Why is it that the next eleven weeks will inevitably feel so much longer than any other eleven weeks of the year?

I've always liked to be alone. My sisters are 10 and 11 years older than I am and I grew up in a neighborhood that didn't really have many other kids in it to play with, so growing up I got pretty used to being by myself.

Other people I've spoken to that were only children or were otherwise forced to learn to play by themselves have lamented it and wished they had siblings to play with growing up.  But me? I never once wished I had grown up with a sibling sharing a room with me or fighting over what channel to watch or hogging the bathroom.

I've always loved my space.

Alone time is practically non-existent in my life right now. Four other people live in this house and I am the person who makes sure they eat and bathe. (The Man usually bathes on his own, actually... but you know what I mean.)

So that's why I'm a little melancholy as I type this.  Because yesterday was officially the first day of summer.

The absolute end of my little bit of alone time every day. The beginning of long days listening to my children complain that they are bored and then proceed to beat the crap out of each other. The end of structured days and the beginning of chaos.

Not that there aren't benefits, because there are. The summer always holds a promise of flexibility. The ability to jump in the car on any given day and go somewhere special. Trips to the beach, the library, afternoon movies, and maybe even a visit to see Bubby & Granddaddy in North Carolina.

In the summer we can stay up late on a Tuesday and eat popcorn for dinner while watching a silly movie. We can roll out of bed whenever we please and spend all day coloring pictures and building lego creations.

Not that I've ever spent all day coloring pictures or that I've ever built a lego creation.

But I could.

And maybe I will one day this summer. Maybe that would be just as good as alone time.

But probably not.

Not quite, but almost, maybe, sort of, halfway through the Summer

It's been a while, blogosphere. I know this because I've been reading the happy hausfrau and her side bar tells me I haven't posted in 5 weeks.

Oops.

That, and one of my parents remind me about once a week that I haven't posted. (Hi Mom & Dad!) It's nice to know that I have two readers.

So, it's the height of summer here at the Spaz household and oddly enough, I'm doing okay. According to my facebook status updates, I predicted that today would be the day I'd be sitting in a corner, sucking my thumb, and mumbling to myself... but so far I'm managing to keep it together.

Sure, I've been on my own version of a mini emotional roller coaster over the past month, but nothing that a glass of wine and the occasional prescription drug couldn't handle.

The Man might beg to differ, though, as he watched as I burst into tears when the survival guys on some survival show killed and ate an iguana that looked just like the pet iguana I had when I was a teenager. I maintain that my outburst had more to do with my love of reptiles than the fact that I've spent nearly every waking hour of the past month listening to my little angels argue over remote controls and video games and chores.

I attribute my last shred of sanity to the fact that I've managed to keep the kids pretty busy so far this summer. We've spent a good deal of time at the city library where the kids get to participate in all sorts of fun activities and make crafts. The fun never ends over there. They're enrolled in the Summer Reading Program so they can win prizes and stuff for reading (which has led to some priceless quiet time for mommy).

Currently I'm also reading them Odd and the Frost Giants aloud and we're listening to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on CD in the car on our car trips. Literary geniuses in the making, I tell you.

We've also played in the fountains downtown and gone to see a few free summer kid movies in the mornings and utilized Bubby's pool on several occasions. So far, so good.

I even managed to get a full 24 hour break from the kids yesterday when Grandma took them off my hands to go to the public pool. There's a special place in my heart for my mother-in-law today. And that place is golden.

Munchkin and Bug did come back with a sunburn that is probably melanoma in the making, but I'm a much more relaxed mommy due to those 24 hours. It's a give and take, y'all.

How are you surviving the summer so far?

YMCA Day Camp? Do You Take Reservations For Next Summer, Yet?

We work from home. Both The Man and I work from home. This summer we decided to NOT schedule the kids in any activities. No day camps, no playdates, no sleep away adventures. Nope. We decided that since we were both home we’d just keep the little darlings home with us.

I cannot express to you what a big mistake that was.

Every day Munchkin lets out about a dozen ear piercing screams because some great injustice has been done to her. Every day Bug lets out a dozen roars of anger and frustration because one of his siblings has used something of his, broken something of his, or just plain gotten in his way. Every day Goober bursts into tears because no one wants to play with him.

Every day I hear “Mommy!” “Mommy,” “Mommy?” at least 100 times for things as trivial as “Can I get a glass of water?” to “I HATE little brothers!”

The Man and I have aged a decade this summer.

We are tired, we are haggard, we need a break.

We are counting down the days until school starts. August 18^th, baby.

It’s not that we don’t love our little monsters, we do. I loved Munchkin today when she told me that lasagna was DISGUSTING and she WAS NOT going to eat it! I loved her even when I told her quite sternly that I was not her own personal short order cook and she’d eat what I gave her and if she didn’t like it she could pack up and go find another family to live with. I loved her so much that I left it to The Man to chase her down when she packed up her Bratz backpack, grabbed her Dragon Tales blanket, and walked out the front door.

I loved Goober today when he filled up his trick or treat pumpkin with water to play with in his room, spilling half of the contents in the hallway on his way only for The Man to step in and nearly kill himself moments later. I loved him when he burst into tears screaming “I SOWWY! I SOWWY!”

I loved Bug when he elbowed his little brother in the face while using the computer because Goober wanted to see what he was doing and Bug didn’t want him around.

Yes, I love them all. All the time. But I don’t always like them a whole heck of a lot.

*Calling for nominations for the Little Fish award! We know you have some favorite bloggers that qualify, make their day by nominating them!*