Wednesday Ramblings

Allergies suck.  Actually, they don't suck- they scratch and itch and irritate and congest.  Ugh.  My eyes have been especially scratchy, and I rub and rub and rub until I just can't manage to keep my eyes open any longer, and then I go all Stevie Wonder and my kids think I'm weird.  I'm not weird.  I'm just a mom with allergies trying to get through the day!
This morning I woke up with a wonky eye.  I took a picture with my web cam for you.  See?

You're welcome.
I think it is infected.
On our lunch date in Bend last week, Andrea gave me a couple of allergy pills to try.  They seemed to help, so I need to buy some, but I can't today because I am stuck at home without a car, which brings me to my next topic...
It has been a full month since we became a one-vehicle family.  So far, sharing a car with Devon isn't so bad. 

Planning the activities of the day/week takes more thought and effort with only one car.  If I need the car, then I have to plan to be ready to drive Devon to work in the morning.  Joe usually sleeps in late and isn't even out of bed yet when Max, Lucy and I return from the hour long round-trip.  On the weekdays, Devon works until 9pm, and on weekends he works until 7 or 8pm, so we pick him up at night, and usually the kids are already in pajamas and are excited to be heading out to pick up dad instead of the usual routine of going to bed.  Another hour long round-trip later, the whole family is home together again.

On the days that Devon takes the car, the kids and I walk to a park or walk to Katie's house (which is an uphill climb, so I get some added exercise), and one day this week we even walked to drop off Devon's clothes at the dry cleaners and then to the optometrist to pick up Joe's contacts lenses and then to Ben & Jerry's for a treat.  Without a car, our days feel pretty simple.  Our options are limited, so we make the most of what we've got.  I've been baking a little, and it seems that every single toy is played with and then strewn across the house.  Of course, the house becomes a complete disaster, so I am constantly picking up after the kids, and I eventually get grumpy and try to enforce a "sit and be quiet and do nothing" time, and when that backfires (which it always does), I just start yelling at everybody and then I realize that all of my windows are open and that my neighbors can hear me and they probably think I'm mean and crazy, though I'm not, it is just that I sound mean and crazy because I am stuck at home with 3 kids during the longest days of the year and my house is a wreck!!!

Whoa.  I've gone off-track.

So, in the past 6 days, I've only had the car for one day.  On that day, I hand washed our precious minivan, scrubbing off the dead bugs who lost their lives somewhere between California and Washington, and I vacuumed out the snacks that Max spilled, and when Grandma Donna came over to visit, I took the opportunity to get out of our house alone and get the grocery shopping done.  I feel like I am spending less money on a daily basis while I am stuck at home, and I feel like my to-do list is organized pretty well because my errands have get done while I have the car rather than putting them off for another day.

And there you have it.  In another month I may have a different opinion about sharing a car, but for now it is working out just fine.

What did you all do for the 4th of July?

We spent Independence Day at Aunt Merry's house.  Merry hosts a big party every year with swimming and badminton and lots of food and fireworks.  Her birthday is July 5th, so there is usually a bit of birthday celebration mixed in too.  The kids and I had a blast, and we were thrilled to have a big blue sky above us.  Devon had to work during the day, and when he arrived in the evening, I was more than happy to pass off the duty of chasing kids!  Max was so busy as usual.  He tried to sneak off a few times, but I caught him just before he fell into the pool or grabbed the horses' electric fence or climbed onto a motorcycle.  Geesh.

Here are a few pics of my favorite faces.

The most awesome part of the day was when Merry's friends Jim and Shannon got engaged.  Jim dressed as Prince Charming and rode Tank up the driveway to surprise Shannon.  It was so sweet!

That is all I've got for today!  Now, I must go tend to my eye. :)