Inspiration, Motivation or Whatever

Today is the twenty-sixth day of summer vacation. Cue the "Phineas & Ferb" theme song.

We've done the pool and the beach and the boardwalk. We've been to playgrounds and playdates and picnics. We've gone on walks and bike rides and car trips. We've done baseball games, fireworks and kayaking. Lego sets sitting in the closet since Christmas have finally been assembled. Art supplies gifted to the kids by the Easter bunny have finally been put to use.

So far, it's been a great summer.

On the homefront, the laundry is done and the sink is empty. The beds are made and the floors are clean. The last of the various holiday decorations have been packed away and the random piles of paperwork have been sorted.

When the kids go to bed or when they are busy playing, there is down time. Sweet, precious down time that I've been craving all year long.

No lesson plans to write. No papers to grade. No housework to do. Just free time.

There are things I should be doing. Things like repainting the trim or cleaning the blinds. Like rearranging the pantry or organizing the kids' photos and artwork. I should be writing next year's lesson plans and coming up with better ways to teach tough lessons in trigonometry and algebra. I should be gathering recipes for quick and easy school-year dinners and healthy kid-friendly lunches.

But all of that seems like work. And none of it sounds the least bit appealing.

So I downloaded a few books to read. And I bookmarked an internet article on how to sew a sundress with a tank top and three yards of fabric. I pulled out my old piano notebook from when I was taking lessons a few years ago. And I found a "secret" recipe for knock-off Mrs. Field's Cookie Cups to be experimented with for Will's birthday.

But I can't get past the first few chapters of the books. And I can't motivate myself to pull my sewing machine out of the closet. And the piano is so hard (and far away from the couch). And that damn recipe has like twenty ingredients.

So I'm sitting here. Half-reading, half-writing, half-paying attention to the Netflix "Prison Break" marathon that Bill has embarked upon.

Waiting for the inspiration or motivation or whatever to kick in. And snacking. Always snacking.