The Great Tent Debacle

Remember when I last posted about the kids' tent? Well...last night, they decided that they wanted to sleep in the tent. OUTSIDE was out of the question, so we set the silly thing up in the living room (after the children picked up) and threatened them with their lives if they stayed up all night. When I went to bed somewhere around 10:00, all was quiet. They were still awake but whispering. So far, so good.

When I woke up this morning, Robin was in my bed (again). Ryan was asleep, alone, in the tent. Neither child was easy to get up! When I finally got Robin awake, I asked her how she happened to be in my bed. She said, "Don't you remember telling Ryan, 'Get back to the tent or your room right now?'" I didn't. And I don't have a clue what time of day or night that was. Needless to say, the kids seemed tired today, in spite of their late wake-up time.

I have really tried to make the summer special for the children. They have stayed up too late, slept too late in the mornings, been to the movie, and have played, played, PLAYED with neighbor boy Jack. They've been in the sprinkler or in Jack's pool every day...and have totally destroyed the "divot" at the end of the drive where Meg parks...the mud puddle...by flooding it with water and playing in it. We took a vacation to Gatlinburg, TN, where they saw a midnight parade on the Fourth, fireworks, watched candy being made, rode ski lifts and slid down a bobsled run. We have done the tent thing. We will be going to the 4-H fair next week and are planning Robin's 7th birthday party. Have I indulged them? Maybe a little...but reality hits again in early August when school and routines start again. The other day, when I told the kids that we weren't doing anything until they did their "chores" (cleaned up their rooms), Robin informed me: "Summer is not about working!". I told Meg she needed to tell her boss that next summer...

I delivered the children to Muncie for their weekend visit with Daddy today, as a gift to Meg. She is leaving in the wee hours for a VERY short visit to San Francisco, and needed to be sleeping. Indulgence again? Maybe. There is plenty of time for reality later! Although the house is still messed up, we have accomplished quite a bit this summer, from replacing the kitchen floor to installing a new air conditioner and furnace, cutting down shrubs and hauling the yard trash. Just getting the gutters cleaned out was a major task. And so it goes.

I am still trying to find child care for the three days next week that I will be in Chicago to help revise the SATERN manual. Wish me luck!