Let's see how we did

Well, it's *GASP! SOB! WHINE* late August. Really late August. Stupid late August. July stretched out forever, and August has the nerve to fly by like a B-52, and now here we are, the last Sunday before in-services.

My appraisal? Great summer. Wonderful, awesome summer. We really did a lot, got a lot done, and have a "cleaner" house with more livable space by far (anybody who saw my laundry room or guest rooms will attest to their previous dire need for a transformation). We had lots of nice experiences and adventures, and a large portion of DO-NOTHING time as well. We also got to see Little D on the ultrasounds a few times, and hear his/her heartbeat. Awe-inspiring stuff, this life-creation thing. I give this summer an A-. If it would have applied itself and watched that RAIN thing, it would have made it Summa Cum Laude, but we can't be nit-picky with the weather. Let's see how we did on the ole list, once more:

• 5/19 edit: Our school secretary reminded me about Storybook Land. Then there's Jelly Bean Jungle. And Pump It Up is supposed to be great. Storybook Land definitely sounds cool, but seeing as Maddie couldn't be persuaded to go near the Elephant ride at Wonderland, we’re probably better off waiting till next year and getting our $’s worth with a hopefully less “cautious” 3 year-old.
• 5/18 Edit: Guest room needs to function as an actual guest room. With a walkable floor. Done and done. New home of the dos crate, too, when company’s not here, which means you can actually walk in the laundry room.
• Go to the zoo. Philly and Cape May. Both very fun. We’ll be doing both again. Yes, Bob, we will. Cape May was nice, but a heck of a drive.
• Go to library toddler time. Once to the GT library, and Nana took Maddie to the Mrs. Forte library a few times. We go to the GT library every 3 weeks or so to switch up the supplemental book collection. Because there’s only so many times one can read “If You Give a Pig a Pancake” without detrimental effects to one's sanity.
• Clean out the laundry room, for Heaven's sake. Done, and undone, and cleaned up again so it’s still at least in usable condition. Again, nobody try to go and do laundry and mess it up.
• Paint the bedroom furniture, finally. LORD no. When Ikea has that beautiful white set with the carvings? Puh-leeze. We go visit it and I call it my “someday” bedroom.
• Put away toys that are just too young for Maddie. Will do, tomorrow. Maybe.
• Read read read all the books on my nightstand plus the one we have to read for school and then find some tasty "summer books". You know the ones I'm talking about. Think Gigi Levangie Grazer.. I’m done all the books, must start my “summer reading” of The Last Lecture, for school in-service. Why I waited to read a depressing book till the end of the summer, I don’t know.
• Keep nails pretty and stop biting them because I may or may not be 12 anymore. Yesterday I convinced Maddie to let me redo her toes to a sparkly light pink. Which meant mine also had to change because she and Mommy MUST be twins. Except that the light pink that looks so cute on her little toes looks Hellish on my big gorilla feet, the red polish stains are still there, and I’m half ready to fork out the dough to have a trained professional do it for me, seeing as bending over that far isn’t the easy street it used to be.
• Potty train Maddie. She didn’t get this memo. When it gets forwarded to her email, she’ll get right on it. In her own good time. Anybody with any thoughts on this approach can file them in the circular file, or come over and live with us while they potty train her themselves. You heard me, lady at church whose son was 22 months old and took 3 days.
• Send the beloved paci to the "babies who need one" and perhaps see Maddie's front teeth go back to their natural configuration? Piece. Of. Cake. Shame there’s no Potty Training Fairy. At least none that she’ll fall for.
• Swim and keep losing weight. Oops. Ok, while I did keep the exercise up this summer (mostly – what don’t judge! I was tired!) the idea of getting up at 7 and swimming laps was less than appealing, for some odd reason. Haven’t gained a pound since the end of the year… but that’s probably because I ended the year a few up. Damn those pizza parties and summer birthday treats! Still, for a pregnant chick, we’re doing fine. Talk to me after Labor Day weekend and Crab Day’s effects have set in.
• Do calendar, artsy craftsy stuff every day. Ok, a few times a week. Painting especially, coloring, etc. The music stuff I’m more proud of. Rocking out, watching concerts, playing instruments…This kid has a better instrument vocabulary than most of my 5^th graders.
• Have the Related Arts people over for a BBQ. Done, and fun.
• Help Bob's folks make the play area in the back yard. Love it.
• Go down the shore every 2-3 weeks, visit Laura and do beach days and board walk nights. We’ve been down 3 times and we’re going down tomorrow. Plus we’re planning to do a boardwalk day in September. We would have done more if it hadn’t rained the entire month of August. NOT growing up so close to the shore, it seems a sin to me not to take advantage.
• Take Maddie to county park concerts. The “This Old House Band” at Washington Lake Park was the best. It’s the Music department of Bob’s district, and he runs their sound board. Then Maddie dances around in the grass with no shoes, and I sit on the blanket and enjoy life. It’s a great routine.
• Go to church every Sunday (give or take), to keep us active and to give Maddie her "little church" fix. Going fine. Except for people who share potty training advice. They need to stop. Oh, and the Fellowship Hour food has vastly improved in recent weeks.
• Digital scrapbook more years of our lives, we're caught up to 2004.We will, I swear. Maybe Tuesday.
• Continue the recorder method book writing. Not yet. I want to see how far I actually GET with this group, then we’ll talk Recorder Book Expansion.
• Completely ignore any school work until late August. Done and done. I went in to work in my room last Wednesday, very pleasant reunions with people and some actual classroom prep got done too.
• Go to Paws Farm. Nope. But Johnson’s is on the list for Apple-picking fun. Can’t wait.
• "Detail Clean" (as we like to call it...probably how the rest of the world just "cleans") every room once. Again, if anybody wants to know what we’d need in the way of baby gifts come February, here you go: diapers, and MERRY MAIDS.
• Go to the "Please Touch" Museum. Oops. But Bob, Nick, and I MUST go to the Star Trek Exhibit at the Franklin Institute because COME ON.
• Bob's hoping to get all the stars on Mario 64. He actually started writing a computer program that tracks, organizes, and makes your grocery list. It’s amazing, I’m a lucky lucky wife, and I really think he should market it. After he puts in flashy graphics, of course.
• Try to teach Maddie to ride her trike. Why push pedals when you can sit and push with your feet? Duh, mom!
• Paint touch-ups all through the house. Maybe. Probably not, though.
• Go to Ikea. It's fun. 3 times this summer. And I’d go again today if somebody asked, just let me change my shoes.
• We have too much junk, that attic is full. Seriously evaluate knick-knacks and clothing for a Goodwill run. The lady at Goodwill kept thanking me profusely for our giant donation. Then I thanked her for the space in the back seat of my car again. Everybody won.
• Go to Wegman's. That's fun too. We did, and the humus and rolls and salad bar were awesome. Didn’t actually grocery shop, but I did run into a school friend to catch up. Hey Marsha!
• Visit G-burg & family there. Done, and they all came to see us in August. Very nice visits.
• Go to the *gasp* movies and see Star Trek, Angels & Demons, assuming they're actually still in theaters somewhere. Star Trek, check. Angels & Demons OR DaVinci Code (or both) I’m renting tonight. Saw Harry Potter 5 too. Pretty good, but as always, the best part is the popcorn.
• Buy & stock up on birthday cards for all year long. No, I really will do this.
• Lose this feeling of being just slightly behind on everything. Eh, it’s coming back again, but I’m not suffering from that sinking feeling this time. The pile at work is high and daunting, but I’m simply not going to worry about it until Wednesday. I already picked my Winter concert music, that was a huge weight off my shoulders. Now if we could just get a concert date straightened out, PLEASE. Getting more Zen about this stuff every year. It’ll do what it’ll do.
• Pretend that September never comes. Oops. Helloooooooo, Tuesday. But that’s ok. Sort of.

~ Meg