By the time August rolls around, I've been rooting for that first day of school to begin for a few weeks. Then suddenly it's here and half my summer plans were left incomplete.  It's funny how quickly the summer goes by when you've got a house full of kids who are all going in different directions. Sports, swimming, friends, movies, Six Flags, sunscreen, bug bites, swimming, more sports, more friends, more sunscreen, and even more swimming. I prided myself in being the house the kid's friends always flock to each day. Of course, a clean house in the summer is a thing of the past until someone gets grounded and a list of chores is thrust into their hands. The most dreaded punishment in our house is poop scooping the backyard. Our 90-pound dog could create quite a large variety of droppings all over the backyard. This chore entailed a 5-gallon bucket and a large poop scooper. This chore was the ultimate stinker when it came to being grounded and doing chores.

But now that school has started and my backyard is poop free for the moment I find myself staring at the walls and listening to the ominous silence. The house is clean and I can actually relax but it's strangely too quiet and sadly too empty. Luckily, the school calendar says the kids are off for Labor Day...