For just a few seconds...

It's no big secret how much I am enjoying this phase in my life.  With four little boys out of school for the summer, our house is absolute chaos.  Not just moments where you are sure the ceiling is about to fall in due to the superhero wrestling match going on in the room above, or the arguments over which movie or cartoon to watch, or who is really Nolan's "best big brother"... there is always somehthing.   Sadly, even the quiet times make me very nervous.  Quiet in a house with four very rambunctious little boys is NOT a good omen.  God only knows what they are up to, and sometimes I am afraid to go look!

Last week, we all piled in our 'Man Van', and headed to Rehoboth Beach, DE to visit John's parents and spend a few days at the beach.  There is nothing like a seven hour drive with four children in one vehicle.  That, my friends, is how we can get information from prisoners at Guantanamo.  Hell, it can even makes pulling into your in-laws driveway feel like paradise found...at least for a moment.

We had a blast!  There was a Pirate Tour at Lewes aboard a 'real' pirate ship, an entire day spent lounging on the beach, and even a quick night out for the Dad's to have dinner and a beer.

One late afternoon at Mimi and Pawka's neighborhood pool, I made the most amazing discovery.  During a moment of constant chatter, after a day of little boy bickering, I had hit my limit.  I took a deep breath and went underwater.  Concentrating on nothing but the peace and quiet, I felt myself regaining strength.  I came up for air, only to hear more of the same, and went under again.  Silence.  Fantastic, amazing, impossibly relaxing silence.  I spent a lot of time underwater that day...soon, I began to feel like myself again.  However, within a matter of minutes, my water therapy turned in to a 'Who can hold their breath longest' contest and the moment was GONE.

School starts Monday, so there are only a few more days of juggling just trying to keep up with everyday life.   So in the next few days, if you happen to drive by somewhere with standing water, and see me submerged or doing a headstand of some kind, please think nothing of it.  I haven't lost my mind.  I just needed a moment of silence.