My niece, Rapunzel, has been staying with us for a week. She calls it “Auntie Boot Camp” because a long time ago I told her she could come visit me for a week if she’d let me school some manners into her. It was a joke, mostly, because she has this terrible habit of burping loudly and then sweetly saying “excuse me” as if young ladies burp like monsters all the time.

I don’t know, maybe burping is totally normal for 11-year-olds, but it drives me crazy because then Bug wants to copy her. Next thing you know I have a chorus of burp blasts and little excuse me‘s echoing around my living room. Personally, I think it’s gross.

Thankfully, aside from the burping, Rapunzel is a delightful tween and hardly needs boot camp for manners. She’s actually quite a help around the house and with Bug. She’s just old enough to go run errands without me having to worry that she’ll get lost between here and the neighbor’s house, yet still young enough to still enjoy a good swing in the park. We’ve been having a great time.

In fact, today I organized a craft camp with some friends and the kids I babysit. There were seven kids total. CRAZAY, I know! I couldn’t have done it without some key older mom friends (Hi Jen!), my super-fun artist neighbor (Hi Deb!) and my niece who loves crafts (What up, Rapunzel).

We had to do the craft at my friend Deb’s house because it is hotter than Hades in my house in the summer, and I do not have a yard in which to make messes. My friend Deb has a shady covered carport and that’s where we set up. It was great.

We made seashell mosaics. (A step-by-step post will be up at Alpha Mom tomorrow.) It wasn’t a crazy original craft but it was definitely a crowd-pleaser. Simple, fun, and a bit messy—perfect for bored kids on a long summer afternoon. I recommend it!

I think Rapunzel will go home with lots of memories of good times. We’ve kept her plenty busy so far and the week is only half over. Between trips to the beach to collect shells, our traditional breakfast of doughnuts on the lifeguard tower and a day of errands all over the place to collect supplies for my craft camp, we’re really packing it in.

Apparently we’re burning lots of calories while we pack it in because tweenagers can EAT!!! I knew I’d have to stock up on lots of extra fruit and snacks, but I had no idea she would be a bottomless pit. She eats a regular adult-sized portion of dinner, then has dessert, then goes back for seconds of dinner and then has some fruit…after that I had to cut her off, because sheesh! She’s going to eat me out of house and home. I’m glad Bug is only three. I’m sooooo not ready for a teenager.

But it’s been fun. Definitely fun for a week.