Summer aka The End of My Freedom

Summer started!

So my fun free time ended!

Just kidding, I'm still liking it so far (it hasn't even been a full week yet) but it is a lot more work for me. And the beach is a whole different deal with kids. But whatever, first world problems. I think I'm just so happy not to be packing lunches or rounding up homework that I can deal with more noise and fighting and requests for games of Uno.

(I've started letting them win, just to minimize my pain. I know it's not a good life lesson but I figure I'm not doing it to boost their confidence, only to get out of more games of Uno, so it should be fine.)

I got roped into throwing Big Kid's class party since our stupid room mom had the audacity to move, and that was the disaster one would imagine an Ashley-organized class party to be. I brought 17 blown up beach balls for the 3rd graders to decorate and sign...that they destroyed school property and created general chaos with.

I may not have thought that one all the way through, but the good news is that I probably won't be asked to organize any more class parties. When the teacher thanked me, I could tell it was sarcastically. She's retiring this year and if she could have shoved us all out the door prior to dismissal, she would have, there was NO sentimentality there and I think my beach ball plan was a big part in that.

Oh well, the kids had fun and it was their party.

She got a cake.

So now we're working on the summer bucket list and this week I get to go out to the Everglades in the muggy, humid heat in search of the Skunk Ape (a mythological creature that some weirdo made up. I've met the weirdo, so I feel very confident calling him that.) little kid wants to know what our plan is if the Skunk Ape finds us instead of us finding it--which is a very good question.

My plan is to run.