Table for Eight

LuLu's a teenager! (It's official: we now have 5 teenagers at home.) Summer is usually in FULL-FORCE come June in Utah.  And we LOVE that. Summer in Utah means hotter weather (usually 90-100 degrees); swim time; longer days (sundown is usually 9pm); lake time; and lots of fun celebrations . . . --Father's Day --Dave and I both have brothers with bdays --LuLu celebrates a bday --Dave and I celebrate our wedding anniversary (25 years THIS YEAR!) --and I celebrate a bday, too It's a good time. Thank goodness for the changing seasons--they sure do make you appreciate CHANGE. Happy Birthday LuLu. We are so glad you are FINALLY a teenager (and we love you so very much). Lu and her friend J--at her bday celebration. Lu planned and prepped for her party ALL on her own: water games, sand volleyball, pizza, cake . . . it was great. Like "Duck, Duck, Goose," only "Drip, Drip, Splash." Water balloon games

All set for summer.   Living in a climate with all 4 seasons is kinda funny because things like bikes, sprinklers, yard games, etc., need to be "tuned up" before you can use/enjoy them each spring/summer. (Translation = you don't really use those things in the off-season. Translation = BOO!)   So yesterday was our day to get the bikes down from the racks and ready for riding. And while I know this is totally "Little House on the Prairie" of me, I was thinking this should be Dave, Jay, and Jr's job. My 1970s upbringing has me hard-coded; it seems like guys should maybe be over the garage stuff?   But with Dave at work, Jay asleep ( forever ), and Jr. not really knowing how to tune-up a bike, that wasn't happenin'.   So . . . rather than wait on the boys, the girls and I got out our tools, watched a YouTube video on changing a bike tube, borrowed a bike pump . . .   and got the job done. OURSELVES!   I don't know why,

As a teacher and mom with 6 kids, summer is something I look forward to ALL SCHOOL YEAR! And then, two weeks into "summer" I begin worrying that we're not using the time well. Specifically, that I'm not using the time well. I start thinking about things like  --sleep schedules (just how late is "okay" for teens in summer?) --curfews (again, just HOW late is "okay" for teens in summer?) --structured family activities (when? where? how many?) --unstructured "free-time" (for 5 teens?) --required reading (at 12-17, do we still participate in the Library Summer Reading Program?) --screen time (in all of its forms: tv, games, phones, music, movies, etc.) --exercise (how much?) --service (where? when? optional?) And on and on and on! Now, I know that every family and situation is unique, so there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to each of these questions, but since our oldest son turned 21, I've r

Truth be told: since our kids became teenagers ( 5 out of the 6 kids! ), I just haven't had motivation to blog regularly. I think most of this comes from the fact that our lives have just become really busy and it's hard to find a time to sit down uninterrupted and write. But I also think some of my writer's block comes from the fact that our lives have been a little lot more challenging these past few years.  I know, life is all about Highs and Lows . And I know every human on Planet E has their share of challenges, but I think ours have all kinda happened in one chunk of time. Here's a little of what we've been through these past 18 months: 1. ELEVEN hospitalizations (only 3 of them were scheduled). 2. A year-long fight with mono for our 16 yo (which included 3 sinus infections and pneumonia along the way). This illness became such a battle that they couldn't attend traditional school, and moved to an online high school. 3. Two broke