Fair warning… This post is going to be a post filled with grumps, gripes, and all around rants.

The big kids have been out of school for just a little over two weeks, and already this Summer has been a challenge. I found myself looking at houses (they really need their own rooms), and checking the school calendar to see when the first day of school is. So that isn’t so good.

Dylan and Agnes started fighting as soon as Dylan buckled his seat-belt and said farewell to kindergarten. Thade has been gloomy, moody, and wants to do nothing but watch youtube and hang out in his pj’s all day.

I’m not much better though. My seasonal affective disorder is acting up, and the stress is really getting to me. Some days I’m up and keeping up. Other days I drag myself out of bed, and I’m ready for a nap at 9:30 a.m.

The constant keep up has been tough to keep up with. Agnes and Thade are late to bed and early risers, Dylan will sleep in. I haven’t found a time when the kids calm down, and I can accomplish a task. Speaking of tasks, I just remembered that load of laundry still hanging out in the dryer…

The boys are constant eating machines, but yet they complain about everything that I serve them. We shop on Monday and by Friday they have wiped out the kitchen. I bake as often as I can, and try to keep the dishes clean as I cook. Some days are better than others. Most days my kitchen is a wreck. I’ve been telling my mom that I’ve become my grandma, I constantly dish out meal after meal after meal, and then clean and clean and clean. I never leave the kitchen, except to go grocery shopping.

The fighting just won’t end. Dylan picks a fight with Agnes, Thade picks a fight with Dylan, Agnes goes on the attack, and both boys had better watch out.

I’ve tried time-out, I’ve instituted chores, I’ve given them extra outside time, I’ve taken away privileges,  and I’ve been a grumpy mom and yelled until my throat was sore. They are still loud, they are still fighting, and my head still hurts…

Monday morning I had just enough of the 7:20 a.m. fighting between the siblings, and it was also shopping day. I wasn’t looking forward to the outing, but we were out of everything, and the boys looked concerned. We go to the store, and it took a good hour and a half with the two little ones in the cool cart that holds two kids, but it is a huge pain to navigate through the store. Agnes and Dylan fought the entire time, and since they were strapped in right next to each other it seemed like the thing to do. I said to Dylan, there is no time-out spot in the cart, so just be good, and stop hitting your sister. Then Agnes hit him back, and he bawled. Thade moped, griped, and begged for everything he saw on the shelf. He wasn’t too happy when I told him that I have a budget, and yes I have to stick to the list.

Finally out of the store, loaded up, and heading home. The kids are complaining that we are going home. At this point Mommy was really tired of the grumpiness. I had one more errand to run, and then a two cart load grocery haul to move out of the van. As soon as we got home, they went outside to play in the backyard, and I got to work.

One load of groceries in, Agnes is at the side  door, it is dirty outside, and she doesn’t like the boys. One more load in, Dylan is at the side door, he is pretty sure that he has been bitten by a spider (nope), and why haven’t we had a snack yet. Me back out to the van, and then back with another load of groceries, Thade is at the side door, I’m STARVING when is lunch, and why didn’t we have a snack. And so on, and so on, and so on.

I get the groceries put away, call in the kiddos because lunch is finally ready, and they track mud throughout the entire downstairs… This is just going to be one of those days.

More fighting through lunch, and by the afternoon I had given up. That’s it, we are getting out of here, and going for ice cream, I can’t be in the house one minute longer!

We go out, they behave perfectly, and give me giant hugs and say that I’m the best mommy ever. They are even quiet a bit when they get home, that stops as soon as I make dinner.

I keep hoping that this is just a phase. I remember last Summer Agnes was miserable for most of the Summer with all of the extra noise. It was August before they settled in and got along. Then they went right back to school, and all of that hard work was just gone.

I’ll keep trying though. I’ll try to be more pleasant about it. I just have this feeling that it is going to be a really long Summer.