Summer wrap up

Today was Calvin's first day of Kindergarten, and in those 2 brief hours of relative quiet and peace, I realized that this summer nearly wrecked me.

I have come to realize that I am a mostly left-brained mostly introvert. Here are some things I enjoy:

• routine
• quiet
• schedules
• check off lists
• plans
• sleeping
• completing chores
• crafting quietly/alone

Here are some things that I don't totally enjoy:

• chaos
• arranging play dates every day
• repetitive whining
• continuously making snacks/doing dishes
• swimming
• nagging my kids about chores
• everyone talking to me at once

I will own up that I could do better about a lot of these things. I'm reading a book about the brain, and the author is continually pointing out that the brain can be taught to enjoy new things if it does it enough times. I could also be a more "with it" parent that can set a summer schedule and stick to it. Maybe that will be my goal for next summer.

Travel is often a summer time activity, Ben and I did some trips in the spring, and he took the older kids on some big trips this summer while I stayed home and completed chores. I did take the kids on a road trip to Wyoming and we ended the summer with a family road trip to Idaho.

June was spent at the city pool because we had a 1 month pass that we wanted to make the most of. July was spent traveling mostly, the annual pilgrimage to Boston for Ben and the girls was almost 2 weeks.

August was just really dragged out anticipation of our ID trip and back to school.

All this to say, I am not one who mourns back to school time.

RTDW Mystery

A devoted reader sent in this picture: She's been making banana bread for 40 years and doesn't know what went wrong! Leave your theories in the comments below!

Recent Projects with My Dad

As his time on this earth nears its end, I would like to make a tribute to my Dad, all the things he has helped me with lately. Meaning, apart from attentively raising me and teaching me everything I know. He has been our go-to handyman and construction guru, and he was always willing to help, he may have even enjoyed it.

He risked his job when we asked if he and mom would like to drive one of our cars back from CT. It was the end of the school year, but he didn't even hesitate to say yes. I didn't even get to come on that trip, but I bet it was memorable.

He was our 1-man moving crew as we moved out of our first home. He and Ben filled the truck themselves. While he didn't help us move into our current home, it was only because he and mom had taken our kids to the family reunion so that we could get moved in without them underfoot.

Last spring he helped me plant 28 trees to start my new "orchard." He was pretty excited about this one. He also installed a sprinkling system when I was out of town.

We borrowed a tractor to move some railroad ties around in the orchard. I think he enjoyed it quite a bit, this was a very similar tractor to those he had once owned.

2 summers ago he and Jan spent a month building me a new deck.

This was the last of about 10 trees that he cut down for me at this house and our first house. He liked an excuse to whip out his chain saw.

He built us this sandbox in our backyard, he was so patient and encouraging to let the girls help out.

One warm February I asked him to come build a new floor for our playhouse. He and Thad worked all morning installing a floor in a playhouse.

When I had a truckload of gravel delivered, he bought me a wheelbarrow for an early birthday present, then helped me spread it out on the side of the road.



He helped Beetle and Russell build this pergola in our backyard while Ben and I sat on a beach on vacation.

Above all else, the best thing he did was love us and love our kids unconditionally. They may not remember him much, but I will miss him every stinkin' day.