Return to Normalcy

The last couple of weeks have been insane. I had my trip to Baltimore, followed by a week of training at work, then vacation and then another week of training. When I say training, I am talking about a part of my job that I actually love. Every now and again, I conduct training sessions on certain topics which I am considered an "expert". The only downside to this is having to be pretty much "on" the whole time. There is no opportunity for spacing out or taking a few minutes to check out perezhilton.com. Nope, your laptop is hooked into a huge projector and everything on your screen is magnified for the whole class to see. So, it is exhausting, but nonetheless gratifying because at the end of the day, you know you put in a full day and actually accomplished something.

We also have officially made our switch back to daycare for the kids. I mentioned a long time ago that Scott's cousin Hilary was watching the kids in our home for the summer. This is sort of an annual thing, Our day care provider, Patty, takes the summers off, so every Spring Scott and I scramble to find someone to watch the kids for a couple of months.

It's funny, because most people think that having in home care would be the way to go with three kids. But, honestly it really isn't for us. Sure, there are some benefits, like not having to get the kids up and out of the house in the morning, and not being constrained by the hours of the daycare. However, there are major downsides too. For instance, the constant traffic in the house means about three times the cleaning. Plus, we always have to make sure there is food in the house for breakfast and lunch, which is not only and added responsibility but a huge hidden expense. There are other things too, like the kids never leave the house, so they are bored and wound up. Every year, it's been pretty much the same thing. The first couple of weeks are awesome, and we think, hey, we should do this year round, but by the end or August, we are dying to go back to Patty's.

So, normalcy at work, normalcy at home, I am feeling a sense of calm that I haven't experienced in quite some time. I like it. Okay, I promised more vacation pictures – so here goes - makes me want to go back NOW!

Lunch at the Salty Dog:







Fun at the Beach:





The Park at Harbor Town:







More fun in the Pool: