The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Mother

   ...that I shall say good night till it be morrow.  So true although a bit cheesy, (thanks William Shakespeare), but saying "so long" to summer doesn't have to be full of sorrow when we know summer will always return. And if your summer is full of fond memories and moments, it's easier to say goodbye. The Boyen Bunch's summer was everything I hoped for, especially after such a difficult start. Knowing I am content makes it easier to move on to the next challenging part of the year, back-to-school.  A Florida vacation was one of the best and most challenging parts of our summer. Challenging you may ask? Well, when the four Boyen children haven't lived together in three years and are now forced to hang out in 900 square feet and travel 14 hours in my Suburban, that can be a challenge! John stayed home to work and watch the dogs. Nana was the mastermind behind this trip. We were headed to a friend's condo in Perdido Key, Florida. She had been before and lov

  No matter the age of your children or even adults, I can guarantee they will have fun if you just add water. And in the summer the Boyen Bunch spends much of our time in the water. If you know us well, then you know we visit our neighborhood pool frequently. Even though we don't go quite as often as when the kids were little, we still make it at least once a week. Every summer the kids also beg to hit the beach, even for a day trip to the Texas Coast. This summer we made it to the beach for a whole week! (Stayed tuned for a beach blog post to follow.)  Barton Springs was one of the places on our water bucket list this summer, in addition to the beach. We started our 4th of July celebration in Austin on July 1st. We love visiting Savannah and Jandro in Austin (and Emily too when she's home!). We hit some tourist spots and made a trip to Barton Springs. We went to El Arroyo (the famous sign place) for a bite and walked around the Capitol Mall area so Savannah could show us the