I've got this

Let me see if I can remember this . . . .

Log on to Karenpie - check.

Look at picture of Lego cookies - check.

Get depressed because I'm a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks behind - check.

Go to Facebook and play Zuma Blitz instead of blogging - check. (I'm sure there's a name for that particular Freudian defense mechanism. Unless you just want to call it basic laziness and lack of self control.)

Get a glass of wine whenever blogging comes to mind - check.

When I started this blog 2 years ago, I had so much drivel floating around in my brain so many witty and interesting things to say I sometimes blogged 4 times a week. I was in the zone, man. Of course I also expected to be immediately famous and we all know how that worked out. It's probably for the best. I mean, I don't have time to hang out with the Today Show peeps, showing Matt Lauer and Ann Curry how to make Lego cookies. It won't fit into my schedule. Which brings me to . . . my schedule.

I tend to be one of those wackos people who look forward all the time and not in a good way. Instead of enjoying what's in front of me, I'm busy crossing things off lists and planning my next 6 moves thinking, "As soon as ___ is over, I can take a deep breath and relax."

The problem is, all my fill-in-the-blanks overlap. I begin new things while I'm finishing other things. There's no margin. Except when I play Zuma Blitz.

OK forget I said anything about Zuma Blitz. Now I just look like a slacker.

Back to blogging and all slacking aside, one of the things that drew me to blogging was the idea that it could be my family's scrapbook. Kind of. Posting pictures and writing about my family counts as scrap booking, right? Please say yes because when it comes to scrap booking, I'm up to Matthew at 6 months old. Talk about slacking . . .

So when I miss a couple days weeks of blogging it's like falling behind in scrap booking which is a continual source of guilt for me. Gah. Then, when the guilt gets to be too much and wine no longer works as a distraction, I go to work.

I'm so glad we've had this therapy session. I feel much better now.

Here's what's happened lately. And by lately I mean since the middle of May.

If I remember correctly, we were ramping up for the end of school.

You know, it's not as if the end of school comes as a surprise. It's right there on the calendar. It's been circled in red for 9 months and the kids have been counting it down for 3 weeks. So why do all the activities - parties, projects, programs, reports and field trips - make me crazy?

Because they blitz me all at once. Yup. Even you're drinking wine now. Here we go . . .

Spring programs -

The fifth-graders played chimes.

The fourth-graders played flutophones.

The second-graders sang and in between times, sat on the risers while their mothers prayed fervently that they didn't have holes in their underwear, which also made an appearance.

Next up we had teacher/staff appreciation week. We made monster cookies and when I say monster, I mean MONSTER. SIZED. COOKIES.

Sorry about the blur. In addition to neglecting the blog, I've also been neglecting my photography skills.

Anyway, this ginormous cookie is bigger than my hand. My ginormous man-hand. Hence the name "monster cookie". I'll show you how to make them someday.

We wrapped each cookie in plastic wrap and slipped them in paper sleeves. Because we're professionals.

I asked the kids to write on the paper sleeves, thinking they'd do something easy like just put the teacher's name on the outside. However, Daniel decided to customize his -

This one was for Mr. Riley, the computer teacher. Daniel wrote "Thank you for all you do Mr. Riley!" on the computer screen and on the keyboard spelled out "The Kogler" with Family underneath.

Here's another one -

This was for Mrs. Nelson, who works in the library. Daniel drew a book and spelled out, "You are awesome!"

I love that kid. His creativity amazes me.

Here's one of his projects, due the last week of school -

All 4th-graders picked a state and did a big report on it. The big finale to the report was a "State Fair". The kids did posters then picked some kind of food item to serve the people coming to the fair. Daniel chose Jello because - and all of us need to know this - Jello is the official snack food of Utah. Seriously.

Does your state have an official snack food? You might want to get on that.

Katie also had a final project - The Egg Drop. Her class was tasked with finding the best possible packaging to keep a raw egg from breaking . . . when it was dropped from the roof.

Katie wrapped hers in bubble wrap and put it in a tissue box. A tissue box painted in beautiful pink and purple stripes. Let's face it folks, it's not what you do that counts, it's how you look doing it.

Pay no attention to the flimsy design of the tissue box, instead look at how pretty it is midair!

So, did it work? Did beauty save the egg from disaster?

Sadly, Humpty Dumpty did not survive his great fall.

Next up - field trips.

Field Trip #1.

The 5th-graders went to a big gymnastics center. They had a blast - especially when they grabbed the rope swing, swung out and -

. . . landed in the foam pit!

Field Trip #2.

The 2nd-graders went to the zoo. Here's Katie with Mia and Ms. Einerson. It was a beautiful day because it was the only day that didn't rain the entire week!

Whew - dodged that one.

Field Day - held inside in the gym, hallways and classrooms because - you guessed it - it was pouring rain.

Next up - 5th-grade debates. Matthew's team was on the affirmative side of this issue:

"Cats Make Better Pets than Dogs"

What do you think? Of course they make easier pets, but does that make them better?

Discuss.

On to class parties. . . .

There was goofiness in the second grade,

even more goofiness in the 4th grade and . . .

just plain goofballs in the fifth grade.

And also -

Toby made his final Show and Tell appearance of the year in Daniel's classroom.

And now you know why I drink wine.

Next up - birthdays. Lots and lots of birthdays.