Does anyone else remember that OfficeMax commercial with the music, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" playing while the parents are stocking up on school supplies for their kids to go back to school? I noticed that I was singing that myself in the aisles at Wal-Mart this September while buying erasers and notebooks and completely rejoicing in the upcoming change. I absolutely love summer and having the kids around all day. I love the slow pace and the family time but, I must admit, there is a great satisfaction in dropping off Will and Emma at 8:30 each morning and getting to the end of the day with out thinking, "Did I get anything done today?" Seriously, my house has never been cleaner. One of the main reasons is because my van is in the shop after a fender-bender while buying Slurpees at 7-11 and I can't go anywhere unless I walk...hence, I don't go anywhere. I figured out that that's why women were so into baking cakes and curling their hair and wearing dresses when their husbands came home from the office in the 1950's...they didn't have their own cars! If you can't go to shopping, you might as can something, right? The problem is, the cleaner the house is, the more grumpy I am when it gets messy again five minutes after the children return. I actually told my kids that they cannot play in the toyroom anymore. The toys are off limits because no one cleans them up but me. Hmmm...I know that toys are for playing with, but not at my house--atleast not the day after clean-up day (which, incidentally is the worst day of everyone's life at my house). Caroline started preschool this week and I was really excited to have some one-on-one time with Thomas (read: time to myself while he naps), but then Emma got sick and I had to spend the whole day cleaning up throw-up! Oh well, on the plus side, since I can't go shopping with sick kids either, my house is still clean. Sorry about the stream-of-consciousness blog. Hope it makes sense...atleast to the women out there. Love, kathy