Summer of 10 ~ We made it to Aug!
After a long break my mind is whirring with thoughts to get down on paper and notes I have made about organizing, traveling and making it through the summer with ten children in the home ranging from newborn to 17 years old. It has actually been a great summer! I say actually because sleep deprivation is hard, navigating new jobs with teens is hard and having three kids with permits but no extra driver...is hard!
Traveling with the kids was an adventure. We slept in one tent and packed everything to fit in a duffel on the back and a topper on the top of the van. We picked up deodorant on the way and new socks at the Nike outlet in Maine. Amazingly the only major thing we forgot were batteries for the camp lanterns night one. We had coffee (key people, key) fun foil pack food, a clothes line, enough mats and blankets to make up for 5 sleeping bags for the 10 of us. It worked! Time on the Island was wonderful, salty, rich with seasonal food and laughter connecting to Sheff's college roommates.
At home I need more bins. I ALWAYS need more bins. I adore a new label and new bin. The possibility of total streamlined family motion. In the door shoes in the bin, papers in your folder, athletic schedule pinned to the board, leftover food in the fridge. Does this happen? Sometimes it does! Other times I look around and instead of defeat I think "More bins!" and off I go to shuffle already filed baskets and create a shiny new label. Ahhh labels.
So, we made it to August. September will bring brand new things, 4 in high schools, 1 private, 2 public, 1 homeschooled! Yes, a new thing we will take on with gusto (and likely some bins) and fresh hope.
As we enter into the dog days of summer I am feeling deep relief that we have a 9 week old baby who sleeps a 6 hour stretch, that we have a toddler who adores books and says new words that me me smile and want to leave the mess to read one more time, that we have healthy children. I even give thanks for kids who are bored, praise be school and books that have never been found are just around the bend.
Traveling with the kids was an adventure. We slept in one tent and packed everything to fit in a duffel on the back and a topper on the top of the van. We picked up deodorant on the way and new socks at the Nike outlet in Maine. Amazingly the only major thing we forgot were batteries for the camp lanterns night one. We had coffee (key people, key) fun foil pack food, a clothes line, enough mats and blankets to make up for 5 sleeping bags for the 10 of us. It worked! Time on the Island was wonderful, salty, rich with seasonal food and laughter connecting to Sheff's college roommates.
So, we made it to August. September will bring brand new things, 4 in high schools, 1 private, 2 public, 1 homeschooled! Yes, a new thing we will take on with gusto (and likely some bins) and fresh hope.
As we enter into the dog days of summer I am feeling deep relief that we have a 9 week old baby who sleeps a 6 hour stretch, that we have a toddler who adores books and says new words that me me smile and want to leave the mess to read one more time, that we have healthy children. I even give thanks for kids who are bored, praise be school and books that have never been found are just around the bend.
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| ~ Fathers day with the 10, such an amazing bunch~ |
Thanks for the update! What a wonderful, inspiring family! You will have to publish these blogs into a book one day. :) Surely motherhood is your path to sainthood. Blessings!
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