Unexpected guest

Well yesterday about 2:20 someone calls on the phone. They asked if 2 men could escort my new servant, Ms Elite to our house a day earlier! "what time are you thinking?" I asked. I was told, within the hour. COME OVER? NOW? I thought. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU FOR 9 MONTHS, OF COURSE YOU CAN COME OVER NOW- 1 DAY early. After all of this I realized isn't it funny how my dishwasher episode was like a pregnancy. I have been needing one since August. I have been hand washing dishes or leaving them to fester since then. And then finally we have a due date May 29 and the lovely little lady comes a day earlier. But interestingly (is that even a word?) Labor and Delivery were very quiet. The guys who delivered her were very quiet. There was no grunting or yelling or directing when they carried the new dishwasher in or took the old one out. It was the most quiet Labor and Delivery I have attended. Unlike a real baby, My cute little Kenmore Elite is soooooooooooooooooo quiet. My only disappointment is that there is no Fog Horn that bellows "The dishes are now clean, please unload me. The dishes are now clean, please unload me". So my Eeyore kind of Day ended with my long awaited dishwasher to wash at least some of my troubles away.

About today? I figured since it was so hot yesterday and that since I didn't have to wait for the Install guys that I would go donate some books and take the kids to the Y- all day. And what do you know. The wind is blowing and It looks as though its about 6 in the evening and it is raining. Since all of the kiderinos stayed up late last night (disaster), tiredness coupled with the darkness of bedrooms has successfully tricked their little bodies into thinking its still night time. And the usually congested halls that ramble with melodic tunes of laughter, teasing, fighting, playing, banging on pots and pans or instruments, is only filled with the sweet undertones of the rain and the wind accompanied by the clacking of my wonderful little keyboard.

No this is not my minivan! Some homeschoolers do have less than 20 kids. But I can not end today's saga without giving props to Big D. Who took me to drop my car off to a mechanic 1/2 hour a way but not without dropping off Cookie to a friends office because we would not be able to fit all 4 kids in the back of Big D's car after my Minivan (which Rocco calls "The New York Bus", was dropped off. After dropping off the van, we picked up Cookie, and of course there was no room for Big D so, he walked home - in the sun. Then later in the day he co supervised the install and then went to go pick up the van with a neighbor and then after picking it up so graciously picked up a mattress that I ordered for Noahkeem and lugged it upstairs and then watched the kids as a snuck out to Walmart to get a couple things. I must say that the mechanic did a fabulous job. My van glided down the highway, I hardly had to drive it.

Does a goat have 4 stomachs or 4 chambers? I think its 4 chambers. But anyhow, this is a lambs that has been shorn. A couple weeks ago, we had a field trip and part of it was sponsored by the 4H. You know what mesmerizes me about these animals especially sheep? Is there eyes. This little guys eye is a little hard to see but when I look in his eyes, I wonder what is he/she thinking. Is it wondering, "why do I have this orange harness on my head?" or is it wondering, "where am I and how did I get here?" "BAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, BAaaaaaaaaaa".

Now that I got that out. It's time to post the summer schedule again. School will resume promptly in August. But we will have a summer of science. Planets and dinosaurs. Last year we did 3 different vacation Bible Schools, I don't know if we'll do that many this summer but, at least one. Rocco starts T-Ball right before his 5th birthday. The summer reading program at the library is always part of our summer curriculum if you want to call it that. I thought I would get a head start on Rocco's reading program and count that time toward his summer reading program goals.

SO, the hope- notice I didn't say plan is to go to the following places this summer:

• Aquarium
• Air & Space Museum
• The Planetarium
• Washington D.C.
• Florida
• Mexico

I hired Cookie as my office assistant. Filing, purging, and shredding, Maybe using the electrical pencil sharpener here or there. $3 a week! Is that too steep?

We have been saving TV time only for the week end on From Friday to Sunday and the rest of the week no TV. Its been going okay. Cookie really could care less because she likes reading so much. The boys periodically ask to watch during the week. Well back to cleaning up the kitchen. Tomorrow Ms Kenmore Elite will be here... I'm so excited.

Somebody call Animal Control!

The salamander was in my flower bed again! Obviously he likes us and I guess I haven't made it clear enough that I don't care for him. And like a little baby I'm scared to work in any of my flower beds because of this thing. He had the nerve to just be hanging out on the brick edging like he owned the place. I would love to smash it if I knew that blood would not go all over the place and if I wasn't so scared of it. When I saw it I said, " OH COOKIE, THE SALAMANDER!!!!!" and I jumped behind her. She is nearly 8 years old. Here I am a grown woman hiding behind an almost 8 year old. Nevertheless, I went out tonight and bought a trowel and one of those little hand held rakes for digging and planting. I imagine that Adam probably played with this thing in the garden of Eden. I'm so sure he was not scared of it.

To top things off, it seems as though our hermit crab has bit the dust but, the kids haven't noticed yet. I'm done with hermit crabs! We had 4 die over the last year. Everybody is just gonna have to be content having dust bunnies. At least I manage to keep them alive.