Just when I think I've got it under control...

life throws me a curve ball!

Why does it always seem to happen like that? I was talking to an old friend and I told her things had gotten easier since my kids were older. So much easier that I thought I could handle having another baby, not that I wanted to or intended to.

Before you get any crazy ideas... I am not announcing an addition to the family!!!!

It's just that right after I said that, life came crashing in. I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water. It's almost like life heard me and said, "You think it's easy? Well, I can fix that."

To start off with, Mariasha, my not-as-independent-as-she-thinks-she-is adult child, got a speeding ticket, and then 15 minutes later the timing belt in her car broke while she was on the freeway, causing $2000+ in damages. Of course, she can't afford to pay for the speeding ticket OR the car repairs, but our household can't function with only two cars, so the auto fairy, aka dad, is footing the bill. This put us down to 2 cars for a week or more while it is getting fixed. Oh the joys of carpooling.

The next thing that happened is that school started. Gone are the lazy days of summer. Gone are the great swaths of time when there is nothing to do. Gone are the spur of the moment trips to the pool, or the park, or a bike ride. They have been replaced with amazing amounts of homework. It's only the second week of school, and already we are are spending hours getting the homework done.

Then comes the sports. Soccer has started, and Kallai and Taliah are both on soccer teams. Jordan has taken up Cross Country. I am all for it. I'm glad my kids are physically active, and are learning to work as part of a team. It's just that I happen to be the chauffer, which is fine, except the crazy overlapping schedules are making it difficult to get anything else accomplished.

My schedule the other day went like this:

3:00- Arrive home from work, help Taliah with homework

3:30- Kallai arrives home, help him with homework

4:00-Take Kallai to soccer, Jordan arrives home, check his homework schedule (I don't "help" him with homework... I don't understand his homework!)

4:30:-Take Jordan to work (30 min round trip)

5:00- Make dinner, feed myself and Taliah, then put dinner in fridge

6:00-Take Taliah to soccer

6:30 Pick Kallai up from soccer, take him home to change and eat

6:50-Take Kallai to Scouts

7:00-Pick up Taliah, help her with piano practice while cleaning and doing laundry

8:30-Kallai arrives home, help with homework

8:45-Go pick up Jordan from work

9:15-Feed Jordan dinner

9:30-Drop into bed exhausted.

Now I know I'm whining a little. I know many people have it worse than I do. I am very blessed. I just want to state for the record... I don't have it under control. Not even close! And next time I will be smart enough to recognize that fact BEFORE the avalanche hits.

Kallai's Scout Camp

David and I haven't taken the family camping much. There are many reasons why, but probably the most significant reason is that none of our kids really like it. Or so we thought. Kallai, as it turns out, really enjoys camping. He recently spent a week at Camp Maple Dell in Spanish Fork Canyon, in Utah. He had a blast! A big thank you is deserved by his wonderful Scout Master, Kyle Burdette. Kyle can come off as a little stiff sometimes, but the man is organized! The Boy Scout Program is a finely tuned machine while he is at the helm. The boys participated in many exciting and educational activities. Kallai was able to earn 5 merit badges during camp. They canoed, swam, sang, ate, and played hard. Kallai can't wait until next year.