Life Without Teenagers

On Father's Day, Kylie wanted to take her dad fishing. Of course, this actually amounts to him taking her fishing, since she's never fished before, and it's one of his favorite things.




Since I imagine this is not the last time she will go fishing, we went and bought her her very own fishing pole. Clement Park is about five minutes from our house, and there is a lake.



Since I do not like fishing, or anything about fishing (boring, smelly, worms, flopping fish, ewww. I'm sorry, Justin...I really am), I set up camp under a tree, with a cooler of Diet Coke and the last Harry Potter book, which I am trying very hard to finish.

This is the view from my chair. It was about 77 degrees, and breezy. I could've sat there all day, and taken in the scenery.

Daddy baits the hook, because that's Daddy's job. Have I mentioned that worms, ewww?

They never did catch a fish on this particular day, but Kylie learned how to cast.

And she and her dad got to spend some quality time together.

Sitting on the pier, watching a bobber.

The End.

Except...there were two people noticably missing from our Father's Day. One of them will be arriving on July 3rd, and one of them...no longer lives with us.

Danni and my parents are going through an adjustment period, getting to know each other's schedules, my parents learning to live with a teenager again after 22 years of an empty nest. I think it's going ok. It will be better once school starts and they settle into a routine.

Have I mentioned that Danni has a job at Schmollister? (Mary, she really does!)

Here are some things I have noticed that have changed without them here:

We go through a lot less food.

And toilet paper.

I do a lot less laundry.

When I get ready in the morning, my brush is right where I left it.

So is my makeup.

I never have to go hunting for my lotion.

Kylie and I are together from the time she wakes up until the time she goes to sleep. This is not really as much fun as it sounds. Call me a bad mother, but by 4pm each day, I'm ready to lose my mind. She has no sisters to annoy at the moment, so guess who gets it? This is why I could never homeschool. Someone would surely die. Probably me.

I have no bathroom with makeup, towels and clothes spread from one end to the other.

I'm only nagging one person to clean up after herself, instead of three.

And I miss them like crazy.