I thought...

...that seeing Back to School items in the stores as early as July 20th was a little over the top, but this next one takes the cake.

This evening - August 22 - we received our Sears Christmas Wish Book!
(By the way, this isn't a picture of the one we received. I just loved the nostalgia of the picture on this cover. This little girl looks a lot like I used to look.)

Canoe Handle It?

Tomorrow morning #1 is off on a wilderness canoe trip with a group of youth from our church.

I'm sure he'll have a phenomenal time, but, as is a mother's prerogative, I'm worried for him. I'm worried it will rain and he'll be cold and wet. I'm worried he'll drop his backpack in the river and ruin all his stuff. I'm worried he'll run out of toilet paper. I'm worried he'll miss me. (Yeah right - as if that last one will ever happen!)

I've packed his backpack for him, including waterproofing everything as well as I could. I managed to roll up his sleeping bag with his pillow, air mattress and pump all in one roll. I've done everything I possibly can to make his trip safe, comfortable and enjoyable. I guess the rest is up to him.

He has no doubt that he'll have a great time, but he hasn't had the life experience I've had that allows me to look at the situation in a much more realistic (or is that pessimistic?) manner.

Happy Anniversary

Just a quick note to wish my beloved Main Man a happy anniversary.

As of 3:30 this afternoon, we have enjoyed 18 years of wedded bliss.

Well, I suppose not all of it has been bliss, but it has definitely all been worth it.

Thanks for everything, Main Man (AKA Mentok). Here's to the next 50 years!

Next Top Model

Alright, I admit, I have a new guilty little pleasure.

Over the summer I have become addicted to the variety of "Next Top Model" shows.

I've been watching episodes from Britain, Canada, and America.

It's difficult to describe exactly what attracts me, but I think I see them as a type of travel show. I mean, watching them is like learning about a culture very different from my own, from a country very different from my own.

Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

High School Musical 2

Aren't they just too cute for words?

We've already watched it twice today.

Of course, the second time we had to sit through Main Man heckling it, but that's the price we have to pay in this household.

Hello Again

I think this may be the longest blogger-break I have taken since I first started.

If any of you were at all worried, everything is fine. The days just seem to flow by and, before I know it, it's bedtime. Main Man is usually on the computer in the evening, and, as he is the one working all day, I figure he deserves a little computer recreation in the evening. I haven't the heart to kick him off just so I can blog.

Besides, I could be doing my blog entries sometime during the day when he's at work. I guess I just haven't had the motivation. Something has snuffed out the spark of blogging for me.

I start back to work in a week.

And you know, because it has been such a great summer, I feel okay about that.

The weather has been GORGEOUS this summer! And we've had a couple of great little holidays - our fantasy trip to the Okanagan Valley, of course, and this past weekend, we took a little excursion to my home town for their agricultural fair. I was able to see all of my siblings and my dad and his wife and a few old friends from high school. Also, the boys were able to enter some things in the fair - academic work, crafts, and such - so it was exciting to see how they did. #2 in particular was very successful, earning about $30 in prize money. He's deservedly very proud.

Well, it's almost time for storytime for the boys, so I guess I'll sign off. I hope everyone out there is doing well

Surprise, Surprise!

At the end of the work day I went to Main Man's office to surprise him by inviting him for after work drinks.

At least I tried to.

As I was on my way, my cell phone rang. I frantically searched through my purse to retrieve my cell phone, but I missed the call. Luckily, it rang again right after I found it.

It was Main Man.

He had come home early to surprise me!

Picnic in the Park and More

Yesterday the boys and I took a picnic down to the park near Main Man's office and treated him to lunch.

The lunch itself was nothing special - Black Forest ham on fresh home-baked bread, raw veggies, melon, cookies and soft drinks - but the time together was wonderful.

I hope Main Man found it as much of a boost to his afternoon as I did.

When we arrived home, the little boys continued work on their BIG PROJECT. They are in the midst of going through the massive amount of toys, books, action figures, and Hot Wheels cars in their room and playing "Love it or Shove it". They're doing a fantabulous job! I'm very proud of them. They're being far more ruthless than I would be. It's probably best that I leave them on their own to do it, or they wouldn't be nearly as efficient. ("Oh, but Sweetie, your Auntie Heather bought you this for your third birthday! You can't possibly throw that out!" There's no stronger sentimentality than that of a mother.)

In the evening, Main Man did something he hasn't done in a very long time - he went for a bike ride. #1 got a new bike this summer, so Main Man asked to borrow it. I sent him off the the grocery store for a few things. #3, who is a bicycle maniac this summer, begged to accompany him. So off they went - my oldest (so to speak) and my youngest - on an excursion farther than #3 had ever ridden away from home before. When they returned - well after dusk, I might add - both of them were pumped beyond words. They had had a ball together out on their quest, and they had even managed to remember to get the groceries I had asked for!