July 8th. Monday??? No, Tuesday!! I thought it was Monday! We are a week in! We are hanging out in a laundrymat catching up on popular culture. Dr Oz is babbling above my head, the kids are hooked into Cartoon Network. Complete corruption, as the TV won't change channels therefore robbing me of parental control. They have never experienced it before. I won't go back there as I am afraid of how awful it is. Plus, it is wonderful to be unbothered at the moment. The WIFI doesn't work here, with no attempt to fix it. I am once again putting the blog on the phone. Forgive typos and grammatical SNAFUs please. Why are we here, besides laundry? The van is at the dealership getting a new compressor and hopefully charged with freon. After spending another night at a KOA---very convenient with a pool (!) I am concerned we are turning into converts!! And we are done! System tested, no AC compressor needed, no leaks and we have AC. In true Vanagon fashion it quit working for no apparent reason and didn't really need a fix. But the kids---they need a fix, especially Ruby. I think the lack of routine as well as erratic mealtimes and bed times have take a toll. She has been a monster on many occasion. And of course, the parental units of Taurus and Capricorn take the power struggle head on instead of finessing it. We need to exercise some smarter parenting skills. After a decent meal nearly ruined by four year old obstinacy and acting out we are at the fountain in downtown Rapid City. The kids are running around in the water getting kid time. Rich is running the last of the errands before heading east, potentially to Snake Creek Recreation Area. We have a plan, and we can change it. Time change! And another KOA. Kids voted. With the time change and an attempt to tame the savage Ruby I think it will be better. Car is cool, kids are listening to Huck Finn and it is blessedly quiet without the windows open.