Crikey! What a day!

As pertains to our new and improved system of running the household more smoothly, I managed to get (most) of my daily chores done today and even got (most) of my Tuesday weekly chore done, too! Beds made? Check. Bedroom tidied? Check. Man-Cub's room tidied? Check. Dinner made? Check. Laundry washed, dried and folder? Er...half-check (I've got a load still in the washer that I fully intended to hang on the line out in the glorious sunshine and dry, breezy weather we had today, but I ran out of time). Bathroom cleaned (including bathtub) and floor swept? CHECK!

I need to interrupt myself for just a moment to cast a plea out into the sea, as it were. Can anyone tell me how to clean my bathtub/shower? It never looks clean no matter how long I leave stuff to sit, no matter how hard or long I scrub it. I need a good method/system/product/tool to get it clean without half killing myself! Without meaning to be gross, there's this dirty-looking, taupe-ish colored smudgy stuff all over the bottom of the tub that refuses to come off. And when I scrub at it, the sponge, scrubby, whatever I'm using gets the stuff gunked all over it. What is that stuff?? Is it soap scum? I hate it!

Anyway, after my bathroom blitz, Mrs. (Councilor)Nugent came over with her label maker (I love that it was her Christmas present. That she asked for. She's such a delightful dork) and tackled the pantry and bathroom closet. She LOVES to organize things and is the perfect yin to my yang in such matters. We didn't get very far because of our combined four children for one reason or another. And then we had to stop and search for the pacifier she mysteriously lost and absolutely could not find (turned up hours later in her back pocket). But we did manage to solve the problem of the spice jar avalanche that was terrorizing anyone who dared reach into the cupboard for some ground ginger, garam masala or marjoram. One medium-sized basket and a sharpie was all it took! And she's promised to come back so we can really make some headway on my pantry. I won't tell you what could happen to you if you ventured inside my pantry. You might change your mind about visiting me.

We went right from the inside of my bathroom closet (where we rolled up washcloths and piled them into a decorative washtub, condensed a few baskets and made more room for towels) to the school for Redheaded Snippet's very first high school hockey game! We were all so excited and the weather was absolutely picture perfect!

There we were, chatting, laughing and having a marvelous time waiting for the Varsity game to be over so we could watch Redheaded Snippet play in the JV game when all of a sudden I saw something that made my heart stop. I grabbed Mom's and Mrs. (Councilor)Nugent's arms and gasped, "Is she going in?"

Sure enough, there she was, standing on the sideline, stick in hand, waiting for the signal to enter the game. The Varsity game. Okay, maybe I'm making a big deal about this, but I'm her mother, I'm allowed, right? She's a freshman (or will be, officially, on Friday). And this is the best high school hockey team in the state. It's enough of an honor to be on the JV team. And she got to play in the Varsity game. It was so unexpected and so exciting to watch! Especially because she held her own! Mrs. (Councilor)Nugent played hockey herself in high school and she was watching Snippet closely and said to me, "She's a flippin' freshman, playing against and with flippin' seniors on the best flippin' team in the state...and she's flippin' holding her own!"

Redheaded Snippet took it all in stride. I was all squeals when she got in the car after the games (Varsity won 6-1 and JV 4-0), but she just gave me a tired grin and began critiquing the crappy way she played during the JV game (according to her). Always looking for ways to improve, that kid.

Dinner tonight was kind of a rushed affair, what with arriving home at nearly 7:00 and all, but I still managed baked chicken with a hint of ginger and lime and cheesy orzo. The Viking built a fire and we carried our plates outside to eat around it. Then fixin's for S'mores were produced and we roasted marshmallows and lingered out in the cool air rehashing the day's events. Tomorrow is our first school night so tonight was the unofficial last night of Summer. We wanted to make the most of it, make it a little special. The hustle and bustle of school and homework and early bedtimes begins in less than 24 hours and I just can't believe it's over. Sigh.

Man-Cub and I are going out to get his backpack tomorrow and a few other sundry items to ease the pain of having to go back to school just a wee bit. Maybe I'll take him out to lunch, too. We'll have to see how the day goes.

So, I'm off to bed to fall asleep to the crickets' lullaby soughing through the open windows. Hurry, Autumn, make haste!