Aug. 9, 2007 - We're in the Dog Days of Summer.
It's been a busy Summer for us since that last day of kindergarten. As soon as we picked Crash, my 6 year old son, up from the car rider line at the Primary School, we were off to the pediatrician to get Little Rabbit's ear checked for infection. (Little Rabbit = my 9 month old daughter) She had an ear infection that day, and we returned to the doctor's again today to check on her ear again. Yes, another ear infection. When it comes to suspecting ear infections, I'm tipped off by her latch-y-ness and multiple night wakings. Last night was one such night of broken sleep.
So it's been a busy Summer. I did manage to get my house under control in time for my Sister #4's bridal shower here this past weekend. I feel guilt over having to spend so much time catching up on the house instead of focusing on my children. I always say that it's okay to have a messy house (except no one can come over because I can tend towards perfectionism), but I learned this Summer, a family has to keep some semblance of order to feel safe and relaxed. At least my family is this way.
Today, we've been off swimming at the Y - no outdoor pool for us on such a hot day. The physical activity really pays off late in the afternoon. Instead of being crazy-delirious-jittery tired, my children seemed relaxed-tired. Much better!
I've started The Well-Trained Mind, and it appeals to my own ideas of learning. Will it work for my child(ren)? I need to understand their learning styles more than I do before I make any hard and fast decisions. I DO NOT see them being much of "workbookers". I think we would all be bored that way. I like the idea of plenty of hands-on experience, but I also like the self-disciplined thinking direction that the Classical method exhibits. I think Unit Study would most definitely burn us out because we are the sort who can dig into something until it turns us off completely. . . we don't know when to stop.
So much to think about, so little time. And that's just it. I keep trying to sit and think about how we are to organize our time, and there's not even time for that! 
We'll get there. . .
On homemaking notes, I've been trying the Don't Panic: Dinner's in the Freezer cookbook. We'll be trying the Cranberry Chicken for supper tonight. With very little effort and a bit of watching the butcher department's sales, I have been able to freeze three different meat entrees (total of 13 meals for us) at $4.00 or less for the main dish. Much healthier and cheaper than eating out, I'll say. I've employed the crockpot for tonight's dinner too because who really feels like standing in the kitchen on such a hot day?!
I've noticed an increase of Autumn-themed catalogs in the mail as of late. I love Autumn. But I'm still not ready to think about it. When I looked at an LL Bean catalog that came a couple of days ago, the front cover had a man and woman sitting on a dock with their picnic. . . Fall all around, their clothes looking all neat and perfectly suited for the weather. But I could not feel the Autumn. . . not even in my imagination. It's that HOT here. Somewhere, I know Autumn is in a corner of my brain. My body could (if it weren't so HOT) remember what it was to feel those first brisk mornings. My eyes could recall the particular slant of the sun's rays on an Autumn afternoon. My ears could remember the sound of leaves going all crunchy. And my mouth could recollect, quite fondly I might add, the tastes of Fall: apples, candy corn, roasted corn ears at the fair, pumpkin pies, and cinnamon spices.
It's so HOT.
Did you know the "Dog Days" are supposed to end on the 11th or 17th of this month? Living in North Carolina, it's just not so. The days will remain mostly warm well into October.
So I shall continue to enjoy the delights of Summer despite the heat!
