Fire the Proofreader!

I need to start proofreading my posts before I click on "publish". Am finding all kinds of typos. Not good for an English teacher about to embark on revising a nationally read manual!

We didn't have a particularly stellar day here today. Meg's overnight flight was delayed. So delayed, in fact, that they had to book her on another flight from Detroit to Indy...which meant that, instead of getting back at 10:30, she wasn't back until 1:30, and then had to go to work. It kind of cut a chunk out of the day, making it difficult to keep the children on course. They seemed tired and easily bored--never a good combination. On a couple of occasions, Robin got so enraged at her brother that she (unwisely) took a swing at me when I stepped between them. And it went from there...

When we picked up Meg from Indy International, she hadn't had lunch...so we took a swing by McD's on our way home. Ryan threw a fit. He wanted Burger King (because of whatever they are giving away this week in their kids' meals). Suffice it to say that the children had already had lunch, but he was being such a toad that we just pulled out of the McD's lot and headed home without getting any food. Meg would just have to stop somewhere on her way to work. (She never did.)

Ryan had major gimme-wants today. Playing with Jack was out of the question because Jack was on his way to Indiana Beach for four days. ("I want to go there!") Then he was scraping money together to buy more rubber lizards. ("Grandma, help me count my money!") Whatever he wanted, we didn't have. Whatever I wanted, he wouldn't do. You get the picture!

Late in the day, we went to Hummel Park. Here there is a world of playground equipment for the children to play on...but all they wanted to do was play in the sandbox. Ugh! I remembered the struggle I had putting Ryan's socks on this morning...so this is what transpired:

RYAN: I want to play in the sand.
ME: I don't particularly want you to get sand in your shoes.
RYAN: I'll take my shoes and socks off.
ME: And who will put them back on again?
RYAN: I will.
ME: Okay.

In the middle of play, Ryan decided to go to the car to get a couple of dinosaurs. (He LOVES his dinosaurs!)

When it was time to go home, Ry dutifully got out of the sand to put on his shoes and socks. He got his socks on (inside out and upside down)...then I reminded him that his dinosaurs were still in the sand. I was aghast to watch him walk into the sandbox in his socks to get the dinosaurs...and I was too far away to stop him! And then, of course, because his socks were on wrong and full of sand, he had trouble getting his shoes on....so I ended up having to do what I was trying to avoid: putting on the shoes and socks AGAIN.

Somehow, dinner got put together and Meg and I were able to have a short conversation about her trip. She begged to go to bed about 7:00, which left me to get the children to bed--always a challenge. In fact, it is 10:02, and I just had to separate them AGAIN. We are slated to go to the county fair tomorrow, but if I can't get any cooperation, we ain't goin'!

The cicadas are out. Heard my first ones tonight. It used to knell the end of summer for me. I saw a fellow teacher at the store the other day and told her that, for the first time in my life, I was saying that I couldn't wait for school to start! heh heh.

The kids are still up. Murder is against the law...and suicide isn't considered good. What other options do I have??