Spinning

Sometimes my girls beg me to play the Spinning Song by Ellmenreich on the piano…as I play, I go progressively faster and faster and they spin crazily behind me…to the cries of “One more time, please!” 5 yo even has a special dress she has to wear while spinning…it’s got the “perfect spinny skirt!”

Anyhow, that’s how I’ve been feeling the past two days…VBS is in full tilt and it’s all good! Getting so much done ahead of time really smoothed the way…I feel like for the actual 2 hrs of VBS each night that we get to coast…it’s the pre-planning, the hours ahead of time that rattle me a bit. Plus today was our annual homeschool mom’s luncheon and tea party, so I really wore my kids out by the time I finished dragging them all over the place–4 cities in a few hours time! Baby took her nap on my shoulder in Wal-mart. All 27 pounds of her! Picture me, tongue hanging out (91* outside) with hot, heavy toddler passed out in my arms…but we HAD to go to Wal-mart so my 8 yo could spend $16 of her “puppy dollars” on boxes of crayons for our VBS mission’s project. Puppy dollars translates to her “payment” from daddy for all the work she does with our litters of pups from the time they are born till they sell. She and 5 yo get a percentage of each pup we sell. They earn it!

Our VBS totals are hovering at 30–which is good, considering all the kids busy with ball games this time of year. We planned for 40, so we’re not understocked on supplies. For crafts tonight, the kids painted big vegetable cans white, then stamped them with black-painted square sponges to make a checkerboard pattern. Then they got sticky-backed foam letters to use for spelling out their name across the bottom of the can…last but not least, they planted petunias in them. Very cool! Also, they made candles by layering different colors of this really neat powdered wax in a baby food jar with a wick. Tie some raffia or twine around the jar threads and you have a really pretty candle! VBS snacks have been so cute so far…tonight they had “rock piles” (our pacesetter was David–ya know, the kid that faced down Goliath!), and last night they had blue frosted graham crackers that stood parallel to each other with gummy fish stuck to them and teddy grahams crossing through on “dry land”–yep, our pacesetter was Moses and the story–the parting of the Red Sea. I’ve been taking two of my girl’s friends along each night, and the four of them spend quite a bit of time raving about all the fun they are having! That spells success in my book! I’m so glad this week is finally here. All the hard work behind us, now we can just enjoy the ride!

Summer is 2 weeks away! Don’t know how you Californians are surviving! Saw on the news that you had some 111* days last weekend! Do us a favor, and keep it!

Have a great week!

Mary