All during the school year, I’m running frantically from school to school, grabbing soccer bags and karate bags, bringing forgotten lunches and riding the kids to learn those multiplication tables and parse that sentence and don’t forget to carry the six on that long division problem. I survive on very little sleep during the school year, up far too late to get everything done before my alarm screams at me to GET UP and start all over again.

It’s a never ending cycle that wears everyone out and one that every mother in America knows far too well. We beg and plead for the school year just to be over already so we can get on with the fun of the summer.  And then the summer starts and we all BEG for school to start.

We’re crazy, aren’t we? Because in the summer, the kids are all home, all the time, and the burden of the entertainment falls directly into our laps.  I don’t know about your kids, but mine seem to be COMPLETELY unable to amuse and entertain themselves, and when asked to do so, they default into a fighting, screaming mode that requires my help at detangling. The days seem to last forever, especially if we have the pleasure of an overly wet summer as we did last year.  We did an awful lot of “let’s clean out the closets!” “let’s organize the cabinets!” and my perennial favorite, “Let’s clean out the GARAGE!”.  Because, truly, nothing says the entire family is spending the summer together like cleaning and organizing.

So instead of spending our summer cleaning, I plan to spend the summer PLAYING.  Enjoying my kids, remembering those grand thoughts I had about having a family when I was young and single, and simply doing the things that they like to do. Rather than running like looney birds, as we do all school year, I plan to just hang out with them and enjoy them. And, hey, if that doesn’t work - I can fight just as hard as they can. I’m pretty good at the name calling and insults.

Need something to do with your kids this summer? Leave a comment here with your favorite summer time activity and you’ll be entered into a random drawing for a copy of either Goosebumps for Wii or Nintendo Ds - a game that you can play with your kids all summer, even if it’s too hot or rainy outside.  You’ll have NO excuse not to spend time together and recover from all of the school year insanity.

When my fourth child was born, I found a website while I was searching online - I can’t remember what I was looking for, but I definitely found a new home for myself.  It was a website for maternity and nursing clothing, and there was a discussion board attached.  I quickly glommed on to the participants and that board became a second home to me. I took my first cross country “Fly to meet a stranger you met on the internet” trip. I count that foray into the depths of the internet as one of my greatest discoveries ever.

Websites are cool things.  Each and every one is different, with it’s own individual characteristics that make it special.  Some have discussion boards, where you can hang out for hours and hours, getting to know other people who have the same interests as you. Some have reviews of products offered, where you can wonder if the person is reviewing the same product you are looking to buy.  Some send you to other places, to find comparable topics and information.  What makes a great website for you?

We have a tremendous following all across the United States.  There have been big trades and small, local “let me drive around the block” trades and “shipping from one coast to another” trades.  Zwaggle items have crisscrossed the Great Plains, valleys and hills.  We’ve really gotten around.   But we know there’s more we can do and now that we’ve released the new version of the site, we’d love some input from you about Zwaggle.  What would help to make this great even site better?  Can you think of a feature that would just make your Zwaggle experience explode?  Let us know.  We’re listening.

So, huh.  How about that (lack of) economy?  I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty tired of hearing about it and VERY tired of speaking about it, and INSANELY tired of living it. Not having enough money to troll the mall, buy out the toy store or fill up the cabinets with more and more “stuff”, though - it can be a good thing. An article seen recently in the USA Today sums it up pretty well: the happiest people surround themselves with family and friends, don’t care about keeping up with the Joneses next door, lose themselves in daily activities and, most important, forgive easily… the happiest people spend the least amount of time alone.

Surround yourself with friends and family, spend time together, forgive others who have annoyed you - all very honorable and honest intentions. And most of them easy (and fun!) to do - well, except that whole forgiving part. (Maybe we can forget that one.)  It’s a great feeling to step away from the rat race, to get out of the competition to have “more” and “more” and “more” stuff that you might not ever use or even remember that you have. But.

There’s always a BUT somewhere, isn’t there? Particularly if you have children.

There’s always something they need, or want, or must have.  Cleats, helmets, a new bike, books, a sweatshirt -I know my daughter always has her eye on a new purchase.  That’s why I’ve sent her to Zwaggle on more than one occasion - it makes me feel good that I can get her some of the newer things that she “must have” without pulling out my wallet yet again.  I’ve also listed those things that we don’t need - clothes that don’t fit but still look like new and Leap Pad’s that we’ve outgrown - to bless another person in the same manner.

One thing that makes me happy, gives me fulfillment, and helps me feel better about myself is helping other people - and that’s the best part about Zwaggle.  Helping other people through these tough times is one of, if not the only, nice benefit to this falling, and failing economy.  What better time to do you share?