The Dog Days of Summer

We have reached the dog days of summer.. I wonder where that phrase really came from..

Anyway, the boys are finally sleeping past 7 and I am so excited about our upcoming trip to the big D to enjoy the lodge life at Great Wolf and see our friends. Not much sounds better than relaxing by the pool with no dishes to do and reading a new book that I purposely haven't read just for this time.

And of course, there is drama in the mean time. Chris is battling a random bout of gout. On Monday he woke up with his toe swollen and painful... and he's been pretty good with his diet, avoiding the shellfish and such. Unfortunately, we just never know when this will  take off. So now he has his entirely swollen foot elevated, I'm pumping cherry juice through him as fast as I can, and I'm trying not to get antsy about the coming vacation. Can I tell you how much I hate being the one who has to pack everybody and do all the prep work when I can't even ask someone for help?? And, if the attack doesn't relent, I'll be driving and all that jazz too. sigh... When will we be able to have a "go as planned without some crap happening" trip???

Well, as I was saying, it is the dog days.. summer is here and the heat is high.. I find myself with lots of little pieces of time. In between driving people here there and everywhere, I do the laundry, wash the dishes, sweep the floors, cook the meals, buy the food, pay the bills and still get to read about 3 books a week.

I do enjoy my summers. I need tomake sure to take care of my insurance signup online and complete some inservice training next week. Hopefully we'll get to use our pool passes more. We've used them a total of 1 time. First, it was overcast looking like rain. Then we have trips to take. There is the weekend at Mimi's and the drive to take The Niece back. Yep, it would be great to have a few unrainy hours to enjoy our neighborhood pools.

I am amazed at the things I haven't done, too. I have some items, ahem, dozens of boxes that need to be emptied and have their home found. I have a garage that is INSANE and desperately needs an overhaul.  The plans for working out have failed miserably. And I haven't cleaned out the pantry either. The dog needs a big visit to the vet and the boys need to see a dentist. How depressing.

But to end happily, I am enjoying the time to relax. I love the time with the boys. Not being so tired all the time is a definite wonder. And I can actually see my sink most nights. See, I am keeping up with the dishes. Finally. Yay! Small progress counts. I've started a pretty good Bible Study that is helping me get back in The Word regularly. I'll call that a Big progress. So Double Yay!

So, for the last half of the break, I hope to get done those things that are naggin on my heart and face the coming school year satisfied with my time off.

Woof woof! It's great to have time to relax and enjoy.