It's a vicious cycle

From the second week of September until the end of June I anxiously wait and pray for school to end. I have this fantasy in my head that once school is over our life will resume. Things will go back to the way they should. The way they were before Aidan was in school. Bed time can be a little later. Mornings will not be so hectic. Maybe we will even sleep in. We will spend our days down the shore and playing in the pool. No homework. No schedule. Just me and the kids. Just the way I like it.

Reality. Bed time will be later. But the kid that I was dragging out of bed by the heels of his feet at 7 am just three weeks ago now wakes up with the sun. On his on. Whether I want him to or not. Which doesn't even really matter because his littlest brother has an internal alarm clock that goes off promptly at 5 am. Every. Single. Day. So I am already up. However instead of spending a quiet morning with Rylan drinking coffee and watching him roll around I am bombarded with a series of questions. What are we doing today? Can I have a friend over? Can we go to the pool? Can we see a movie? Can you take us down the shore? Can a friend come with us? Can I watch my show? When will your show be over? Why do you watch this? It is so boring! Can we go down stairs? Can I wake Seark up? Can you call my friend and see if they can come over yet?

By this time Seark is up. I love watching all of my boys interact. For the next five minutes or so. Until the love runs out. The morning shifts from sleepy smiles and clumsy hugs to... He's looking at me. He's touching my stuff. He's touching me. Get him away from me. Rylan is bothering us. Seark wants to watch Mickey Mouse again! Call my friend! Seark stop it! Aidan is mean! Rylan is annoying!

Oh Lord is it nap time yet?! And the answer is yes. But only for Rylan. During the school year Rylan would go down for a nap. I would put on a show for Seark he might even take a nap or set him up with some play dough or crayons and I was free. Free to take a speed shower and get my make up and hair done in 10 minutes or less. Straighten up the house real quick. And finally a little time to sit down and write. Now I spend that once hour of "free" time... refereeing. I barely get the water running for my shower before some one is crying or calling for me to yell at the other one. Why? Why can't they just get along for 5 minutes?!

Those hours I had been day dreaming about by the pool are more like minutes. 45 stressful minutes. What was I thinking... lounging?! No such thing with three kids. It takes me more time to pack our stuff up for the pool than actual time spent at the pool. Once we get there... if we actually make it there is no lounging or relaxing or anything remotely enjoyable about being one person with three small children at a pool with no extra hands to help. I spend 45 minutes yelling at Aidan to stop jumping. Seark to stop drinking the water. And bouncing Rylan around before he has a meltdown and wants to be done with the water for the day. But just because Rylan has a had enough does not mean that the other two have too. No in fact they are not ready to leave at all. So while Rylan is crying because he wants to go home it really doesn't compare to the crying fit that Seark is about to throw because we are going home.

Truthfully by this point I am exhausted. I have been up since the crack of dawn. Refereeing. Playing. Yelling. Wrangling. Cleaning. Entertaining. Wouldn't ya know it is only 2 o' freakin clock!!!! This is around the time I start counting down the hours until my husband gets home from work. Only 4 more hours... I got this. I think. Only 4 more v e r y L O N G H O U R S!!! 

It is always around this time. Right when I am feeling borderline desperate for any idea to keep everyone occupied and at peace for the next 4 hours that things start to fall into place. We always manage to find something to do. Play. Some where to go. That friend that he has been asking about since 6 am is finally available and ready to come over.

The summer time fantasy has all too quickly come to an end as the reality of just me and these boys in this hot humid practically house bound weather sets in. I love them. Every hair on their head. Every smile. Hug. Snuggle on the couch. I love their gorgeous faces. Even every fresh word that spills out of their cute little mouths. I just wish they weren't so fresh with each other quite so often. And possibly that sharing and coexisting were concepts they would more readily grasp making everyone's life including their own that much happier. I am sure by the end of the summer we will have figured it out. Just in time for school to start.