Bead break

Between Spencer's camp and the kids' swim lessons in the evening we found a small space of time for a little crafting. The kids decided on putting beads on pipe cleaners. Evie made something glittery and colorful and wanted to make a cross necklace "for God." We see her grandmother's influence there. :) Then she ended up throwing things around and getting sent away to cool off for a little bit.

Spencer, meanwhile, carefully constructed a black and white pattern on a white stem. He says it's part of a checkered flag he's working on. His creativity these last few months has really blossomed. He uses more intention in his crafts than he used to.

Play-Doh doesn't dry anymore

With the heat and the humidity I've noticed that the Play-Doh that gets left on the table on the deck doesn't dry all day. And the crumbles that don't get cleaned up right away are just brightly colored mush in the morning. We have a covered deck, so that probably helps. So if you're one of those people who stresses about the Play-Doh drying out like me, consider that this heat wave is giving you a gift--one less thing to stress about! Stay cool.

County Fair

We went to the county fair tonight on the last day. The scheduling wasn't great because all the animals were gone and we spent a fortune on rides, but the kids had a great time despite the heat. Naturally we stayed too long and they were both crying at the slightest thing by the time we got to the car.

Total exhaustion

The kids have been up and down at night all week and I've finally hit my wall. Luckily Evie had camp in the morning and Spencer and I went to a friend's house during that time. In the afternoon our sitter came over for a couple of hours and I napped. I felt human again, enough to make dinner and let the kids watch a short TV show.

Potty talk

This is going to fall under the "too much information" category for some of you, but we have had some potty success this week! I think Evie's finally got it. She's worn underwear to camp this week and used the potty for all the usual stuff plus POOP! Yes, I know you're as thrilled as I am. Just think - one less stinky diaper walking around Target the next time you're shopping. Now you're as pleased as I am, aren't you?

SpongeBob saves the day

First, I want to say that my kids don't watch SpongeBob at home. In fact, until today, they'd never seen the cartoon. But that has all changed now that the kids' dentist has put TVs on his ceiling.

Second, I want to say that a typical visit at the dentist for us goes like this: Spencer runs around the office screaming about how he doesn't want to get in the chair while Alan chases him down and I yell something to the effect of, "get in that chair this instant!" During this mayhem Evie clings to me like a sloth baby. We wrestle Spencer into the chair and hold him down while the dentist pries his mouth open. Evie cries during her exam. I must add that their dentist is a very cool and nice guy. He doesn't deserve this.

But now? Silence. Compliance. Even, dare I say it, ENJOYMENT. Evie was upset at first but then Dora came on and all was right with the world.

My advice: find a dentist with TVs on the ceiling. They'll offer to change the channel to whatever you like, but if the kids are happy let them enjoy the brain candy that it is in exchange for a good dental visit.

Another Happy Camper

Today was Evie's first day at the YMCA camp. Drop off was traumatic. She cried and clung to me. It was so hard. One of the counselors found a slug and Evie finally seemed interested in that, so Spencer and I took off while she was engaged. She was mopey for awhile until they went swimming, and then she was fine. Each kid made a bug house to take home.

Unfortunately, Evie is definitely sick. For awhile I thought it was allergies, but it's clear that she has a cold. She's tired and clingy and isn't sure what to do to make herself comfortable. I'm just hoping she's well enough to go to camp on Thursday and Friday this week so we don't lose momentum.