Summer has officially started! - Summary of the week of June 18-23 (Tuesday - Wednesday)

Tuesday found us all excited to try out our summer schedule. The kids did awesome with their school and chores; I didn't hear any complaints and that made my day. It took way longer to get those chores done, however, than it normally takes me. Hopefully they will get the hang of the things soon and start getting them done without my assistance. I was already tired by midday, and then without thinking too much, while the kids did their quiet time, I attacked their school work files. This was way bigger job than I had anticipated or had the time. We were due to take Gillian to her piano lesson. I took the kids to my friend's house so they could play with friends while Gillian had her lesson, but my friend wasn't home, so I had to take the boys with me. It was a warm day, and as Gillian was having her lesson, the boys and I sat on the front yard reading books. Neither of us enjoyed it though because we were just too hot. Thank goodness Charlton was asleep. I left all the doors open for him to have fresh air, and prayed the lesson would be short. As we were about to leave, my friend texted me and upon learning about how her forgetfulness had impacted my afternoon, redeemed herself and invited us for dinner. I dropped Gillian to a birthday party she was invited to, and then my boys and I relaxed at my friend's house. When we got home, we were all tired, but we had survived the day.

Wednesday is a fun day for us. A few ladies in our ward have compiled a list of activities to do and see on Wednesdays, so we've made this day the designated fun day of the week. The first field trip was to Mrs. Grossman's Sticker Factory located in Petaluma. This wasn't an exciting place in itself, but it brought a lot of fun memories of past stickers used in my youth. I didn't have them back in Albania, but when I got here to the States, I became an avid collector of Mrs. Grossman stickers. I even saw most of them displayed on the wall with stickers for each year. The kids enjoyed watching how they were made, but they mostly loved receiving free stickers. My older children were never very fond of stickers. Charlton on the other hand loves stickers. It is the highlight of story time when the librarian invites the little ones to get a sticker for being good listeners. So, I have to say this field trip was mostly for Charlton. I even saved all of my stickers for him. As soon as we got home, my older boys stuck all of their stickers on the rails of their beds. Welcome to the boys' world!

In the evening, I attended my friend's farewell party. It was bittersweet. I'm so happy for Amy to have found a place she loves, nearby her family and surrounded by great schools. But I'll miss her. She has a happy disposition that is very contagious, and we have become great friends these past two years. She will be missed.