I'm Easily Played

My kids are on summer time. Nonetheless, when Daughter popped out of bed rubbing her eyes, after 9.30pm and for the umpteenth time , I wasn't thrilled.

Me, in Big Voice: What do you need now?
Daughter, in Tiny Voice: Umm... where are the library books? So I can practice my reading? [bats her eyelashes].
Me, in Regular Voice: They're piled on the desk.
Me, in Thought Bubble: Well played.

Much Like Our Tax Return

Our spring break hasn't even arrived yet, and it's been "spent" several times over. Somehow, without benefit of a warp in the space-time continuum, we are supposed to :

• Do our taxes (I know, I know);
• Go to Kansas City for writer's workhop (yay);
• Go to St. Louis for two nights for another writer's workshop (yay) this time taking the fam along to do zoo/museum/hotel pool/restaurant/arch things on the side;
• Hook up with family 1 for lazy afternoon of games, letting the kids play and generally run amok;
• Spend a day or two in PJs (because how else will we know it's a break?);
• Get one day at work each;
• Plant a garden;
• Paint the MIL's porch;
• Reorganize, declutter, and generally "spring clean" the joint;
• Take the kids bike riding...
  
  You get the idea. Daughter wrote her own list last night after baths. It said:
  
  Swimming.
  Snow cones [I wasn't going to tell her NOT to use the "w" now, was I?].
  Dentist.
  Remy's house.
  Biking.
  Gardening.
  
  I prefer her list. We still get a garden started, but no tax return to do, and we don't have to go to work at all.