Busy Summer Days...

I can't believe that school has ended and summer has crept up on me so stealthily. It seems to me it was May just a blink of an eye ago. Most years, I'm the nerd who is more than ready for that last day of school. I have gifts bought in advance, camps registered and paid for, and my calendar filled with plans and vacation weeks.

This year, I've dropped the proverbial beach ball.

Last week, I realized it was the last week of school and I hadn't bought teacher or bus driver gifts yet. So, out I went on Tuesday night with the last day of school here being Thursday. Oops. I managed to snag some great stuff, so all was right in my world, but somehow it left me feeling a little jittery and not my self.

Hello, that's because my daughter's 11th birthday party hadn't been planned either!!!! For someone who is slightly Type A and an organizational freak-this didn't bode well. Luckily for me, she wanted a simple sleepover. Unluckily for her, I'm an organizational nerd and you can't "just" have a sleepover! We got some great ideas from friends and the net, and we developed a theme of "Welcome to Italy!" We made gift bags in biscotti tins with Italian candies, jewellery, a candle holder with battery operated tea light and each girl decorated a clay pot and planted a basil plant. We had lasagna and garlic bread with Caesar salad for dinner, served on a red tablecloth with plastic wine glasses. The girls drank sparkling apple juice to pretend. My daughter had printed up "Italian" names for each girl as place cards. Everything went well, and she had a great time. Again, however, I wondered what was going on with me and the not being on top of things deal.

This week, I'm back to my normal daycare kids. The little guy I was watching was finished on Friday, since both of his parents are teachers he's home for the summer. Tomorrow, we're doing our family birthday celebration on my daughter's actual day and we'll give her gifts from us then. Guess what? I have to go out tonight and buy them!!!! What the?

I'm hoping that I'll get into the swing of things once this week is over and I'm settled back into a normal schedule and routine.

My family better hope so, because their Dad as "planner" is a disaster in the making!!! I hope this is just a little "summer mind" thing I have going on and I'm back to my anal, list making self soon!