The kids and I are wrapping up a 2 week vacation at my parents house in Connecticut and I can’t believe we’ll be heading home tomorrow. Last year we were here for 12 days or so and I remember thinking that was almost too long but not so this summer. We’ve have had a great time visiting with my parents and my siblings and their families and I’m sad to be heading home. I think it helps that we broke up the 2 weeks with a trip to NH, one of my favorite places on earth.

I grew up in West Hartford and lived here until I left for college. After college I quickly made my exodus to Atlanta, where I’ve been for almost 20 years. (Holy crap!) I try and plan my trips back north for times when the weather will be nicer in the north than it is in Atlanta. Honestly, it almost never works in my favor. The weather has been hot and humid and really nasty for our entire visit. On the flip side, it’s rained nonstop in Atlanta for a month so either way, it’s a lose lose. Of course, it’s cooler in Atlanta than it is here, isn’t that always the way?

Fun at the Connecticut Science Museum

But our trip has been full of ice cream and popsicles and swimming and blueberry picking and camp and fun and family time and naps and I haven’t cooked a thing in 2 weeks but I’ve still done a ton of laundry. I’ve read a couple of books and enjoyed watching my kids be independent and playful with their cousins.

The 4 small kids melting after blueberry picking

 Come Sunday it’ll be back to reality. I’ll have to go grocery shopping and do more laundry and week my laundry and feed my children and try and find ways to entertain them for another MONTH before school starts. On the flip side, I’ll be reunited with my sewing machine and I CAN’T WAIT!!

If I didn’t know any better I’d think I was pregnant. I’m not. TOTALLY not. I had some surgery, NOT pregnant. Anyway… I feel like a nesting fool. My house is a disaster and I can’t stand it for another minute. The other night I was laying in bed, not sleeping and couldn’t decide if I should get up to clean a closet. I mean, for 30 minutes I all I could think about was cleaning a closet! What’s wrong with me?

So Tuesday I tackled the closet. It wasn’t even a bad closet. But then I tackled another one. And THEN, I warned Paul ahead of time, I HAD to tackle the playroom. HAD to. And Paul and I did. It was BAD and still needs some work but it’s WAY better than it was. There’s a floor in there. And the train table is meant for trains, go figure.

But I’m not done. I started in on some books. LOTS and LOTS of books. First I dove into the book shelf in the playroom and then the books in the guest room. Our last home had TONS of built in book shelves but our current home does not. We have almost no shelving so books need to go out once I’m done with them (the kids books stay and multiply like tiny little rabbits). I like to post books on PaperBackSwap.com and send them off to other lovers of books and then when I’m ready for new books, I can get them there as well. And they’re basically free. So I posted a bunch of books there and now I need to pack them up and send them off.

But I’m still not done. I need to hit the kids rooms. And my own room. Again. And the kitchen. And the rest of the guest room. Oh my, it’s never ending. But there’s just so much stuff here and I feel like I’m going to end up in a tent (that I won’t be able to find) in the yard because the STUFF is taking over my house. AAAHHHHH!!!

Needless to say, the sewing has slowed down. Not tons and tons but some. But that’s OK because maybe I’ll find more fabric while I’m busy nesting…

My sweet girl, Courtney, has been growing by leaps and bounds of late. I hate it. I ask her frequently to stop growing and she tells me she can’t, as long as she keeps eating she’ll keep growing. Touche my friend, touche. She did tell me the other day that no matter how big she got, she’d always be my little girl. Just like I’m still my mommy and daddy’s little girl. *Sobbing* my friend, just sobbing.

Four is a tough age. You aren’t big but you’re bigger. You can’t read but you’re close. You aren’t the mother to your little brother but you act like it. You miss nothing but you just don’t understand it all. You question everything but not in the same way your little brother does with the never-ending whys? It’s hard. I get it. Or I don’t. I try.

I do my best to spend one-on-one time with Courtney. She’s exhausting. She has more energy that my Jack Russel Terrier did when he was a pup. I can’t keep up. But I remember the best thing I can do for her is to love her and to listen to her and to be there. Really there.  Because some days you leave the running shoes in the closet, you ignore the dishes in the sink, and you don’t do the sewing that’s pulling you in. You just be with your girl.