Attendance.

Okay people!  Roll call!  I know someone is following this blog, but who are all of you?!!?  Please comment on the question in a post, or become a follower so we know who's out there!  We would also love to see what projects you enjoy, see what kind of "junk" you would like to repurpose, or answer questions/give advice.  :)  Any input will make this more interesting!
 
Speaking of attendance, my whole Facebook newsfeed is full of remarks about teachers returning to their classrooms and students to their desks.  I have to admit, every teacher who posts about "how bummed they are that school is starting up"....I'm sorry, but I have a hard time feeling bad!  Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that teachers work ridiculously hard and deserve the break (I am not looking to pick a fight people!)-but I just don't feel too sorry when they have to go back.  I'm sure it's a bummer, but you had 3 months off for crying out loud!  

Just in case my snarky teacher ccomments made anyone mad...here is a picture of my 

cute little dog that will be sure to make you happy all over again.  :)

Okay, so it also means the kids will go back to a routine and it makes my job and my boss's job not necessarily easier, but more structured.  It's pathetic to admit, but I can't wait for the kids to go back so I can deep clean all their rooms!  I love knowing that I have 2-3 hours to accomplish organizing, cleaning, cooking, etc without having to slow down and then I can focus my full attention on the kiddos when they get home.  That being said, I love when we have all the kids together playing in the pool, doing crafts, picnics at the park or when we went to the County Fair-what a blast!  But with 7 kids in one house, there is such a thing as "too much" together time  :)  they start to bicker  and pick at eachother and are always "bored" when August rolls around!  Brookings doesn't start school until next Monday, but I hope everyone who returned to school today had a great first day! 

The kiddos and my brother Harley at the Tyler Fair.

It was always so exciting when the first day of school rolled around (I know, I'm lame)...it was so fun to see how your classmates had changed, wear new clothes, take fun classes and be with friends.  I definitely enjoyed the social aspects of school  :)  now the kids all have email, iPod touch (which lets them text and do facetime chat, etc whenever they have WiFi) and many have cellphones so they don't have to be out of touch.  Ever.  I can't imagine the challenges schools and teachers face with trying to regulate the use of these devices (even in lower elementary) and I don't want to.  My parents were old school-no cell phone until I was 18 and then I had to pay for it myself...now my 11 year old sister has a cell phone and they fight about it all the time.  I can't help but laugh!  Besides not having a cell phone, and no cable TV our time on the internet was limited to an hour a day, and the older I get the more I appreciate those rules and hope that I can do the same with my kids.  Did it suck at times?  YES!!!  Do I appreciate it more now that I foot the bills?  Absolutely. 

I love texting.

I love DVR.

I love WiFi.

When you don't even have cable, you don't want to skip school.  I had almost perfect attendance K-12   :)

Noelle