYC. (Well, I have flown in and out of JFK, and LaGuardia, and last year I drove with Kim to the airport in New Jersey, and we may have been in the vicinity of NYC.) We are parking the car at the airport, and flying to Norway.

On the way home, we will be having our 8 hour layover in London. Suzanne is responsible for planning...but if anyone has any suggestions of what we should do, I would be all ears. Big Ben? Tea and scones? And is Picadilly Circus...just a road? Shh, we really are going exploring just so we can hear the accents, after all, we love Downton Abbey:)

If you live there, maybe you'll see us. Emily 31, Suzanne 15, and Sonja 13 (almost 14), and me, the mom who doesn't know whether to wear sneakers (comfy!), or boots (so fashionable), or warm Ugg-like boots (ugly but...warm)

Packing: ugh. Protein bars, almonds, gum for the purse.

I always bring way too much, be we will be gone for 8 nights. And we'll be in different places with different weather. Margaret is up in the mountains of Norway, where the skiing is great, skiing which I won't be doing. No sir, no how. I would rather sit in a chair and stare at a wall than put on a pair of skis.

So today at my house, there was fun fun fun! I started the day really casually...by going back to bed after the girls got on the school bus...the homeschooled kids were waking up, but I went back to bed. I didn't sleep, I read. With a cup of coffee, and yes, it was as wonderful as it sounds.

When I got up, after picking up a bit and taking are of the dogs, I sat in my comfy chair with Char and Cam on either side of me. We looked up the Jim Crow laws, and talked about equal rights and segregation. We looked up bathing suits on Target.com. (it counts as school, because were figuring out how much two suits would cost, ect.) We talked about Florida (they are so excited...we go a week after I get back from Norway).

I miss Paul. Yet I am picking him up from the airport tomorrow afternoon, then leaving him home with the little kids while I go to a play with Evelyn. To Kill A Mockingbird.

This afternoon, I cleaned half the laundry room, then went out and about with Kim for a bit.

Anyway...Kim and I went to Chipotle for a yummy healthy dinner. I had salad with chicken, a small scoop of rice, lots of cooked green peppers and onions...mmm. I ate half of it, then gave the rest to Sonja when we got home. (One of the hard things about having so many kids is that you have to choose who to give things to sometimes.)

Evelyn cooked dinner for the kids while I was gone, she is such a good girl. I don't feel guilty for going out and about and eating out while they stayed home and had spaghetti and meatballs because they tend to have fun when Mom's gone, and honestly, it teaches them responsibility, and they figure out how to do things themselves. The younger kids are not difficult to look after, either. They help with setting the table and cleaning up, and don't make big messes anymore. This is what I tell myself, ha. But it doesn't work. I always feel differing degrees of guilt and regret when I leave my kids.

Ah well...morning comes early, and I have a busy weekend coming up, so I should try and get some sleep. Goodnight!