June 19, 2003 - 8:37 p.m.

It's Official!

Summer is here! Today was Haley's last day of school, so now all three are on summer vacation. In some ways my life will be easier now, even though I will have three kids to care for all day, instead of only two for most of it. H and M are so close that they are really good at amusing themselves together. Without her big sister around, M often falls victim to the "I'm bored..." syndrome. She's a very agreeable child, to the point that she can be extremely unmotivated. She's not very good at playing by herself. Also, since we won't have to be back to pick H up or meet her at the bus stop in the afternoon, our days can be much more flexible. Hopefully the weather will warm up enough to spend some time at the pool and Walden Pond (yes, the Walden Pond), but I also hope to make day trips to the zoo, a waterpark, etc.

H was actually really unhappy about the school year ending. She adores school and dislikes change so the beginning of vacation isn't a great time for her. In a few days she should be adjusted to the new summer routine and will be fine. In the meantime, she's pretty bummed, so I let her dictate our afternoon pretty much. I made some suggestions for fun outings, and she chose to go to a place called Plaster Fun Time. It's a studio where you can pick a plaster figurine to paint. The kids had a great time, and it was the perfect distraction for H. She painted a sea turtle, M worked on a Native American girl, and B did a fierce looking dinosaur (shocker!) The staff there is really good with kids. Rather than sticking to the required elements of the job (handing out supplies, taking payment, cleanup, and such) they really go above and beyond to engage the kids and make the experience fun. They surprise the kids with silly antics, engage them in conversation, and complement their work. I think we'll go back sometime.

Afterwards we stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream. Despite all my determination to buckle down until the cruise and not indulge my sweet tooth, I just couldn't resist joining in. It was soft serve, though, which has much less fat than regular ice cream, so I don't feel too guilty. Plus, I can still feel a lot of sore muscles from climbing last night, so I think I could afford a little indulgence! It's funny, the muscles that are sore are clearly the ones I used that I don't ask much of in everyday life like those on the outside of my thighs and some middle back muscles. I've got twinges in all kinds of weird places, but it is a pleasant feeling since it means my body was working hard while I was having so much fun!

I finally asked my big brother to watch over Percy while I am away on vacation. He agreed, which is a relief, but I am already experiencing an irrational paranoia about leaving my little hedgie. Since his little tumor suddenly appeared, I am nervous that some other freak medical problem will arise while I am gone. Not only don't I want anything bad to happen to Percy again, I would feel bad if Derek had to be troubled with the burden of a sick pet and dealing with a vet that isn't nearby. Luckily, Percy's lump seems to have stabilized, so I don't think there is any real cause to worry. I'll probably check my email a few times on the cruise, despite the 75 cents a minute price tag, just to have the peace of mind that Derek can be in touch if anything comes up.

I have done more than enough rambling for one evening and not nearly enough packing and cleaning! I don't know whether I will update tomorrow, but the rest of the weekend I don't think I'll have web access when I am in New York. Instead I intend to take advantage of the hotel's bathtub for a nice long soak with a good book and seek out some good ethnic food. Big Apple here I come!

today's project: painting plaster knick knacks

musing about: a weekend without the stampede of chidren's feet above my head!

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