Wake Me When It's Over

Well, I am exhausted. It's not surprising and I did sign us up for this, but I am complaining anyway. We are in high gear with Son's project and the end of the race is near but I feel like I've got to run on one leg to get there.

My to-do list:

1 - Help Son finish book by this Saturday so we can get it bound Saturday or Sunday because it's due Monday.
2 - Work like mad at work because it's insane there and also find time to look for illustrations for Son's book because it's a lot for one kid to draw in a few days. This requires staying a little later, thus taking time from being home with him to do the project.
3 - Pay as many bills as possible in preparation for trip to take kids to parents and my own vacation a little after that.
4 - Figure out puzzle packaging for fund raiser project and get the kits printed before the end of August when the printer goes on his own vacation.
5 - Sleep.
6 - Wash dishes.
7 - Wash clothes AND put them away.
8 - Finish story for writing assignment and submit before August.
9 - Sleep
10 - edit friend's story whose daughter is also in Son's summer program
11- Sleep

Where is Mr. T in all this? Well, that's the thing. I am the keeper of knowledge in our house. If you want to know how to spell something, you come to me. (OK, HE comes to me.) If you want Son to get his math homework right - yes, summer math homework - you come to me. Although, I can trust Mr. T to listen to Son read a book so he can add it to the list of books he read over the summer. THAT he can safely do. But for the most part, anything related to the education of the kids is dictated by me and no, I didn't necessarily ask for it. It's just the job that fell to me. Mr. T mows the lawn and pays the bills and grocery shops and goes on all school trips with both kids. I wash everything and everyone, and do the school stuff. Still not sure that's equitable but frankly, this system will keep the lights on, food in the fridge and the kids advancing to the next grade every year.

So we drag. Up early; get them ready and off to respective destinations; work, work, work; come home by 7 or 7:30 to help Son work on project until about 9 because he has to get up too early to stay up too late; maybe I fall asleep, maybe I'm too wired to sleep so I'm up until 11 or so watching whatever I've taped, praying that window didn't close when I can successfully fall asleep and still get more than 4 hours.

I don't know what I'm going to do when Daughter is in the same summer program and we have TWO family projects to do. I can't even imagine having to do two books this year. Ugh! Depending on what it is, I may have to make someone with specific necessary talents an honorary family member for the month so I can get help.

My prediction for next year's project is something artistic like painting a picture, writing a song, something like that. Something the director said a couple of weeks ago about next year's theme - Reconstruction - put that thought in my head. I think it's time to start taking honorary family member applications.