scent of the week:

!!peppermint!!

i rubbed some peppermint essential oil on my back this morning before heading out to the amusement park with the kids and within the hour my muscles were considerably more relaxed and uncoiled. after a long day in the chlorine i washed my hair in peppermint shampoo - all-in-one. and now i'm sipping naturally caffiene free peppermint tea as i unwind from the day.this is all code for: yeah, day camp has been pretty intense this summer and i need all the refreshment i can get from peppermint oil/leaves.


i fought a cold all last week with a lot of vitamin C, some zinc, a little sleep and some prayers. i haven't been able to sing along to anything since camp started and i sometimes forget what my normal-not-hoarse-from-yelling-at-kids-voice sounds like. and by yelling at kids i only mean in positive ways - like "way to go" or "yeah, i know you're just curious, you've already asked me that same question 17 times this past hour" you know, and other positive things like that. ok, but really i do love Day Camp - i would rather wear myself out playing with kids at the edge of the mountains than wearing myself out lots of other ways. so, sorry i haven't had a lot of time for deep thoughts, it's mainly just resting/preparing for the next day full of sunshine, water hoses, climbing harnesses, camp liability forms, looking for lost water bottles, anwering questions, giving instructions, conflict resolution, dodge ball and dancing and singing off key.