Summer "Vacation" Begins

Yesterday was the last day of school for my kids. To me, the idea of summer "vacation" always sounds good until it hits me that that means all four kids will be home with me every day, all day long. Last night when I was tucking my youngest into bed, I said, "You get to sleep in tomorrow! Summer vacation starts, isn't that great?" She looked at me and said, "Why are you so excited?" Well, I had to think about that. There is absolutely no reason for me to be excited about it. Summer always means more work for me. There is always more laundry, for some reason. The kids are constantly making a mess in the kitchen. Beds go unmade, there is a constant flow of kids through the house, and the occasional "I'm bored" that sends me through the roof and I seem to have to run to the grocery store every couple of days. So, really, summer vacation is no vacation for me, but the idea of a vacation sounds great! The freedom and outdoor activities are what make it seem different for me, even though my work load is actually bigger. Anyway, "vacation" has begun.

Michelle Obama; I Think I Like Her

I generally only watch a little bit of the Presidential Conventions. I find them a bit boring, but last night I tuned in in time to see Michelle Obama's speech. I thought the speech was very supportive of her family, her country, and her political party and her husband--of course it would be. What was most attractive to me about her, is that although I am not a lawyer or anything of such importance (just a stay at home mom of four girls--right now) she seemed like someone who is very much like me; someone who could have been my friend in high school, or in a mother's group, or at church or something. I liked the speech. I liked that when her daughters came out on stage, they were very much like my nine and six year old girls. It was good. It felt comforting to finally, after eight years of all these nonsense we have been enduring, to have someone normal, someone like me, say something that I could listen to and start dreaming of something different; something positive. Michelle Obama; I like her.