Dog Days of Summer

(that is a literal thing here)

A month to go and the kids start to recall what school is and what they are supposed to do there. Budgets constraints have kept this summer fairly mellow, but we haven’t had too much grumbling. Hopefully while I have some more fun vehicles to review for Crunchy, I can use that opportunity to get the kids out to more than the pool or park. Though pools do make my kids very happy.

While being with three kids day in day out can be wearing, I think the summer can be harder on the person who is still working, day in day out….trapped in a routine while the rest of the family goes feral.

By feral I mean we have lost all sense of routine. The kids stay up too late, sleep in late and we all forget about eating and drinking on a regular basis. Convincing the kids to DRESS or WASH on some days is impossible unless I have set them up with clear goals for that day. Every summer I start the holiday with such great intentions. I buy them summertime journals. I give them projects to focus on for the time. None of this lasts. We are now down to just begging them to clean their dirty feet.

Working all day husband then comes home to a house that looks like it was ransacked and the quality of dinners that are being prepared have deteriorated to the point that I can feel his pain when called for dinner. I can feel his urge to turn around and leave again. He also asked me if I had fed the kids anything healthy today. Erm…fed THEM? Tara and I have figured out where the yogurts are…the other’s are on their own. I am assuming this makes me look like a bad parent.

Today (hey, it’s Friday) there IS no dinner. The kids are in their pj’s (two were dressed earlier) and Tara is naked. There is paint everywhere, as I allowed ‘free expressions of themselves’ patio painting. I am currently using the excuse that I am a parent who loves to allow ‘self expression’ so I can ignore the mess and stay on the internets or hide outside and read a real book.

I like reading in the summer outside and I like to ignore the chaos around me and go into a happy place. Sue me.

I do have things I want us to do this month. We still need to head to the island to see my Grandfather. I really want to get the kids to see Hells Gate. We haven’t even hit Whiterock this year. All this though requires $’s and those are not in abundance this summer. SUCKS.

GREAT SPAGHETTI GOD PLEASE GIVE ME CLIENTS AND OR A WINNING LOTTERY TICKET!