Validated!!!

My three big girls left to camp this morning. Let the summer begin. With finals and the end of school, my kids have been around for the last month, which I actually enjoy and especially now, found very helpful (like right now, it's not that easy to type with one hand, and the other is occupied. A few hours ago there would have been many willing hands clamoring for the baby).

These past two weeks have been all about getting the kids ready for camp. It doesn't usually take two weeks, but I'm moving just a bit slower, so it was just one errand a day, or wait for MBB in the evening. (Though some things a girl just wants her Mamma to do).

Yesterday, I decided it was time to focus a little on the kids who would be staying home, and using the last few hours of babysitting available, I took three of the little ones to Walmart. The six year old was THRILLED to be getting stuff for herself for camp, and having some of the procurement attention focused on her and her two sisters.

In that vein I will say the for many years people have said to me, "why do we need to go off grounds on visiting day, don't these kids get enough?" To which I always replied, "I don't do it for the kids in camp, I do it for the kids who sit in the car for 5 hours, and then it's again, all about camp, and the kids who are there."

I haven't ever had this conversation in front of my kids. The other day, the eldest was going on and on about how she doesn't need visiting day, and they should abolish it, and why can't you go four weeks without seeing your family (the kid who her first year in camp called me from some one's cell phone, right after we left on visiting day, and cried "come baaaaaack!")? The nine year old, who does not yet go to sleep away camp, waited until she stopped ranting and said:

"I love visiting day, it's so much fun!"

yay!