Friday night

I took Rachel to an activities fair Friday night because there are still a few weeks of summer that are unaccounted for. We are planning for two weeks (or most of two weeks, anyway) for vacation. Rachel has expressed an interest in going to...Canada, because "I've never been out of the country," to we are looking at Montreal and Quebec City because, Rachel insists, she's a city girl and likes the busyness of cities. So, probably not Nova Scotia this time.

That is, if we're not busy moving. We are crossing our fingers that our landlords spend another three years overseas so we can get Rachel through the 5th grade at McKinley, and frankly I am just not up to moving right now. But if we must, we must. Our lease expires in July.

We found a bunch of interesting-looking camps. So far, she is signed up for computer animation camp (Girls only! Woot!), music camp, PONY camp, and probably Summer Laureates, the academic enrichment program she has done the last two summers. We have two weeks left to fill, and we're thinking French-immersion camp (because Rachel has expressed an interest in learning French) and either a swim or a general outdoor activity camp. Geez, that kid is going to have a better summer than I will! Although I'm really looking forward to outdoor swimming again...

We left way late (around 7:30), and I had gotten only six hours of sleep the night before so I was really cranky. I spoke sharply to Rachel, who was shrieking with energy when we got outside (she was excited because she had picked up a bunch of free items like sunglasses and a Groucho Marx-like nose and glasses) and explained I was cranky, and she got very upset and wouldn't tell me what was wrong until we got to the restaurant. Then she unloaded, saying, "Mom this is about you, no offense," and then launched into the fact that it wasn't fair that I got to take out my crankiness on everyone but every time she's cranky, Drew says, "Just because you're cranky doesn't mean you get to be cranky and rude to other people." She was essentially upset because she thought there was one rule for us ("I know you're grownups, but it's not fair") and another for her. We talked it out, and I agreed to try not to take my crankiness out on everyone and Drew said he'd go a little easier on Rachel when she's out of sorts.

Getting some burgers, fries and chocolate cake into all of us helped, and by the time we got home Rachel was sweet and cuddly and insisted that I read with her in bed.