Oatmeal brain

I am in the middle of a editing deadline and my brain is producing words at roughly the same rate that oatmeal reproduces.
Symptoms of this strange attack are: glassy stares, fatigue, repetitive answers like "yes, yes, fine, fine" when asked if we can adopt a mountain gorilla.
Causes include excessive heat, water and noise.
I know how I developed this brain condition.
The problem isn't a virus. The problem is this:

And this:

It is summer and we are having lots and lots of togetherness. Coloring with chalk, riding bikes, going swimming, losing teeth, hanging out at the barn, messing up the house (a lot) and escaping the heat at bad children's movies. (Not talking about Brave- that was fun)

So I have hired a sitter to take my children far away and leave me to the quiet of my keyboard, just a couple of hours a day.

Last night the Artist saw my state of advanced wilting and oatmeal brain, took pity on me and took the girls for a five mile bike ride to get ice cream. 

He sent me this picture.

It made me laugh out loud.

And helped me feel less like oatmeal.

And made me realize that they aren't the problem at all.

They give me oatmeal brain. They plunder and pillage my home. They make life really hard.

And then they do this and I laugh until I forget all those things.

What a face!!!