8 days.

I should be doing anything else but writing, but I want to write, so I'm writing. Lately, summer is swirling like a tornado around us, leaving destruction around the house, full bellies around the table, and laughter in the lake. I can't believe there are only 8 more days of summer--most of which will be spent on the soccer fields chasing Timmy before he goes into a game he's much too young for or on the driveway cheering on bike races and chalk contests.

If I had all the time in the world and no work begging for my attention, I'd let the girls stay up late and be silly, but the logical, exhausted part of me says, "Nope, never." But there are only 8 more days I remind myself and try to convince myself I could be up to the task. I guess I'll let you know.

I am currently surrounded by a mountain of laundry; a friend we visited on Monday texted me early Tuesday morning to let me know she found lice in her hair, and so I went into panic mode. I ditched my workout for the day and headed to the store to buy the medicated shampoo and I scrubbed my kids' heads so much that there better not be a live bug anywhere to be found. But with all the hair washing also comes all the laundry! Oh the laundry! It's overwhelming, and it's staring at me at this very moment with it's coy little eyes, and I'm just trying to avoid eye contact so I can keep writing.

My son is upstairs singing at the top of his lungs and jumping off his bed (did I ever tell you we moved him to a big bed, which means we have no more cribs around the house?! How?!). He's supposed to be sleeping but isn't. Because he's stubborn like that. I will get him momentarily. Promise.

My girls are downstairs watching a movie because I'm at the point in summer that if the weather is dreary in the afternoon and they girls can't be in the lake, I tell them to go watch a show because it won't kill them. And I know if I try to do some activity with them, it will use so much of my patience and brain power that I might not make it through the evening.

My dogs are sleeping at my feet--one snoring softly and the other releasing toxic gas in my direction. I tried to move him to the side a little to thwart the smell but to no avail; he is a very stinky puppy, and I'm not sure what to do about that.

Dinner is on the stove waiting to be finished--pork chops with homemade apple chutney and potatoes. Tim and I have 2 days left of Whole30, and one of us is counting down the days. I, however, will try to remain as close to it as possible because it's taught me a lot about myself, and I really like how I feel. I don't, however, love the taste of eggs anymore, so I will be adding oatmeal back into my diet as quickly as possible. I hope to write a whole post about my experience because I think it could be beneficial for anyone considering it, so we'll see if that actually happens. Please let it happen!

Oh life...you beautiful thing. You've been so good to me this summer. I've seen so much of the American landscape, and I enjoyed it with my kids, which I honestly didn't know was possible. I've also spent so much time with my kids this summer, studying workbooks, reading new novels, taking bike rides, making food, etc. that I feel so close to them--close enough to push them right back through the doors of their elementary school.

Mama needs a break. Mama wants a clean house for more than 5 minutes. And mama yearns for a good nap.