So far, so good

The kids are back in school. The house is actually much quieter and with the exception of when I was filling out school paperwork packets yesterday, I didn't cry once. The babies are being unusually cooperative. The Baby Girl has slept away most of the day yesterday and today. I guess she does nap...if the house is quiet, that must be why I have scarcely caught her at it before. The Little Lady is not so happy about the lack of people to play with. She has given up napping in protest, because face it, there is always a catch. Hercules cries every morning inconsolably because he wants to go to school too. How I wish I could send him! He is less destructive and more cooperative after he finishes with his morning tantrum though.

The obscene money I spent at BB's orientation on gym clothes is going to good use as he doesn't even HAVE gym this semester. How is it that nobody mentioned the possibility of getting Health instead? The bus brought him back home yesterday and picked him up again this morning, so I am feeling relieved on that score. He had a good time at school yesterday and seems to really like his teachers, so what more could a Mommy ask for?



JB has her best friend in her class and another good friend and she is over the moon about that, but, she really dislikes her teacher. Apparently a few seconds after I left, she asked the girl sitting next to her what she needed to have out and the teacher reprimanded her pretty harshly. I'm really unhappy about this because JB is super sensitive so now she is really scared of her teacher and bummed about school in general. She has been blessed and cursed at the same time, she had the same teacher and class for kindergarten and first grade, and then she had another teacher and class for second and third grades. She is now entering the fourth grade, but this is only her third teacher. For that reason she is having a hard time adjusting, so she'll need a teacher with patience to help her transition well. Sadly, yesterday's incident does not inspire my confidence in this lady being that kind of teacher.



LB is happy. He is always happy, and this year with this teacher is no different. That child is such a ray of sunshine that it is hard to believe he is mine.



My grandfather came over this morning and finished spraying the back yard for ivy. He took the measurements for a drop cloth/ground cover thing that he is going to put down in a couple of weeks. I am much happier now that the yard has been sprayed and I know when he'll be back to finish. It is so nice to have a date that I can give the children because they are so excited to be able to play out there, and especially to be able to play with the dogs outside off leash.

I am getting ready for our Labor Day trip. My aunt is going to watch the dogs and I am thrilled with this arrangement. They both really like her and I am happy that they will have someone they feel comfortable with. I refuse to board them because they were shelter dogs and Molly especially was there so long that any kind of confinement really stresses her out. My aunt will also check on the cats once while we are gone for a litter box change and to double check on their food and water levels. I double litter box when I leave them and they have automatic food and water bowls for just such occasions. They're independent little guys, so I think that for short trips in particular they appreciate having the house to themselves.

I am looking forward to seeing my sister, but at the same time I am dreading seeing my mother. I love my mom, but, we just have so many issues that it is pretty difficult when we're together. My sister and our mom are the same way, so it'll be doubly tense. My mom is one of those people that is miserable all the time. If you send her a picture she complains that she can't display it because she can't afford a frame. If you send her a frame she complains because she has no where to put it. If you just don't send it to her she complains that you don't love her. She loves my oldest son to bits, she is almost resentful towards my oldest daughter, she likes LB pretty well, H makes her crazy and she has little patience with him, she has only seen TLL once for about 5 minutes, and she'll be meeting BG for the first time. My stomach has been clenched painfully since arranging to make this trip.

I think that it is about time for me to wake BG up to eat, that girl must be starving. The kids will be home in an hour and today they will probably have homework, and that will put us firmly back in the real world.