Raving MAD about TOO MUCH

Sometimes I just feel GRUMPY! I feel like complaining, blabbing the worst... dumping, unloading, unleashing, moping, growling and criticizing. A smart person would realize the spewing nasty nonsense and SHUT UP! But not me! Oh, no. I blabb to my husband and then spew to a friend and then to another friend... I hollar at the kids, who are in the same state of mind, of course. The problem? the horrible, trouble-causing issue?! We're having too much fun.

It's true.

Sad.

Grrrrrrrrrr..... got a problem with that, do ya?!

Don't get me wrong, I LIKE to have FUN. I enjoy playing and doing stuff and going places and meeting people and hanging out in new situation.... well, no I don't! Not really! I like to stay home! I like my house clean! I like my schedule and my kids' schedule and the predictablilty! I like going to bed having already thought about everything. I LIKE not waking up dreaming all night long about weird things and people. I mean, last night I saw a volcanoe explode and kids running out of the way and all kinds of other unsettling weird things! My little ones both begged me to sleep with them... and it was tempting!

NO..... I like it when I slip out to the living room early in the morning and open the windows to summer sunrise. I relish reading a chapter or two over a cup of coffee before anyone else is awake! But not now! OH, no. This week we're having too much fun for calm and quiet. We're having too much fun to get along.

And if I may continue my absolutely stupid complaining, may I add that some people wish we could cram a little MORE into our week?! I mean, there's always MORE to be had! If we just looked a little harder... did a little more RESEARCH, we could uncover some of the MORE that's being had all around us! There's camps! Programs! Book shares! Lessons! Friends to have over, birthdays to go to, FAIRS galore! There's parks and hikes and beaches... boats and trains and drives... toys to buy, restaurants to eat at, trips!! There's trips to go on! Water parks, hotels with pools and MORE, MORE, MORE!!!!!!!!!

I don't want to throw ice water on everyone's FUN, but am I the only person that is grasping frantically at the "nothings" that make my summer memorable and meaningful?! Don't get me wrong. I don't care if I am the only one that doesn't think summer is all about vacations and "what you did last summer".

You want to know what I remember?! The cool breeze of 5:30 am when the sun's already risen. The clear sky beyond our treed horizon. The happy hours spent splashing in kiddie pools and collecting tiny apples in socks. The basement feeling of the air in the shop on a hot day. Exchanging smiles with the son that's helping Dad and washing his blackened hands for the third time. Downloading the over-exuberant picture-taker's 300 pictures of odd things. Finding a picture of a cheeze sandwich on MY camera! Creating tags for mailing packages - actually making a few dollars on Amazon! Watching our oldest son step into being a big kid. Learning again the joys of our second-born for myself. Playing with our girl's hair for as long as she'll let me! Talking, talking, talking, talking late into the night with my best friend night after night. Waking up to a midnight kiss when the moon is full. The peacock cries from our neighbor's houses at all hours. Laughing at our 4 year old's perfect comments. Helping tow a truck up the hill... successfully! Looking forward to blackberry season. The feeling of Blessing after putting away over $200 in groceries. Knowing there's something to eat again! Spending hours on the computer deepening friendships. Receiving another bouquet of dandylions.

Give me "summer" and keep your "fun".