Lofty Goals

Every year around this time I get this idea planted in my head that by the time I put the kids on the bus that first morning of the year, I will have my life perfectly organized.  I will start the year with a clean house.  With my closets all organized and thinned out.  The Vets (or Courage Center or Lupus) will have already been by and picked up a bunch of stuff I don't need anymore.  I will have been putting the kids to bed earlier and earlier until magically by the last night of the summer I will have them happy to climb in bed, freshly showered and excited for the next day, and on fresh sheets of course, by 8:30.  They will, of course, eagerly read until lights out at 9:00.  I will have a meal plan set up, and I will be visiting the grocery store a couple times a week to buy the nutritious ingredients to make all the delicious new recipes I've been meaning to try, that my family is sure to love.  My lawn will be mowed, and I will be ready to dive into those household projects that have been escaping me because of the busy and hot summer days.

Rest assured, this has never ever become my reality.  The closest I usually get is being able to make chore charts (at least I printed them out, people) and sort of getting the kitchen cleaned up.  I am always able to get the supplies (as you all know) purchased, and to get the necessary clothes shopping done, but that's a different story.  Hello, it's shopping.  So it's just another goal I set up, that I inevitably fail at achieving.  Why do I do that to myself?  I did have a small success yesterday--in my recently mentioned panic to fulfill summer promises, I did get the kids to the zoo for the day yesterday.

And they have fun!  We have a membership to the zoo, and there isn't much of an excuse for not going more often--we have a great time there every time, and it's an easy way to wear them out... but oh well.  So I have adjusted my goal for this season.  My goal is that the kids well be sent to the school on the first morning awake, clean, and fed.  Then once they're in school I'll start worrying about everything else.  Doesn't that sound easier?  Ahh.  I'm already starting to feel better.

Let me focus on the positive--today is the first day of the Minnesota State Fair.  For those of you who are Minnesotans, most of you know what I mean.  There are people who LOVE the fair and people don't "get it".  I am absolutely one that loves it.  LOVES it.  I start planning for it long before it starts.  We usually get to a concert or two during the 10 days of the fair.  We go at LEAST once, but usually a couple times.  And I love everything about it.  The food.  The music.  The people watching.  The animals.  The art and cooking contests.  The smells.  The wandering.  Everything.  I think we're going to go Saturday this year, which is sort of insane since it will be the busiest day we could have chosen.  That's ONE of the great things about this time of year.

Football.  My kids are playing with the "Raiders."  Then there's the Gophers.  And the Vikings.  I have said before that I believe football has a smell.  I don't mean a nasty locker room kind of smell.  I mean a great smell.  It smells like fall, like hot dogs and beer, like fresh air.  And the sounds of whistles, cheering, and marching bands.  I like even having random football games on the TV while I'm hanging out at home, just for the background noise.  Ahhhh.

The goofy Renaissance Festival.  My kids love to go, and there is NO finer people watching.  Again, I love the food there.  Popovers, Bangers and Mash, Guiness and cheap wine.  Fake accents and people wearing chain mail with New Balance tennis shoes.  People not able to figure out if they should dress like a pirate or Gandalf.  People that dress up in costumes to go there, when they are not paid to.  I love it.

NEW TELEVISION!  I have to figure out my new DVR schedule.  Some great new shows getting ready to premiere, as well as the return of some old favorites.  I just got caught up on Modern Family, can't wait for the new season!  I love TV.  Seriously.  It's kind of a problem.  Glee.  Hawaii 5-0.  Blue Bloods.  30 Rock.  Hoarders.  Bizarre Foods.  Ohhhhhhhh.........

Opening my windows.  Very soon I will be able to open my windows one evening to enjoy the cool night air, and they will stay open.  My house will air out.  We'll be able to hear the crickets and the frogs.  Feel the breeze all day.

Oh, I have to stop.  I could write about this stuff all day.  See, folks?  I started this rambling post in kind of a funk.  Irritating night last night.  Feeling pressure of everything I feel I need to get done.  That's why I started this blog.  Self-therapy.  I am now in a great mood!  Fall is coming!  I worked it out!  Now I feel like I can conquer.  I think I'll start cleaning my house and organizing the closests.......  just kidding.  Maybe.