A First...And An Unexpected Last.

Gretel started summer camp last week.

The same camp her brother has gone to for the past three summers and Cinderella for the past six.

She is the LAST of my children that will have their first ever day of camp. Another milestone ticked off the List of Firsts, never again to be repeated.

I packed her lunch and backpack Sunday night and laid it by the front door, next to her brother's.

I stood back and took in the sight of his Star Wars bag and her Tinkerbell bag and I couldn't help notice what was missing - a third backpack.

Cinderella's.

Hers would be packed by Prince Charming this year. My car would be quieter for the 30 minute drive each morning and afternoon, with one less voice singing and giggling in the back seat.

I wasn't prepared for the fact that LAST summer was the LAST time I packed Cinderella's lunch and backpack for camp.

 And I am definitely not prepared for my Little Pixie growing up so damn fast.

An Unexpected Haiku

Leaking incision,

Inspection past seven months,

Starts our vacation.

With the Greatest of Ease

Summer Reading

Sunday is date night in the castle.

For the past several months our location of choice is the local Barnes and Noble. 

Prince Charming and I grab some books off the shelves sip coffee in the Starbucks Cafe while perusing through the pages.

I inevitably wind up coming home with a book or two. I can't help it. I love books.

(Disclaimer: I love books but I am not an avid reader. Reading puts me to sleep. *yawn*)

This summer I am determined to read at least one of the books I have purchased. 

The last summer I tried this was in 2004. The year Oprah's Book Club tackled Anna Karenina. I made it halfway through before I lost momentum.

(This was the summer we moved into the castle and the book was packed away and I just forgot about it. But I am still proud that I was able to get through half of that book.)

The current choices on  my side table are:

The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom.

I Love You, Ronnie (The letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan)

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

What's on your summer reading list?

The No-Hawk

Hansel wanted a mohawk for the summer.

Prince Charming and I decided to splurge and take him to one of those cutesy haircutting places for kids.

1 hour and 20 minutes later he has neither a mohawk or a fauxhawk.

I present you... the NO-hawk.

Summer Camp

I don't know what I want to do for camp this summer. Do I have to go to camp at all?

Cinderella was undecided on what she wanted to do. This is the first year she was being given a choice.

Mommy, I want to go to Tae Kwon Do camp!

In a few weeks Hansel will be 5. Old enough to attend summer camp. For him the choice was simple. Arts & Crafts, swimming, field trips, hiking, Jedi Training... what more could a kid want?

Ok, I want to go to TKD camp too.

I wanted to tell Cinderella NO. Point out how she and Maleficent did nothing but bad-mouth and complain about that camp for the two summers she was "forced" into going. About how her over-priced-half-day acting camp run by a former child star was all-that-and-a-bag of chips.

And now all of a sudden TKD camp appeals to you because your little brother is going?

Get your own camp!

Then I realized that Cinderella is going to be 11. Puberty is setting in and before we know it she won't want to spend time with her brother.

So we better embrace this time as it will probably be one of the last times that Hansel will get to tag along with his big Sister.

Cinderella and Hansel start camp on Monday. They will be gone every day from 9:30-5pm.

Two down, one to go.

I better enjoy this time with Gretel while I can.