yesterday was hard. the week had been really busy with art lessons, mostly organizing them and buying more and more supplies, so I was really looking forward to a laid back Friday - such nice weather. started early - long dog walk. going to 3 stores with the kids was OK but then Charlotte had tantrums for hours because, although she could do whatever else she wanted, she had to do math and spelling if she wanted to watch TV. Eleanor instigated trouble amongst her sisters that resulted in screaming throughout the day and the occasional physical fight. And the dog DIARRHEA'd on the piles of the girls' clean clothes I had removed from their explosion of a bedroom the other day. I was exhausted. My Aunt Kathy stopped by late in the evening - I had invited her for some good vegetable soup I'd made all day with yeast rolls- and like a superhero did all of my dishes. She brought her granddaughter, who played/occupied my girls and THEN took the older two home for a SLEEPOVER. I LOVE Aunt Kathy. I needed that.