Keeping Busy

Man, I can't believe it is June! It seemed like it was just a few weeks ago that we celebrated the New Year. Here are a few things that have been going on with me:

1. Yesterday was my friend, Brandie's, birthday. We've been friends since the summer before kindergarten. That was 29 years ago! (Now that just made me feel really old. I don't seem old enough to have a friend for 29 years!) They don't have Internet so really our only communication is via the phone and of course our Christmas cards/letters. I had to give her a call and tell her "Happy Birthday", which telling her "Happy Birthday" turned into a 2 hour phone call...it had been 5 months since we'd last talked! (This time difference does effect me calling people.)
2. I've been dealing with ATTITUDES in my children. Wow! I always go through that mental list of what could be causing this. The weather, TV, PS2, friends in the cul-de-sac, friends at church, any big changes in life, my attitude, etc. I just start knocking out all media in-lets, then friends, and then we see if there are some changes. This morning alone I heard two "new" words that my kids have never said, and they are words that are NEVER used in our house! Both times I asked where they learned them and it was from a neighbor boy. They now know, if we hear them say those words again, they'll lose playing with their friends (which means they'll be stuck in the backyard) and that they need to let this friend know not to say it also.
3. We are wrapping up school....kind of. I've decided to continue on with math through the whole summer. Math really only takes the boys 5-10 minutes a day to complete. Preston has a quiz and a Unit Test left in his Language Arts, and that will be the end of the rest of school. So now it is time to record all my hours and turn them in to the independent school we are under. There will be lots of reading this summer! They are signed up to do summer reading programs at two different libraries and I'm doing my own version of a reading program with them, and if they complete it, they'll get to go to a Monster truck/ Extreme Motorcross show in August.
4. We are doing lots of yard work. Jeff has been planting some grass in the bare spots up front and he's trimmed up some overgrown evergreen bushes for me. We've gotten rid of limbs we've cut and picked up sticks and leaves that are all around the backyard. I've pulled lots of bindweed out of the flower beds and rock beds.
5. Of course, I've been keeping a close eye on my veggie garden. Yesterday, was the first growth I saw in the garden plot. Like I shared before I wasn't sure if anything would grow in this "clay" we have for soil. My lettuce is growing so far! It hasn't all popped up but I see it in several spots. I'm also keeping an eye on all the fruits that came with the house. I've picked a few strawberries, and the apples and plums are starting on the trees.

The lettuce peaking through!

Strawberries! They're small but each kid got one.

An apple!

Plums!