summer is so nice

Emily planned a garden party for some of the youth girls....and our little ones were all invited. She prepared some yummy stuff, and they strung up lights in the yard, played some games....(they like to play this game where each person has a name taped to their forehead, and had to ask a question about who they are, like: am I real, or am I a woman? then figure out who they are.....it is funny....Molly had Hillary Clinton, and she asked ,"Am I a dictator?") Anyway, Emily and my older girls like to keep the younger girls busy doing fun things.....it can be quite challenging to grow up in this world, and remain pure and faithful....there are so many temptations.....my older ones have such a care for the girls, they want to do what they can to keep doing good things.

I am having trouble remembering what day it is, that is a sign I am deep into summer....into that mindset that I had as a child, when the days blended....I purposely don't want to know the date if I don't need to, and I never figure out how many days are left before school starts....

I had to run (15 miles one way, not exactly run) to Wal-Mart today for some essentials: pool shock, chinchilla food (she eats bunny food), and ant traps.....a hundred bucks later, I had my essentials....I like to pick up clothes for the kids to wear back to school (I know it is coming, just not how soon) when I can get them cheap....so I like to scour the clearance racks....I got a few 8 packs of socks for $2 today.....we can never have too many socks....sometimes I wonder what the people did long ago, how they lived without all this stuff. I mean Laura and Mary crossed the prairie with just one wagon load of stuff. We can't even go camping with a 15 passenger van and a 35 ft. camper (packed full), without bringing the truck too, to carry all the stuff.

Joe, Aaron, and Sam are going camping with some of the boys this weekend, driving to the Adirondacks, then canoeing 3 miles to camp. Sam is so excited! I am thankful they are able to do these things....and we live in a great place.....close to Lake Ontario, close to the Finger Lakes, and close to the Adirondack mountains......

Anyway, summer is so nice. It is very hard to keep up with the housework when the weather is so nice.....then I start having trouble finding clean undies for the kids in the morning, and I know I have to put more effort forth.....we try to do the morning work, then everyone's free to go outside, or whatever. The trouble is, I get up at 8 or so each morning (which is fine with me, during school it's 7), but the older kids are lazy slugs....9:30, 10:30, even 11:30 or noon, they are drifting into the kitchen for breakfast....I have been up and busy for hours, and the little ones are ready for lunch....I try to give everyone something they have to do, like vacuum or sweep, or run the dishwasher....so we do get things done, but the get-it-done-so-we-can-go-in-the-pool kind of work.....kids tend to be slapdash and haphazard with most chores anyway. And it's summer, so I don't really care.....

Time just slips away, and I want to use mine in good ways....I keep telling the kids I am going to do something fun with them......I guess taking them to the dmv to register the camper wasn't fun enough....it is going to be really warm tomorrow, high eighties, and very humid.....I don't like to go to far when it's that hot.....so we'll stay home and play in the pool, and save the really fun thing for a rainy day...(I have a feeling the really fun thing is going to be Chinese for lunch, they love sitting around drinking tea....with tons of sugar packets...one time I confiscated the little sugar-packet-holder, and they didn't protest...because they were fliching from another table....) Anyway, I am thankful for today.

This morning I was having a bit of a hard time being patient with the kids, making oatmeal for 3 of them, then one more wanted some, ect....and Suzanne said, "Mommy, why are you talking so softly?" Well, my dear, that is so I don't scream at you! (I didn't really say that).....