Today was Karen's last day of Grade 3. I am so glad that is over. This year was really tough for her. It's not like she doesn't have the smarts, except for math and she can do that too if she just tries hard enough. She just really needs to work on her behavior and develop appropriate alternatives to all those things that got her in trouble so much this  year. So I hope we can work on that over the summer and have a better year next year. And who knows, maybe a different teacher will make all the difference. 

Kindergarten is over for the summer!! It seems so silly that I should be so proud and excited for him that he made it through Kindergarten but this is Cameron we are talking about after all. He will be back there next year, mind you but we knew that from the beginning. He has such global delays, hopefully one more year will be enough to get him ready for the real world of Grade School. Oh, the stuff he brought home is priceless. There is so much and only a little pocket in his "school memories" book. It'll never close by the time I'm done with it. It just seems a shame to throw any of it away. But if this is the way I feel when he has only just finished Kindergarten how am I ever going to make it through the next 12 years or more? And to think to him it's just another day.

Well the kids and I went out to see James (and the North Country Fair) on Sunday. It was quite nice when we left the house but I made the kids wear rubber boots because I knew there would be mud. I did not, however remember their hats or even think that they woud need raincoats. Although it has rained every day lately it seems. Anyways we got out there and found James pretty easily but he had stuff to do so we went and got some breakfast before heading over to the family stage. We missed the beginning of a really good puppet show but the kids sat and watched the rest. It ended in good timing though because it started to pour down with rain, and not to mention hail. So we quickly made our way to the children's tent where they made maracas out of empty tissue rolls and rice. When the weather returned to normal (aside from far off lightening, thunder, ect) we sat around for another play. Which again ended in good time, just before the parade. So the kids walked in the parade behind the fairies on stilts, got fairy dust sprinked in their hair and wore fairy wings and shook their maracas. But it started to pour again, and this time it didn't stop. I had one kid screaming to stay in the shelter, the other defiantly standing in the rain. When I'd had enough of this I dragged them (mostly Cameron) back to where Grandma was and she took us back to her house where we all had wonderful and well needed naps. And there we waited for our hero (aka dad) to pick us up and take us home.

The worst part about James being gone for the weekend (again!) is that I have nobody to vent to about my stupid rotton day. I guess it wasn't all bad. Just the beginning and the end. And the middle.

Well, kinda. When we moved into this house there was a beautiful vine hanging down the side covering the large side window. Instant shade. Well ovewr the years it grew and grew and despite my attempts to kill it last year it still lived. You see I decided it was time for it to go when it came in through the wall and out into the basement. Not to mention that it was pulling down the eavestrough and peeling off the siding. But weed killers and such didn't do the trick. We finally got ahold of a ladder (I really didn't like this ladder and said as much each time James went up it) and my hero he was and he went up and tore the whole thing down. So two great big bags of vine went out with the garbage today and the rest of it (most of it) is laying on the ground at the side of the house. The next step is to did it up by the roots. I tried once already but I was afraid I would break the shovel in two. It really is a shame as it was quite nice but it got out of hand. I think I was most worried about it damaging the neighbor's house and having a nice law suit on our hands. I will try to find a picture (I am having to rewrite this as the first time I tried to attatch a picture I lost the whole thing). But now I have to go to work .

That last blog was actually yesterday's. I wrote it all then deleted it because I was having a what's-the-use-of-blogging day as they seem to be contagious around here. Anyways I was fiddling around with the settings and I didn't realize that I had changed anything but I guess I did and people couldn't get in (sorry) but I have fixed it now (I guess that much is obvious).

You know those dreams that you have where you are so freaked out that you don't want to go back to sleep in case you start the same dream all over again where it left off? Well I havn't had one of those since I was last pregnant. Actually I think it had something to do with being pregnant and I am pretty sure I'm not. At least I had better not be. Anyways it was this morning. I had woken up way too early for a weekend with no kids, got some water and gone back to bed. In my dream I was awake, in my house, the exact same as it is now but things kept changing. The date on the calander was different every time I looked at it even if I just looked away for a second. And James and the kids would change according to the date. Their hair, age, clothes, etc was different every time I looked at them too. So (in my dream) I am thinking I am dreaming so I start screaming that I want to wake up. But nothing happens so I scream some more. So I tell my husband to take me to the hospital because I am going crazy, losing my mind, whatever. As we are walking out the door (in my dream) I woke up. I said "James is it Saturday?" and he said "Yeah" as if I was on cheap glue. I said "and the kids are gone to Grandma's?" and he said "yeah" again as if I was on cheap glue. But it was all so very real and I could have sworn I was awake and losing my mind. And I didn't like it. Not one bit.   

The last few days have had me looking forward to this weekend more than usual. Or maybe that I've worked the last 3 weekends in a row. James went to the city on Thursday for a meeting, which is all well and good. Actually it was good until about suppertime. As I am standing there pigging out on what the kids didn't eat I glance over at Karen and there is something in her hair. Sure enough she has head lice and not a word came home from the school to watch for them. So we have a full blown case here. Cameron has them too but nowhere near as bad. Now I know this is nothing to be ashamed of and I told her as much. They actually prefer clean hair because greasy hair is too hard to attatch to. Of course the drug stores are closed by this point so I had to call in sick to work for Friday morning and call the school and the bus driver to let them know the kids would miss school that morning too. And then it was the trek to the store to find a shampoo that would not cause problems with Cameron's epilepsy but still work, preferably in one try. Then back home again to treat them (and me) in time to get them to school for the afternoon. It was a close one, Karen was ok with the whole thing (i am quite surprised) but she has so much hair it took forever to comb through. Cameron just didn't want to cooperate for any of it (no surprise there). Anyways I have done what I can. They are a Grandma's house now so hopefully she keeps an eye on their heads. Today we (my husband an I, alone, no kids) get to go to the city and see m little sisters dance (which reminds me I need to remember the camera) and we may just go early (soon) so that we can shop and maybe get in a matinee. I have never seen my sisters dance before except on video so I have been looking forward to this for a long time. I will post pictures when I get back.      

Or maybe not. Now that I've changed it I don't know if I like it. I was tired of being IT's Mother. I was never really sure which IT was IT on any particular day. So I looked for something else. I tried translating Dawn and Camel into every language possible to find something I liked and finally came up with Aurora, the Greek (I think) Goddess of the Dawn. I kinda liked it but now it doesn't much fit with the grass so the grass might have to go. And the picture, well James gets credit for taking that picture but I stole it anyways. Thanks sweetie . And I think it is a sunset rather than a sunrise but nobody else needs to know that  . Oh well that's all for tonight. Gotta get some sleep as we have to take the girl for blood tests in the morning. That should be interesting. I wonder who will cry more. Her or me?

Time to stop feeling sorry for the kitty. She went outside this morning. Cross your fingers that she comes home.

Anyways the kids are home. So much for getting anything else done around the house. I did pull a few dandelions but it is another scorcher out there so that didn't last very long. And the mosquitos are out in full force. Speaking of the little buggers (this is where you are allowed to feel pity for me) there was one in the house last night. A very elusive but very annoying one. I was trying to sleep ( I had stayed up too late as it was) and it would come in the room and buzz around my head. I could hear it loud and clear as my house is devoid of any other sound because the kids and the husband are all gone. So I would wave it off and it would go away for a bit. But not quite long enough because I would be just about asleep and it would come buzz in my ear again. This went on for hours, I kid you not. I tried turning the light on, I tried closing the door. Then I tried sitting and waiting for it armed with a magazine. But then of course it didn't come. So I tried putting my head under the pillow but that was too hot so I pulled the covers over my head. And then started all over again. I was probably 5 before I got to sleep. I know because it was already getting light out. Don't know what happened to the mosquito. Maybe the cat ate it. Would serve it right. Boy am I ever tired.

Ahhhhhhh, for once I am enjoyng the silence that comes with an empty house. Usually I miss my kids when they go to Grandma's house or myy husband when he is out of town but the cats and I are having a rather relaxed evening. Actually I have no idea what the cats are doing but it doesn't matter because they are cats and they don't scream at each other or hit each other or play with noisy toys or give me any lip. I had my bubble bath and watched some tv and ate supper without any interruptions. So it is all good. I have to admit the were getting on my nerves much more than usual lately. It's been a long time since I have been reduced to tears over the state of my life. (Talking to the mental health lady doesn't count, because that's her job) But the last few days the kids have pushed it a litle too far a few times, on top of everything else and ... well lets just say I am glad to be on my own for a few days. Just me and the cats. And bubble bath.