The State of Things

Well, for one thing, we are all, in fact, but just barely, alive.

There have been several close calls with the amounts of whining and not putting socks in hampers around here. Oh and a few cases of flu and massive sinus infections and visits to the dental office. But we are all accounted for.

Even the dog, but her days are numbered. She now has this thing where she is constantly on my heels so that every time I turn around I manage to trip over her. And she has now decided to fully take on the princess role seeing as how I have no one else to boss me around all day, she lets me know she is done doing "business" by repeatedly barking at the door until I let her in. Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks? And I'm not even going to talk about the mountains and mountains of hair around here.

Things around here have been quite insane. For some reason I thought once they were all in school I would have so much more time on my hands. But it appears that I didn't really have that much time to begin with. And now the time that I do have I fill with being Kathryn's room mom, lunching, bible study, napping, MOPS (I like to pretend I still have a preschooler) , marathon training, pedicures, volunteering almost whenever they need me, book clubs (yes plural), Christmas shopping (85% done thankyouverymuch), staying on top of my DVRed shows, vacuuming and managing my fantasy football team.

Of course...that's only until 3pm. Then my real day starts. Then it's all about choir, homework, violin, horses, homework, gymnastics, swimming, homework, ridiculous teenage drama, homework, jaunts to Hobby Lobby for project supplies, appointments with various people involving insurance filings, play dates and the general daily hormonal incidents one would expect in a house full of four daughters.

So one day when Emma answered on her homework (did you get that we have a lot of that around here?) that something that takes about one minute to do is cook Beenie Weenies I couldn't help but laugh.

Now I do promise, that is not my girls' usual dinner (I throw in Spaghettios too). I actually go to the grocery store weekly now and write out this wonderful thing called a meal plan and more often than not, by some miracle, we sit down to the table as a family for dinner. And I will have you know that I am getting so good at this stay at home mom thing (14 years into it) that I actually used the crockpot twice last week! Uh huh. Before you know it, I'll be sewing buttons back on shirts.

So the state of things...chaotic. Although slightly more chaotic than normal. Which is why I haven't been around. But I'm checking in...because my mom was worried. ;-)