lazy days of summer is a lie

If you're on Facebook, or a blogger, or even on Pinterest.... you'll recognize the posts I'm about to mention.  I hop on Pinterest and I see millions of posts about Summer Bucket Lists and fun summer activities and crafts and places to go.  I have a Summer Fun board and the past 2 years I've created our own Summer Bucket List of some sort to keep our days full.  I crave the busy, the full days, the crammed in activities and outings.  And then, on the other hand, you will come across posts talking about "screw the lists" let's let our kids have a summer like we had when we were kids in 1975... let them run rampant through the neighborhood and not \\\\\\\\\\\\\\see them until dinner.  Let's do nothing all day but relax and enjoy each other.  Forget bucket lists... forget millions of fun, planned activities.

I envy those people who are able to do that because in all honesty, I think the lazy days of summer is a big fat lie.

What brought me to think about this, you ask?  Well.  This morning I woke up and knew I had to get the kids out of the house or I'd lose my mind.  I had already decided I'd take them to my grandma's pool so that's what we did... by 9:30 we were on the road, hit up the grocery store for snacks, drinks and lunchables, and swam until around 12:30.  You'd think this was a relaxing type of morning... right?

Wrong.  

These are my children we're talking about.   The entire time they were at the pool- my boys, my 9 year old niece and Amelia, I heard my name called less than 387 times and I had to get after Porter about 436 times.  They begged me to get in.  I got in.  Then they (mainly my kids) only shouted after me to watch this or help me do this or look at this or this person is doing this!!   Oh. My. WORD.   So 12:30 rolls around and I'm exhausted.  

We get home and I send everyone upstairs- nap for Amelia and reading time for the boys.  An hour passes (as well as 5 or 6 interruptions from the boys asking when they can come down... holy mother eff.... can I get ONE HOUR??) and not long after, Amelia is up. We watch a little tv to wake up and then head outside.  Take out pizza, the neighbor kiddo Eian, the hose and kiddie pools for the evening line up.

You'd think this would entertain them, right?

Wrong.

These are my children you're talking about.  Stops quirting your brother.  Share the slide.  Don't push. Don't hit.  Stop bugging him.  Leave her alone.  Stop screaming so loud.  Hudson leave the hose on the jet setting when you're shooting at their targets.  Porter stop whining about your pool floatie.  And the list goes onnnnn and onnnn and onnnn.

7pm we finally had to send Eian home because Hudson decided to start emptying the pool out and didn't stop when I asked him to.  In the house, shower and bath time now.   It's going to be an early bedtime.

Now... we had a full day.  I'd love to wake up tomorrow morning and just lay around the house... let the kids play and read a little, organize a few things etc...  But no.  That sounds amazing in theory but do you know how much fighting and whining would be included in that scenario?   I think tomorrow we're headed to the zoo.  Then maybe back to the pool Weds or Thursday and on Friday we're going to an Adventure Park to do an obstacle course in the trees type deal.   I'm exhausted just thinking about the week, but I know if we just sit at home it'll be nothing more than me screaming at kids for non-stop fighting and Porter instigating things left and right (because I'll be honest- this boy is like 5 kids in one.  I could have a whole herd of 10 kids and it'd be less work than Porter among 2 others.  He knows how to get under peoples skin and bug people and push limits like no other).

So screw you, lazy days of summer.  I guess... maybe lazy days means 5 margaritas deep so the kids' fighting is drown out by a tequila stupor but.... maybe I'm wrong.  I guess I'll continue on my jam packed summer filling in the down time with activities to attempt to maintain my sanity.