Summertime Begins!

The kids have been out of school for more than a week.  I must admit that last week we did a whole lot of nothing.  No house work, no fun stuff, no nothing. I allowed the kids to "chill" the way they wanted to and they ended up engrossed in one form of media or another.  Why can't they just play outside on their 40 acres?


Yesterday we started our week by swimming at the pool in Albany for Memorial Day.  It was great having daddy off for the day.  We went ahead and bought a season pass to the pool, so we will be swimming also.  I think we will be visiting the library a ton, as well. 

Today we are officially starting our summer routine:  daily chores (house and farm), homework assignments (reading, etc.), restricted media time (TV, computer, video games), and mandatory outside time.  Apparently if we do not plan out their time, they will do nothing but play video games, play on the computer, or watch TV all day.  I feel a bit like a dictator.  But I want to teach them that we have to get something accomplished each day.

My mom will be getting back home in 2 days, so we have a lot of housework to do before then.  All I need is to overwhelm her BEFORE she even spends one full day with us again.  We have been working all morning, are currently taking a break, and will continue to clean this afternoon.  Cursed housework!!!

Neighbor From Hades Update:  We have had very little to do with him for weeks and weeks.  He continues to lock his gate whether or not he is home.  I suppose we might get a wild hair and decide to go up for a visit or take something.  Yeah, right!  Every time we drive past or are outside, he childishly and blatantly turns his head so he will not have to see us.  Not that we are hurt or anything. Its nice to have him avoiding us as much as we wish to avoid him.  I feel safer this way.

Yesterday morning he drives up our driveway to "talk" to my husband.  Apparently he believes we have not returned a wrench and some Jurassic Park DVDs he forced us to borrow (which we returned via his mailbox).  And he was upset that we didn't respond to a letter he wrote to us.  Which we did not get.  He called us thieves and cursed at us.  Dan asked him to leave and he cursed and screamed that we should never step foot on his property.  Which we never had and never will. 

Dan thought he would give him another wrench the same size, despite the fact he remembers returning the borrowed one.  We found that same wrench in our mailbox last night.  UGGH!  The man is completely mental!!!