LONG DAYS. SHORT YEARS.

 
     Another long day is coming to an end.  It seems like bed time can't come soon enough many nights.  For example, I got the kids on the bus this morning and then went to work.  I worked until five this afternoon and then I had to stop and pick up Tate and Kennedy from their mom's house and bust a move to get home because Tate and Riley had soccer practice at six.  So, we got home and Becky had grilled cheese sandwiches ready for us.  Tate changed into his soccer stuff and the boys and I rushed to practice.  I helped the coach run drills with the kids until seven and then we came home.  Tate had some homework to finish, so he hopped up to the counter to do that while I fixed Becky some dinner since she didn't eat a sandwich when the rest of us did.  Whew!  I'm exhausted and ready for nine o'clock....every single night.  I guess that is just life with kids.  I"m not trying to be too big of whiner pants.  My hope is that when I"m finally home during the day I'll be able to keep up on the food, dishes and laundry a lot better so that our evenings will be more enjoyable. I heard on the radio recently that when you are a parent the days are long, but the years are short.  Even though our kids are still quite young, with Tate and Riley being only eight and nine respectively, it's hard to believe that the boys' are in third grade, the twins are in Kindergarten and Kennedy will be starting school next year. So, yes, the days are looooooooooooong, but I know the years will fly by and when they are gone they're gone. It is my hope then to simplify things here, and make our time with the kids still in the house about much more than homework, sporting events and all of the other business that comes with being school aged.  We hope to teach the kids how important family is and how there is so much more to life than all of the petty, stupid stuff that we tend to make it about.
       We ended up making the chicken stock over the weekend.  It seems to have turned out pretty good.  In all we ended up with seven quarts and three pint jars of stock. 
     I can't wait for the weekend to get here.  I'm not sure what all we'll get involved with, but it's supposed to be pretty nice I guess so I'm going to try to get some work done outside. It'll be a good chance to get things cleaned up for the year and ready for winter, which will be here before we know it. We've got a couple soccer games first thing Saturday morning and then I guess we are free the rest of the day.  I'm going to try and get Becky to take some time off this weekend too.  Maybe I can force her to lay on the couch and watch tv most of the day Saturday.  She needs the rest.  Until tomorrow.....