Boy Necklaces and In Dire Need of Girl Time

The day before Back to School we went to Six Flags for our 4th annual time. I would have never dreamed of this event but for years our boys have gotten free tickets they earn by reading six hours in the Spring. And with Hubs being a teacher he gets a free ticket. And with lots of nice people working with Hubs they give him several free tickets for me and other folks. Last year was the only year of four that we had no other families with us and I was giving away free tickets near the entrance to Six Flags. People actually looked at me all suspicious--one even declined. The tickets expire that day--the day before school begins and it is typically less crowded than usual.

Anyway, a couple of Sundays ago we had my family of five, another Dad, and FIVE other boys with us. All jammed into one Suburban because we like to pay the extra $$ and park real close so that we can easily get back to the vehicle and the cooler for a picnic.

I do not do any scary rides and neither does my 8 year old so we are a team and go off on our own. Then we meet up for lunch. And then we walked around together for a little bit before I took off on my own again with Youngest. At that time it occurred to me that I was walking around Six Flags with 10 males. And it even became apparent to me that enough is enough and I really need to devote some time to me. And then on the way home I sat really close to the window because boys smell after they play.

I announced to the Hubs that I was taking some time for me the next weekend. I wanted to see Julie and Julia, which I had just finished reading. The author writes sentences that are really really long like usually 40 words long and I really like that. He said I should. "Or, get a manicure", I said. He said I should.

But it didn't happen because the next weekend I had all sorts of errands to do as usual which involved buying and making food. And cleaning stuff at home. And cleaning more stuff at home with Hubs because he is a clean fanatic and wanted to clean out closets and if I am not there he will throw stuff out. In the trash bag near one closet I found miscellaneous papers and office supplies including a legal pad with scribbles on the pages, but about ten pages in I saw he had written me an unfinished love letter a few years ago and it was four pages long and those things are pretty valuable since my Love Language is words.

I also ended up making necklaces for the boys as seen in the three pictures below. Well, I still plan on having some time for myself, which I'm thinking now instead of 2 hours for a movie might need to be a Full Day, but I don't think it will happen this weekend. Maybe over Labor Day weekend. Because after that baseball season starts.
(plain brown and white for Oldest with no dangling doodads)

(black cord necklace is for Youngest and has a fosselized shark tooth on it found this summer by Hubs on Tybee Island near Savannah)

(the white shark tooth necklace is actually the Middle Son's 1st necklace bought on an island vacation when he was three but it had been broken for years and I restrung it and added some brown and red and silver beads)