Surviving summer the best we can

I, Jill Anthony Lamar, survived the first week of summer.  There was a lot of crying, a little blood, much sweat, a handful of spankings, but we are all alive!!!!!!!  I kept the crew busy with errands, cleaning, laundry, and school work.  Ohhh yes, we do school work in the summer.  I told the boys we had to stay fresh on our skills.  Bitty’s work consists of tracing over the alphabet in D’Nealian style since that’s how they teach them at MHS, tracing and spelling out numbers, and a few site words.  Ford gets some math, English, and reading comprehension.  I guess that’s a curse of having a mom who was/is a teacher!!!!!

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day.  I woke up at 5:00 after getting a mere 4 hours of sleep due to the Five Star City Festival we had in town.  After my shower, Annie woke up and I left by 7:15 to go to church to help with the senior breakfast.  I didn’t see the boys so I asked that Fancy send me a picture when they were all ready for church.

Sunday afternoon Ken and his crew came down to put flowers on mom's grave and to play a bit.  I sure so love these children who made me a mom and an aunt.

Buying flowers for your mother's grave on Mother's Day is never the present you wish to buy.  I will forever be grateful for the mother I had, the memories I keep, and the love she showed me even when I was unlovable.

These boys certainly love to fish behind our house!

Why...why....WHY.... do my kids hate food???  I wish I hated food as much as they do.  No pizza for Bitty man!

I would consider myself to be an overprotective mom.  I'm uptight.  I freak out about schedules, baths, germs, manners, boogers, shoes being worn in the house, what my children watch on TV, homework, All A's, etc.  I do.  I stress about where my children are and who is watching them.  I wonder if others follow my schedule and sometimes ridiculous lists when I'm gone.  But I do NOT worry about my children when our sweet babysitter, Anna Greer, has them.

"Greer", as Annie calls her, is the best.  She's been keeping these babies since she was 15 and I was pregnant with Annie.  Now she's 18, a high school graduate, and is Ole Miss bound in the fall.

She is so special to my family and I think I might cry as much as her mother when she drives away on August 17.  I told her I'd be over there to check on her periodically!!!!

Sometimes watching Mickey Mouse can wear you slap out!!!!!!!

Girls nights are THE BEST!!!!!!