Last day of school & summer journals

Today was our "last day of school" -- officially -- until September.

On the spur of the moment, it occurred to me to celebrate with the girls by bringing them to Staples so I could get them Summer Journals.

(Sneaky, aren't I?)

They were so darned happy with these new journals that I have to wonder why I never thought of doing this for the last several summers. Madison got a leather-bound one that has refillable insides, and Ella got one with adorable puppies on the cover.

Now, Madison has been crankier than cranky lately, and the girls have been squabbling like mad. I'm not sure why this is, except we've been burning the candle at both ends a little. Last night Madison had a dreadful meltdown when we let her stay up too late by accident. So as of this morning we're on a bit of sugar detox again (until our trip to Yellowstone which starts in 11 days) and a rigid to-bed-at-8pm-so-you-can-read-and-relax-for-45-minutes routine. They don't mind any of this. Au contraire. In fact, they even reminded *me* that they shouldn't have chocolate milk for a while.

I proposed that in addition to reading, they use the unwinding time to write in their Summer Journals about what they do each day. This was met with eagerness beyond my wildest expectations. I mean, sure, it's a nice thing, to relax and write in a journal, but their sheer delight at the prospect surprised me. As if somehow I didn't have ample writing implements and opportunities already strewn about the house.

We're also celebrating summer by going to Seabreeze tomorrow, and then Thursday afternoon I'll take them to see Night at the Museum Part 2 (despite the poor reviews) and then swimming in a friend's pool. And after that, for the rest of the summer...well, they'd better not tell me they're bored; I'll just cackle evilly and point at the various cabinets filled with science projects and puzzles and games, tell them that being temporarily bored builds character and creativity, and go back to my work. I'll be SWAMPED this summer.