Happy Tuesday

It's been a few days,eh? We enjoyed a beautiful, beautiful week-end at the beach. Weather was just amazing. But now the house is a wreck, laundry calls, dogs are wired, and I'm exhausted. Plus, I haven't written in DAYS.

Happily, I got my garden in (whoo hoo!), planted my upside down hanging tomato things that might turn out to be a bust, and planted some beautiful hydrangeas (birthday gifts!). All I have left to do at the cottage is plant my window boxes, cutting garden box, and find a space to transplant the watermelon. And there are three more weeks of school, so I won't be back there for a bit.

Last night I finished GREAT CALL OF CHINA. Great job, Cynthea Liu! I really liked it. It addresses the subject of female babies filling the orphanages in China. The protag, Cece, is a teen-ager who was born in China and adopted by an American couple. She takes summer coursework at a university in China, but her real objective is to investigate her birth circumstances. I would definitely recommend it. The subject is handled beautifully.

I was thinking that I haven't posted any redneck parenting tips in ages, so here's a few for you this morning.
Redneck Parenting Tips for the last weeks of school:
1. Slather on a ton of sunscreen before school because recess gets longer and longer at the end of school
2. Find those darn library books that have been missing, or find your checkbook.
3. Visit the lost and found at school and claim all those missing coats, hats, gloves, etc.
4. Prepare the kids NOW that the television will be disabled for the summer.
5. Practice up on Wii Fit, so you can beat your kids on summer family game nights.
6. Stock up on water and sunscreen.
7. Teach kids how to cook, so you don't have to open Mama's Restaurant every day at lunch. Mama's Make-Your-Own-Sub is WAAAAY better.
8. Figure out a desirable daily schedule with mandatory quiet time built in. Napping is optional, but quiet still activities are a must while Mama naps or writes.
9. Start wearing sleeveless shirts to get rid of that awful soccer mom tan on your arms.
10. Buy at least one pair of shorts that were sold in this decade, so your kids won't laugh at you all the time.

Have a great day! Enjoy your final redneck days of school.