I don't know about you, but I'm in a bad mood. I finished my Anatomy class last week, and have been trying to enjoy these last weeks of summer, but find myself annoyed for several reasons.

My bad mood has been lingering for a few days now, and so I decided to retrace my steps to see if perhaps there was someone else I could blame. As usual, it was the children.

It all began on Sunday, when we were driving Jack to Cheyenne, to stay a couple days with his cousins. I thought it would be a nice Sunday drive as a family, like they used to do back on the Prairie, without the rattle snakes and bouncing wagon. About the time we crossed the Colorado State Line into Wyoming, I decided that Sunday drives should only involve a trip to Sonic for milkshakes. For several miles, Jack complained of extreme thirst and Faith and Will were fighting over a library book. When Jack wouldn't stop telling us of his need for water, I mentioned to him that perhaps he had gotten diabetes ( the kind where you are thirsty all the time) and then Billy suggested that maybe he had rabies. I turned around and told him I was checking to see if he was frothing at the mouth. Billy thought that sounded funny, so he said, "Say 'mouth froth' five times fast". It was darn near impossible.

After we dropped Jack at my sister's, we got back in the van to make the long drive home. Unfortunately, Wyoming's state bug is the fly. And we had about 48 in the van with us. Faith and Will kept referring to them as "bees" and we said they weren't bees and they wouldn't sting. They did not believe us, and would not stop talking about the bees until I finally got the last of them out on I-25 around Ft. Collins.

I thought that would calm the children once and for all. And it did, for approximately three minutes, until there was a high pitched shriek from the back seat. Billy managed to keep control of the vehicle despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth. I told him to keep driving, and I would get to the bottom of it. Turns out Will was the one screaming, and Faith was the one who caused the eruption. Once he calmed down, I was able to ask what had happened. Will's reply was, "Faith looked at my arm".

Can someone please help me? How do I deal with that?

We've had several more of those type of incidents in the last few days, and they wear me down.

Another thing I'm in a bad mood about is school supplies. What happened to the days of a nice little blackboard and a piece of chalk like they had back on the Prairie? I've only purchased about half the supplies, due to the fact that I also had to buy myself another box of Breathe Right Strips. My budget just couldn't afford clear nasal passageways, AND all the children's supplies.

I'm hoping our family's activities this weekend will help me move towards the joy I usually feel, and away from the stress that has been weighing me down. It really could go either way. Tomorrow we are braving the unpredictable Colorado weather and taking three children camping.

In a tent.

I haven't even begun to pack. However, I have made the list of snacks to buy. I follow one rule: ( it's the same rule Bear Grylls has on Man Vs. Wild about firewood) Gather as much as you think you need. Then get five times more. So you can see why I need to cut this short, and get to the store. Hopefully I'll have room in the back of the van for sleeping bags and first aid kits, but who knows.

Until next time...