we're in our school room right now chipping away at today's schedule. i wish it wasn't so hard to keep everyone on track on mondays. i feel like all i do is crack the whip. i'm really not a very patient mom. i am so much more task oriented than people oriented. it's something i have and will struggle with all my life, you know, putting people and their feelings ahead of my plan for their lives.

we had such a jolly weekend. Brian was able to leave work a little early on friday, and we loaded up the car and went out to the old family farm house in Manor to camp for the weekend. that's where we've had our trailer for several months now. my aunt Lucy and her husband Neal, and Lucy's youngest son, Tim, were out there as well. Lucy and Neal have a big fancy-schmancy rv that they're keeping out there, too. the Farm, as we all call it, is situated up on a hill surrounded by pastureland. it's so peaceful out there. the house itself was built in the 1870's. my mom lived there as a kid (she was born in '55, not the 1870's BTW) before they moved into Austin. my aunt has started organizing monthly work days to help with some of the repairs around the place. they've been a lot of fun!

i had fixed some of a yummy meal ahead of time - homemade focaccia bread, organic spaghetti sauce and noodles, homegrown salad with homemade dressing, steamed broccoli and fruit popsicles for dessert. we don't usually eat "camp" food when we go camping, but stick with what we'd normally have at home.  it's so nice to sit down to a tasty, healthy, hot meal after a long day out in the great outdoors.

Margaret and Samuel have been studying conservation and so we decided to watch the Ken Burn's documentary on the national park system. we brought it with us and let the kids watch it while they they were cozied up together in their beds. the camper works for us now, but just barely when we're all in it together. the boys sleep on one end where the dining table is - it folds into a queen size bed. Brian, Hazel, and i sleep on the full size bed on the other end of the camper, and Margaret sleeps on the bunk above us. we're thinking we'll trade up to something bigger once we move.

we got a slow start saturday morning. other family  members started rolling in mid-morning. Thomas and Meredith came with their babies, so the kids had friends to play with. Uncle Bob - the one who got Brian and i into running marathons, came with Aunt Laura and their kids, their dog, and their pop-up camper to stay the saturday night. several others ended up coming and we were able to accomplish so much. at the end of the day Neal made a big bonfire and we sat around drinking local beer and listening to Buddy Holly. good times.

we "broke camp" early sunday morning so we could make it to church. Brian ended up taking the big kids and i stayed home with Hazel. we napped sunday afternoon and then took the kids out to run in the evening. they have a race coming up this saturday out at the rodeo so we're trying to keep them in decent running shape.

...which brings us to today. i feel like all i've done today is threaten and shame. there must be a better way. sometimes i think i missed my calling and should have been a drill sergeant instead of a mom...but then i wouldn't be mom to these precious ones.

it's the end of the day now. we just finished up a late dinner since Margaret and Samuel had boxing class this evening. i'm beat and am wondering how legal it is to crawl into bed before 8. i guess there's only one way to find out....

Our patience will achieve more than our force.  - Edmund Burke

^that's for me tonight.