another break....

I sat in the sun. It was absolutely wonderfully delicious. Imagine sitting out on the deck with Aaron, 17, who was doing homework at the table and making funny cracks, proving he wasn't actually absorbed in his homework, and Mirielle who possibly loves the sun more than I do, and Stine, who, being from Norway, gets less sun than us and never has days this warm there in March,and Mali, and Margaret, and Kathryn, and surprise - Emily came over! Seems she couldn't stay awake all night, so she slept a bit in the early morning hours, and came over to go shopping with the girls. After they left, the kids finished up playing in the sandbox, I put dinner in the crockpot, did some more laundry, swept the kitchen and living room, and went outside for a picnic lunch with Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja, Jonathan, Charlotte Claire, and Camille. They had muffins and pears and apples and corn chips and water. I was a good girl and had a pear and a small pile of corn chips....then we came in the house, put Camille to bed, and had cookies and milk. I had at least six Oreos. Maybe eight. rats.

The boys went off shopping too. Tor-Henning and Idar with Aaron and Samuel. They are going to go somewhere cool for lunch, too.

Camille is doing this new thing where she just keeps coming back out when she was put to bed. She was put to bed around 8:00 for the first time last night, and it was almost 11:00pm when she finally stayed in her bed. Now she is doing it for naptime too. rrr. Wow, I should know what to do, after all, I have sixteen kids! ha.

Does anyone else feel a bit apprehensive about the questions on the U.S.Census?

Is anyone else procrastinating about filling it out?

I have no idea how much dinner to make tonight. With the girls out shopping and probably going to lunch, and the boys too, I wonder how hungry they will be. I have barbecued pork in the crockpot. I wonder what I should make to go with it, and how much of it I should make. hmm.

I need to get the clothes out of the dryer, and maybe make something for dessert tonight, and I am thinking of lying on the couch for a bit....what? I am lazy? I already know that! But I DID stay up really late last night.....

Benjamin Benjamin Benjamin. He is not a BAD kid, but...oh my goodness he gives me gray hair. Pray for him. Sometimes I think I should start a different blog, totally anonymous, so I could write whatever I wanted to. One thing I am grateful for, in regards to Ben, is that I am still extremely hopeful for him. I just KNOW that in that big tall restless boy is a nice soft heart. Like I said, when he is good, he is very very good. And when he is bad, he is not that bad.

Now I am remembering how it is when it is nice out....the kids stay outside most of the day, mostly with bare feet, getting them filthy, and come in the house for little things, like drinks of water in clean cups each time, and get the floors all dirty. But it is much better than being closed up in here. They have so much energy, and it makes me happy to see them playing soccer and hide and seek, rather than being on the computer. It just seems like every year it is the same thing: don't slam the door! Wash your feet if you're staying in. If you take your shoes off outside, bring them back in when you come in. Same with the jackets or sweaters. I like going barefoot, so I am pretty lenient about that. Life is short.

And blah blah blah, as my father used to say....