The first week of summer (okay it techincally isn't summer, but my kids are out of school, and that's my benchmark) has gone pretty well. Every June I have high hopes that I can teach my kids how to work, and every mid-June, I have thrown my hands up in the air. But this summer I have a new strategy: I developed a "Chore Buddy Chart." I have typical jobs that I do on specific days: Laundry on Monday and Friday, Bathrooms on Tuesday, and Dusting/Wiping on Thursday. And so I have assigned each of the older children a day to be my chore buddy and help with that particular task. The kids rotate days every new week. So far, so good.

My garden is making me anxious. Why aren't those carrots coming up? I planted them a month ago! I even planted a "second planting" two weeks ago, going on pure faith. We were disappointed to learn that the soaker tubes weren't actually watering the areas where the boys had planted their corn and watermelon (Grrr!). I found some other places for their seeds, and they planted again. But it's getting later in the season, so I' don't know if the watermelon will have time to develop well. I'm a little apprehensive for their success. Janey's green beans and squash are coming up, though, and the tomato plants have some flowers, and best of all the apricot trees have fruit on them. So all is not lost.

I finished Killer Angels. What a fabulous read. I want to go to Gettysburg so bad that I'm almost considering driving my family across the country to do it. I want to see Little Round Top and see the ridge that Armistead was able to breach before he died.

And on a final note, Boon Dog passed his Canine Good Citizen test.