Summer seems like a dream to me. It feels as if a starting gun went off the day after Labor Day and I'm racing and out of breath but I'm in a marathon not a sprint. Not good.

School starts for the kids but it also starts for me and then there the afterschool hell that I am wrestling with. I want so much for them but I don't have anyone to pick them up and take them around from Tae Kwon do to ballet to quantum mechanics for kids. Look, I am determined not to be one of those overscheduling parents but I also don't want to deny them. Juggling it all with my class schedule is boiling my guts.

But I am very proud of the fact that I am feeding them better. It is no longer just leftovers. I actually turned on the oven. All right, I didn't bake anything but the cranberry chicken I bought at the grocery store I heated in the oven instead of the microwave. I also heated some roasted potatoes that the store had prepared. I'm sure I could have done them myself and will. Soon. I swear.

But I did make the caprese myself, the tomatoes were fresh from Ava's friend's grandmother's garden and I bought fresh basil and mozzarella di bufala fresca. It was great and they love it.

When their mom called to say hello (as she does most every evening) I made them tell her how well they were eating. She's a raw vegan.

After dinner we all built Chet's birthday present. A 3D pirate ship puzzle. It was pretty difficult, hundreds of pieces and nothing written just color coded maps. After two hours I realized that I had made a huge mistake and was tempted to crush the thing but then I stopped myself and made myself finish it. I don't want him to abandon things just when they get difficult. I don't want that for myself either.
So, back to the phones. I have to find out when ballet meets and if I can find somebody to take Ava there.