The Saturday 7

What a week! We crammed all kinds of adventures into our last week before school starts, beginning with . . .

1. Camping. I know I put a few pictures on facebook, but here's the detailed recap that I know you all love and expect. 😁 It was actually kind of a big deal. Did you notice that we went camping even though it wasn't labor day weekend? Two camping trips in one year?? Say whaaaat? Justin's parents' church had a family camp at the campground we always go to, and his dad offered to pay for a cabin if we wanted to join them. I can handle cabin camping, so we agreed. Don't get me wrong, even cabin camping is not my favorite. I don't really understand why my kids love it so much. Sure, the campground has a cool pool, but so does Niki. Sure, Levi gets to sleep in bed with me, but he does that every night anyway. Sure they get to eat lunchables for every meal, but they do that at home anyway. If anything, you'd think they'd hate camping because they have to be "unplugged" for so long. That right there is my main reason for going, though - because I want them off their screens for a hot minute.

Anyway, we stayed for three nights. The weather was a bit on the warm side, but it cooled down enough at night that we could sleep. And it was kind of nice that it was hot during the day, because the kids spent lots of time in the pool (which, incidentally is the only place at the campground where I got cell phone service/wi-fi - I'm not great at unplugging). My phone has been having battery trouble for weeks, but especially when I try to take pictures. As such, I got fewer pictures than I normally would have and had to stinkin' "be in the moment" all the time again.

One of the things I hate about camping is alllll the prep work that goes into it. I spent days writing lists, shopping, packing, organizing, and double checking lists. So imagine my surprise when the first night came and I realized I didn't pack Levi's melatonin. I checked it off my list because I bought it, but never thought to actually pack it! 🤦 I really didn't think it'd be a big deal. He had spent all day running around the campground and swimming, plus we let him stay up well past his bedtime. I figured he'd be tired enough that he'd fall right to sleep. I figured wrong. It was one o'clock in the freaking morning before he actually fell asleep. It was brutal.

Fortunately, we'd already made plans with my sisters to meet up at Lewis Farms again since it's so close to the campground. I asked Niki to stop at my house and grab the melatonin before she headed up to us. She saved the day (or night)! It is astonishing how much better he sleeps after 2.5 mg of melatonin. I feel a little bad that we've made him so dependent on it . . . but not bad enough to stop! Lol.

Cousin Persephone got to come this time since she was camping with us.

There were three other girls with the same swimsuit as Lucy at the campground. I just looked for the one who was freakishly tan. Haha.

Grandpa is a big kid and so much fun.

Levi got brave and did the waterslide for the first time this year. He loved it, even when he shot out wildly like in this picture! Haha

We spent a few hours at Lake Michigan, and were shocked by the nasty algae! Fortunately, it was only bad for the first few feet. We sped through it and had a blast playing on a sandbar just beyond it.

Tradition

Couple of hotties. #literally

Cousins!

Levi living his best life. 😁

My new favorite picture. 😍

2. Ok! Moving on! You still with me? On Monday, I had staff orientation at school! My wonderful mom watched all three of my kids (plus Libby's two) from 8-3 while I got the deets of my new job. I'll be "teaching" two library classes, plus working as an aide in the Kindergarten classroom, and doing recess duty. I spent Monday getting fingerprinted to prove I've never committed a crime, learning the recess rules, parapro expectations, new school discipline policy, and going over the library duties with Mrs. Miller. I'm seriously so excited to get started! I'm actually kind of sad to only be working one day a week . . . until I remember that I get to be home kid free on Wednesdays and Fridays (and Levi's home on Tuesdays/Thursdays)! My classes don't start 'til September 20, so I foresee a lot of naps and thrift shopping in the next few weeks. Lol. I also really really need to purge my kids' toys while they're not here to protest.

3. On Sunday, my computer crashed and gave me the BSOD (blue screen of death). We had plans to go to Boulder Ridge with my sisters on Tuesday, but the forecast called for a high of 88 and I was feeling a little guilty about spending so much money on zoos. Plus, the girls had written "swim in Luke and Esther's lake" on their summer bucket list, but we hadn't done that at all this summer. So we bailed on Boulder Ridge and headed up to Luke and Esther's instead. The kids and I swam in the lake while Luke fixed my computer! What do people without IT relatives do when their computers crash?? So thankful for him!

No children consumed alcohol in the making of this photo. (Adults either for that matter. It was an empty cup!)

4. On Wednesday, I think I drove 6,000 miles (actually, 60.9 - thanks Google Timeline for stalking me!). In the morning, I took Levi to K.C. to get his hair cut. We went straight from there to Meijer Thrifty Outlet to look for a backpack for Levi (#procrastinator). They had exactly one boy backpack, but he liked it, so we grabbed it. It was marked $12, which I was happy with, but then it rang up for half off! #procrastinationforthewin! After that, we met up with my sisters and mom at Olive Garden to celebrate Libby's [30th!] birthday. Lucy had spent the night at a friend's house the night before, so after lunch, I drove 20 miles to pick her up. She was eating lunch and didn't want to leave yet, so I drove another 10 miles to Luke's house to pick up my computer, then back to get Lucy and her friend. Then we went 13 more miles to Niki's house to swim. Thank goodness for an air conditioned vehicle!!

5. On Thursday, the kids had school orientation. They got to meet their teachers, see their classrooms (Lucy found her locker! #middleschool 😲), drop off their school supplies, and get their pictures taken. I also had to get my picture taken for the yearbook since I'm staff now. Because I'm vain and incompetent, I dropped my kids off with my mom again that morning and went to a friend's house to do my hair and makeup. Haha. I know it's just a yearbook picture, but y'all have seen pictures of me. It's messy bun and crazy eyebrows all day every day around here. I wanted to look semi-professional! Amy is a Farmasi rep so she fixed up my face (I've never put gel in my eyebrows before!) and curled my hair for me. I really wish I could curl my hair like she did. I've tried a thousand times but just can't do it. Every time I walked past a window or mirror that day I stopped and thought, "Wow. I look so cute!" Lol. #humble

So my yearbook photo is going to be a gross misrepresentation of me, but hey, I'm a millenial. That's what we do. #filterme

6. Right before school ended last year, we had a cousins day at Altitude without Lucy and Lena. Lena was very offended and has been begging to go back all summer. The reason I went without her, though, is that Levi is young enough to get in cheap at certain times (Junior Jumper Jam), and one parent is free. Lena and Lucy cost like $14.95 or something ridiculous like that! Anyway, I finally caved and said we could go yesterday as one final hurrah before school starts. Lucy decided she didn't want to come, so I saved $15, and Lena was in her glories.