Summer Vacation in HiDef

HOLY SNAP!  It's SUMMER VACATION starting today!  I'm completely unprepared.  I feel like a kid who's just started school w/o any supplies, only instead, I'm the Mom who's suddenly got kids!  Kids everywhere!  Kids in the playroom!  Kids in the TV room!  Kids on the porch, the deck, the jungle gym in the yard!  Kids!!!  Kids with swim team practice, meets and social events!  Kids who want to go places and do things!  Kids with camp, parties and summer reading assignments!  Kids!

So, to kick off summer vacation I took the kids to the Art Show in VaBch this past Saturday.  If you live in driving distance to the Boardwalk Art Show, it's worth it.  Assuming you love art.  C loves art.  Stops to look at every third booth, talk to the artists.  One year she admired an artists' paintings so much that he gave her a business card with the print she loved so much on it.  It was her first Russell Yerkes and she treasured it for a long time.  I bet she still has it.  I  would buy her a RY if I could, but I'd have to sell her first to afford it, and that would probably defeat the purpose.  Another artist once gave her a clay cone maraca.  It makes the most wonderful little noise when you shake it, like rain falling on tree leaves.  This year, it was smokey because North Carolina is on fire, and frankly, VaBch isn't that far from NC.  Still, it was fun.  We enjoyed seeing the art, the sights, the Artists, the vendors selling carp food....  I was tempted by a lovely piece of art, but my wallet saved my life.  My H would have KILLED me if I had casually arrived home with a fabulous painting and the phrase, "You know how we've been saving to go to the big D?  Well, I spent $1200 on this 9X11 piece of art!  Isn't it gorgeous?"  

After arriving home from the Art Show around midnight on Saturday, the sensible thing to do would be to sleep in, take a day to relax and regroup my kids.  So, we went to Busch Gardens for Father's Day & stayed there until 9pm.  Yea!  That was fun.  We bought V a season ticket, and traded it for "babysitting".  She came with us and watched the kids while we rode roller coasters for a few hours, and then we regrouped & did some family time.  V & H rode Griffon, and said it was "OK", but apparently both of them blacked out a little from the G-Force.  OK- no more Griffon until those Life Insurance papers are signed!!!

SO, today it's a re-group and re-focus day.  We're going to center ourselves, and set the tone for the summer's activities.  We...  Carp, it's almost 8:10, and I need to get them off to Swim Team practice in a bit!  Then to the barn for a riding lesson, then the library for a book.  Reading time this afternoon, and a swim team social function this evening!  Whew!  

Sorry, but forget "re-group, and blah blah".  It's summer, & I've given up cable, so we'll be out of the house as much as possible!  My theme for the Kids is "Keep them busy.  Keep them tired".