It's raspberry season! Yum! I once again sent my minions picking for me, but this time I went too...with the four little kids. They were actually well behaved! Most people shudder at the idea of taking four spirited children berry picking, but I love a challenge. Only Child #5 ate a berry before it was paid for. Oh, I don't know. Maybe Child #2 and her boyfriend ate some too... I wasn't watching them that closely. We picked just over eight pounds of raspberries in about 15 minutes and then we came home where I made two batches of jam. Raspberry jam is my favorite, so I tend to keep it secret from my kids all year. They can have the strawberry.
Other than that, we don't have too much going on here. We have been reconnecting with old friends and having playdates. And DH is back in the field, spending three days a week camping and doing surveys. Having DH gone means I don't have as much help with kids, especially at bedtime when I need the break, but I do still have Child #2. Cashiers at the grocery store always say, "Oh how nice. It's like having a live-in baby sitter," when they meet or hear of my seventeen year old. I always say, "She is more like an au pair. You know, more like a member of the family!" Duh. She is after all really a member of the family! Yes, Child #2 does babysit for me, and she does it for free (we give her in-kind contributions). She is very very generous with her time, even when I am home. But I would never call her a live-in baby sitter. That totally cheapens her relationship with her brothers and sisters. She is a sister and a daughter and a friend. So there.
