Pretending to Move

Summer vacation! I do quite enjoy the slower mornings and lack of commitments. We were quite busy all year long, a slower change of pace is quite welcome. My main goal for the first week was to get the kid’s bedrooms managed. I am pretending we’re moving, so that means touching everything and getting rid of half. Amelia’s room was relatively easy, but we still spent a good 5-6 hours sorting through all her papers, memory box, craft supplies, and desk. She easily got rid of half her clothes that no longer fit. 

Tuesday I started on the boy’s room in between therapy, dance lessons, and dinner prep. We started in their closet sorting through all the clothes, if they wore it in the past year it stayed, the rest went. I donated two huge trash bags of clothing the boys did not wear or would not wear. It took a while to locate the bunkbed hardware to stack the beds again, finally found the baggie in the toy closet inside a bin. Sara helped me swap headboards since I switched them so the boys would have a higher headboard than the footboard. The boys came home from dance just in time to help bunk the beds. Phillip moved his drum set into the now empty corner where Everett’s bed was. Amelia took the girls to the library for an afternoon diversion. We are reading 30 minutes each day to earn a Baskin Robbins ice cream cup.  Amelia and I went to Skyview HS so Mia could meet her Spanish 1 teacher for summer school. She got a voucher for two tacos at the taco truck parked on campus. Yum! Right after we rushed to Walmart for a few items I needed to work on the bedroom cleanups. Then rushed to the Stake Center for an FSY information meeting. I left early with Phillip to get him to drum lessons. Phew, flick that sweat away! 

Wednesday was Everett’s big birthday celebration gift at Wahooz. I dropped him off with Kyran, Alyssa, and Ambree for 7.5 hours of fun. The kids chattered incessantly the drive over, excited to try out all the games and options. Kyran was hesitant to try out the Dark Ride, a sort of 3-D interactive movie with motion and laser guns. I checked them in with only three instructions: call me if needed using the front desk phone, follow the rules, and be outside at 6 pm. They scampered off toward the Dark Ride while I headed home. Since Everett was gone I started working on the girl’s clothing situation. I bought one dresser for both girls to use and plan to donate the other two dressers. Each girl has 6 drawers and half a clothes hanger rack. I inherited a lot of clothes and quite enjoy thrifting clothes, so we had a lot. I feel great that by the end of all the sorting the girls have 60% less than we had before. It’s sort of embarrassing! 

Thursday the puppy trainer came over and spent 30 minutes showing us three commands to work on with Furgus. She spent the rest of the time talking us through some questions and concerns. The session was very helpful. The boys and I spent the rest of the day organizing and finishing the boy’s room. They lost the privilege of having a desk (or LEGO table), it became a clutter magnet instead. I made a reading nook in the corner with their cubby shelf, abutted the drum set against the shelf. Made the room feel managed and every space used. Josie was finally starting to feel better by Thursday. She spent a few miserable days on the couch with a fever, cough, and stuffy nose. Justin and the older kids headed to the orchard to thin peaches as part of our ward assignment. I assembled the new chest of drawers. Evelyn and Josie played Christmas Elf school all afternoon. They assembled the drawers which soon became a train to the North Pole. Josie insists her Elf’s name is Sugar Cookies.  

Friday Furgus had a grooming session at the Dog Alley, he came home looking like a lawnmower ran over his back. He now has fat fluffy legs and chest! It’s so ridiculous it’s cute. He immediately ran outside and plowed through the wet grass trying to get rid of the strange shaved feeling on his back. Back to cleaning. I moved the girl’s beds to one wall, shoved the old dressers into the loft, and got the closet set to rights. By 10 pm the room was mostly sorted through and in its new arrangement. I was glad the girls mostly left me alone, made chucking half their precious belongings away that much easier. 

Saturday we all had an early morning start for Evelyn’s dance recital. Justin took the kids to Caldwell for the recital. He reported the dancing was MUCH better than the last studio the girl’s were at, clean and age appropriate. I was invited to a Sharla Dance training in Meridian by Bethany Cluff from MCO. We both are on the Sharla Dance FB page. I brought along most of my manipulatives to share at the training. The training went by in a flash, it really went quickly with all the fun activities Sharla had us engaged in. She went through a Senior and then Junior Primary singing time. I am so impressed with all Sharla has studied about the brain, development, and music. Did you know Sharla spent some time in Gilroy? She even exchanged Christmas Cards with Grandma Jean for many, many years. I took away several ideas: 

1. Separate Junior and Senior Primaries
2. Really run through 3 songs, I’ve focused on 1 song three different ways each Sunday
3. It’s all about teaching the kids about Christ
4. Learn the melody, rhythm, and beat before the words 

Sunday’s singing time went quickly but was amazing. I had the kids sitting on the floor. We reviewed Come Follow Me using a gesture map, crack the code for Jesus Once was a Little Child, and story song for The Miracle. I was astounded how quiet the kids were for the story song. It was silent, the spirit was so strong as we learned about Christ and his miracles. Yee haw! Success. After church I held our last camp preparation meeting. Our main agenda was finalizing an itinerary, the big candidates included the zoo, Greenbelt, Boise Depot, Capitol building, and the Penitentiary. We each got our task lists and left the meeting ready to make girl’s camp happen. I happened to get another 750 tiny duckies to stuff the glass light bulbs with since 300 was seriously not enough.  

Courtenay and crew left Utah for Texas early Sunday morning. Miekka and Lia joined to help drive and lend support. I am so happy they went along! John found a rental home that even has a pool! John and Jared met up for a temple date and lunch! They are about two hours away but a doable drive for sure. Dad is painfully recuperating from his knee surgery. It is a prolonged, intense pain he has trouble controlling.