what will today bring?

As I sit here with my coffee listening to the rain fall and to Rosie snuffling contentedly in her cage, Charlotte Claire comes out in her one piece fleecy monkey pajamas....no more quiet....

Today I need to go to the store, again!!! I didn't get too much last week because of the refridgerator, but now it is working A-Okay, but it is almost empty. I do not want to take the little girls shopping all by myself on a rainy day...but I might. Ashley went to a friend's house, all the rest of the kids are at college or school.

It is one of those lazy mornings....sometimes Monday mornings just come so unexpectedly. I signed Jonathan's reading paper this morning, and directed him to take a shower....he does NOT like when I help him. He finally relented, came out and got dressed....then I found out he didn't use soap. rrr. There was no way I was going to get the kids back into the shower when he didn't want to take one in the first place. His reason for not using soap: "You didn't tell me to!" Now, we all know that if I HAD told him, he would have said, "I KNOW, Mom!" Then he grumped that I didn't get him out any socks....I told him there is a whole basket of matched socks in there....he came out with a green one and a white one, because he likes them and they fit him. He stayed up too late with his sisters singing songs and laughing last night in their room, so I wasn't going to put my foot down about his socks. I just hope his teacher doesn't see them. Then Aaron and Samuel came out here just in time to catch the second trip bus. I had to write them excuses for being late. Aaron is 18 years old, old enough to vote and to be in the military, and yet I have to write him an excuse for being late to school.

Anyway, they are gone off to school. I gave Charlotte Claire a shower, she put some clean fleecy jammies on and is sitting with me. She just asked me why her hair is cold after her shower, and before I could answer, she is asking me what "growing" means, and why my arms are so big. She is at that stage where she wants to know everything about everything.

It is truly dark and rainy out there. Rosie didn't even mind when I turned back towards the house instead of traipsing down the road this morning. brr. The yard is already soggy. It is getting soggier.

Springtime is nice, but it also brings many trials. Mud. Muddy dog feet, muddy kid feet. And when the kids play outside all the time, they leave things out there. rrr. They decide it is too warm for their jacket, so they leave the jacket on the swingset slide. They decide to do some gymnastics with bare feet, so they leave their sneakers out there. rrr. Then there is the whole Rosie Thing. They have to be careful not to let her sneak out. They will come in for a drink of water or for a different coat or some other really important reason, and Rosie will slink right out the door. So....as much as I like the warmth and sunshine.....

Spring is on hold this week anyways....Wednesday, Museum Day, is only going to be in the thirties with snow. Snow is forecast for Thursday and Friday too. But we have had a taste of the warmth and know it will come back eventually.

I feel a little bit bad that none of my kids has gone on the annual eighth grade Washington D.C. trip with school. But Margaret is glad she isn't going. She said they decided not to go to visit the Holocaust Museum. If she were going she would be very upset about that. She really wants to plan a family trip to Washington....well, perhaps not the WHOLE family.....

My girls are planning a trip to the ocean. All my girls except for Camille. Ashley, and ten of my daughters. I meekly requested that I be included, after all, I told them, I suffered and toiled and raised them all, the LEAST they can do is let me enjoy them all for a weekend. I promised not to be any trouble...they said I could go if I behave myself, and that I cannot bring a huge mattress to sleep in the tent on. I was non-commital on that one. They say they are packing extremely light, like bathing suit and towel and one outfit. I agreed, saying , "We can always find a Walmart if we absolutely need something..." That statement almost got me kicked out of the trip, they practically shouted at me, "We are NOT going to Walmart on our ocean trip!!!" okay.

Remember how I said last week that the house was clean? Oh, I have fond memories of that.

Two little children, no THREE...wet the bed. So....I have some laundry to do this morning.

I am glad I don't have a really good stack of library books right about now. It is that kind of day, the crawl-into-bed-with-a-good-book kind of day....not that I could anyway, with these two princesses.....Camille is up now, in her cozy butterfly jammies, cuddled up to me in my chair. Charlotte Claire is setting up the dollhouse stuff.

Camille says she thinks she should eat bekfrest.