And with that, they charged full steam ahead into sunny days full of carefree fun… Watch out, cuz here they come! Hello, summer.

The girls finished their last days of school last week. My head is still spinning. On Monday, Allie’s rainforest creature family project was due.  The assignment was to create something made entirely from recycled materials found in our home.  So we yanked stuff out of our recycling trash can, found an empty bottle of detangling spray, sacrificed a plastic ball from the kids’ old ball pit, and after Daddy hot-glued the head and straw antennae on, I cut out the cardboard wings and covered them with foil, Allie added all the artistic flair… and ta-da!  Allie’s “Cameleo-fly”.  Combination cameleon-butterfly.  Pure awesomeness. Also, I got an email Sunday night proclaiming Monday…

I realized a couple weeks ago that we never went to an open house at school for Allie.  Remember Mikey’s open house back in kindergarten?  It was around this time of year.  The thought again entered my consciousness when Allie came home with a big folder made out of construction paper with the words “First Grade Portfolio” printed on it.  Uh oh.  Did I totally miss her open house?  Because that would not be beyond the realm of possibility in my world.  I scanned recent school emails and asked around to see if I had perhaps completely missed the date.  Thankfully, yet puzzlingly, no one seemed to know what I…

There are 4 1/2 days left of school.  4 1/2, not 5, because 5 would be the end of me.  I’m already having serious doubts if we can even make it for these last 4 1/2 days because there’s still a rainforest creature to create where family participation is strongly encouraged, an end-of-year 1st grade party to help out with, a so-long preschool party to bake cookies for and attend with three stragglers, a homeschooled boy to finish up the year with, a preschooler who keeps asking for projects, a toddler who’s forever up to no good, and… my back hurts. my eyes hurt. my teeth hurt.  Unrelated?  Perhaps. I’ve…

Mother’s Day can sometimes be a complicated day for me to navigate with an oft-times difficult relationship with my mom as well as a step-mom relationship I’m still trying to figure out how best to honor. But you know what isn’t complicated in the least? Being called “mommy” by this guy right here. Being called “mama” by this sweet slip of a girl. Being called “mommy” by this little mini. Being called “MA-MA!!” by this little munchkin.  But only when he wants something.  Usually food. Nope, not complicated in the least. And it’s one of the greatest privileges of my life.  Even when bedtime rolls around and I can hardly…