Kids are hard work!

Well, I've survived the first week and a half of camp, but just barely! It feels like it has been so much longer than that though. Having to put up that much energy for 8 hours everyday makes every day feel like a week itself. Even though it is soooooo exhausting, it is also so much fun! I have to say though, my favorite day so far was Friday, when we went to see Prince Caspian. That was the best because the kids were entertained for a couple hours without me having to do anything. Watching movies with kids is the best though, because they have the funniest reactions. They all thought everything the mouse said was hilarious and would just die laughing.

Our basic schedule is morning assembly (we sing songs and talk about what we're doing that day) and then the kids have the option of either doing the craft of the day or playing a game (almost always, it's some type of dodgeball game). After that, they divide into their age groups and have snack time. Then we play games or have free play within our groups, then lunch time. Then we have our activity of the day (Tues. and Thurs., for example, are our swimming days, so we head to the pool then). After the activity, it's snack time (again!), and then more free play, usually on the play structures.

Our first week went pretty smoothly, very few problems with our group. And then it was week two. Monday was absolutely disastrous! That day, we went to a different park that had these gardens and was really a very nice park, but we were mostly just on a field. First, what made it bad, was that the kids were complaining SO MUCH. We couldn't get them to quiet down to listen to instructions or anything because every couple seconds they would interrupt, whining about everything under the sun. We tried playing four different games with the kids, which we would start, but one by one, kids just started sitting down and quit the game. We gave up on organizing a game and let them have free play (ironically, a lot of them started playing one of the games we were trying to play before), but that's when chaos broke out. Apparently, at this age, the kids are starting to get into the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing. There was one boy that two of the girls liked, and the smaller of the two girls, this tiny girl named Charlie, was getting jealous and started pushing and scratching and pulling the other girl's hair. It was this big drama and almost all the girls got involved, and we had to entertain the rest of the kids while Paulina had a chat with the girls. Apparently all the girls would try to talk at the same time so she grabbed a lanyard and told them they could only talk if they had the lanyard (that's another thing--EVERY kid here is obsessed with lanyards!). That day really seemed to drag on for forever, I couldn't wait for 4:30! The next day was a lot better though, tempers cooled and the whining wasn't very bad.

Couple days ago I had to work overtime because we went on a trip to Magic Mountain (Six Flags). It was one of the most stressful days EVER. I was in the "fast group"--a group of 7 kids who were fine going on any roller coaster. Of the 6 they went on (yes, only six rides from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.--kids have to eat and drink a lot and go in every gift shop) I only went on 3, because if a kid doesn't want to go on, I have to wait with them for the rest of the group by the exit. One kid chickened out on 2 rides, and one got a stomach ache at the end, so she sat out. I was constantly counting the kids and telling them not to climb on bars and to move up in line and to keep up the pace when we were walking. One of the kids in my group is very friendly, and he'll strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone. I repeatedly had to make him stand by me so he wouldn't talk to all the strangers in line. His favorite thing is when he finds someone with a visible tattoo, he likes to ask about it...yeah. Being completely responsible for 7 kids that are only 9 or 10 years younger than me was a little rough. People we see when we are swimming or on trips always ask me how old I am because I guess I don't look like I'm old enough to be taking care of all these kids.

Believe it or not, I have a life outside of work. We started a tradition of going to a driving range every week with Kim's friends because on Wednesdays, they give girls a free bucket of golf balls. The boys usually use most of the balls, but they make us girls hit some. I am in no way, shape, or form good at it, but I'm better than I was the first week. After golfing, we always go to Starbucks and get hot chocolate. Also, last Saturday, we went to Huntington beach with some friends and had a bonfire. It has been SO hot here--it reached 109 degrees this week--so my skin is getting darker and my hair is getting lighter, being in the sun all the time. It's been so much fun!

Alright, I have to go eat dinner, but I miss all of you tons!