It is finally silent in my home now, the girls are all asleep. Jacob and Rachel are outside and all I want to do is take a nappy! LOL The last slumber party was so much tamer in comparison to this one. I don’t know if it’s because they haven’t seen each other as much or if it’s because they are excited about school starting soon, but they were rocking the house till all hours. I’m letting them sleep another hour or so then they are getting up and going outside to enjoy this beautiful day!

Since we have had such success with our “parties”, Cassidy has planned a slumber party! The girls will be arriving around 3 today and it will be off to the pool. Then we will cook out and move the festivities inside. My job, I have been told, is to keep Jacob and Rachel away from Cassidy and her friends. I think my darling little teenager is growing up to fast! I am proud that she has planned this herself, but when she starts telling me what to do…I think not! We had a lengthy discussion on how to speak to me and ask for me to do things, not tell me to and I think she will be more careful in the future.

Our little bash went off really well! I don’t think anyone had a less than wonderful time! Since then everything has been busy, busy, busy. This is the last full week before school starts back and everyone is getting ready for their return. We now have our official school supply list, so I will be finishing the shopping and making sure we haven’t forgotten anything. I wonder if I can make squeeze in a little mini-vacation before school starts?

Since summer is nearing an end, we are having a little backyard bash tonight. Cassidy has invited all her friends and we invited most of the neighbors. We are having a cookout and pool party to celebrate as well as just let the kids have some fun. I am heading to the store to buy food and ice and anything else that may come to mind. Wonder how much it would be to have a bunch of sand brought in so it could be a beach party????

We spent Sunday and most of Monday outside playing in the pool. Admittedly, I spent more time lying on a towel beside the pool. I am paying for it now. Did anyone ever tell you to put sun block on the bottom of your feet? Well, they didn’t tell me! The bottoms of my feet got sunburned, it hurts to even stand! Maybe I should have spent more time in the pool instead of outside the pool reading. Another lesson learned.

Yesterday we went shopping and got a little above ground pool on clearance. Its 4 foot deep and about 15 feet wide. The children are beyond happy! They checked every hour on the hour to see how full the pool was getting and wanted to get in at 8:30 last night when they deemed it full enough. LOL So today we are going to spend the day “pool side” and enjoy a very lazy day!

I mentioned in my last blog about the state parks nearby. These are “goldmines” as many of them are free to visit. (I have come across a few that require a small parking fee.) The wonderful thing is the state parks are more than just historical site, its forests, lakes, ocean side beaches. These are great for day outings to go fishing or hiking, or even weekend camping trips. You don’t always have to spend a lot of money for a fun day or a long weekend mini-vacation. So look around you, somewhere nearby is a beautiful place that can help you feel as if you have escaped from the everyday!

As the time gets closer, I keep thinking about how very fast the summer has flown by. There are still so many things I would like us to do. One of which is going to some of the state parks that are close by. Many of which have historical value as well. As a matter of fact, maybe we will go to one or two today. I have also found that sometimes the spur of the moment outings, are the best.

Rachel meets her teacher today. She seems to be fairly excited. She is helping me get all her things together to take. I am nervous, to be honest. I do not think I am ready for her to be in school! After we do that I am taking Rachel and Jacob to get hair cuts. Rachel wants to have hers cut short and I don’t so I guess it will be a lesson in compromise!