Digging for Gems

So I think they've wanted to do this for about five years now and I always tell them I don't have money for it.  Today they brought their own money.  They paid and got
 buckets and shovels. You can see their anticipation and excitement:

 Let the digging commence

 It got pretty dusty in there

 ooooo. pretty gems

 more digging

 identifying their 40 some-odd new treasures

 just another look to see if we missed any

 A grand success.  They were so happy with velveteen pouches full of stones and skin full of dust.

 After some relaxing at the park and a bit of picnic style dinner, we returned home to make apple crisp and get to bed. It was a very nice afternoon.

Teases and Meltdowns

It's been a big week.  While school sort of began last week, it's taken a more serious turn this week.  Madeline (3rd grade) brought home her first homework assignments and Cameron started kindergarten on Tuesday.  This marks a day in my life I have been looking forward to for, oh, perhaps six years?  Both kids in school mean I get a regularly scheduled break from the minute to minute responsibility of motherhood on a nearly daily basis. 
I have been day dreaming for six years what I might do with that time.   So it felt a little anti-climatic when I dropped Cameron off for his first day only to come home, exercise and drive the 10 miles back to pick him up.  I assured myself that there would be plenty of other days to do something more fun with my free time.  The next day I grocery shopped.  That afternoon, Cameron started a fever, headache and tummy ache.  He has not been back to school for the week.  I felt teased.
I sat down with Madeline to tackle the first homework assignment.  She slipped under the table to cry.  I wanted to join her, but launched instead into a presentation of 'why you must do your homework and what will happen if you don't'.  Eventually that lead to a threat of throwing out her toys and she got back in her seat and read her one minute to me.  Wow. 
To add to my mental frustration is the upstart of hunting season.  This is the five months of every year when I cannot count on my husband to be around on weekends. I don't hate that he goes; I think it's a sexy and respectable hobby.  It just takes a toll on me to have a lack of help and affection for those long months, especially during the holidays. 
No wonder I have a head ache.  At least I am still laughing at myself.