I Can't Take The Pressure

We are at the point in the house right now where we NEED library books. Camp is over, and the cousins are leaving. School starts in three weeks.

I actually like this part of the summer (not the cousins leaving). There are no schedules, and my sister has a pool, so we're pretty set as far as enjoying the last waning days of August.

So now would really be a good time to go to the library, all the books have been returned...I hope. We are huge supporters of the library. I think if we stopped going, or just returned our books on time, they'd have to raise EVERYONES library tax by about 3%.

The problem is, I'm not really sure if all the books are back. I just need to go online and check my library account, but once I do that I'd actually have to FIND the book that's probably lost. Then I have to feign surprise when the librarian says "Please Return the Excretory System!!" On the top of her lungs.

Really, it depends which library we go to. One place is laid back and says "just return them, ok?" The other makes you feel really, really small, and maybe a little bit stupid. This is the same library that moved from a dinky little building with no PA system (the librarian would just shout "the library is closing in 10 minutes!), to a beautiful state of the art building...with almost no books. The shelves are more than half empty in the children's section, so I guess for aesthetic purposes they NEED the books returned.

Luckily, lots of my kids have library cards, so if we can't find the books, we find at least two "clean" cards and use those to take out books.

I've tried having a PLACE for the library books, didn't work. I've tried insisting that all books have a spot in the individual rooms, it didn't work either. I think what I need to do is put a note on the calendar two days before the books are due, the minute we get home from taking them out. That should work.

Either way, it just stresses me out!