The boys are back in town!

Bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked and brimming with stories, LegoGuy and Sport returned from a two-week vacation with their uncles, aunt, grandpa and cousin in the mountains of Colorado. They shared their adventures: long hikes, rides on the 4-wheeler, a hayride, campfires and s’mores every night, a trip via the electric train to visit the Denver Mint and the Natural History Museum, and an afternoon at the Denver Bronco’s training camp. Needless to say, they had a ball.

And so did we. For twelve days, SO and I got a break from the parenting routine. It was heaven. We ate out a lot and watched movies uninterrupted. The house stayed clean. There wasn’t much laundry to do. We got together with friends, had long talks, played board games. I read and worked in the garden. Needless to say, we had a ball.

Now they’re back, and we are settling into the old routine. God, I am not ready to do this again! I forgot how clueless these kids are! Sometimes I think they’re retarded. I really do. I know it’s wrong and politically incorrect for me to even use the word, but how else to explain the routine we have to go through day after day regarding the simple basics of personal hygiene? You’d think that after being reminded for five solid years to make their beds in the morning, they’d eventually do it automatically. Isn’t a habit supposed to be formed in 21 days?

SO and I get sick of hearing our voices saying the same old stuff over and over, and yesterday I made some flash cards, hoping that would prompt the boys to action.

Teeth brushed?
Dishes cleared?
Hair combed?
Shoes put away?

I’ve even taken to threatening them with a sharp object. “Do you want me to poke you with a pin?” Call the Child Abuse Hotline!

School starts in less than thirteen days. Sport’s piano lessons start back up next week. Soon we’ll be over our heads in scheduling, deadlines, teacher-parent meetings, orchestra concerts, contests and recitals. The memories of our two-week oasis will fade.

Next summer, I’ll be in the market for someone who’s willing to host the boys for a couple weeks. Any takers?

Currently reading:
In Cold blood, by Truman Capote
Just finished:
Flushed: how the plumber saved civilization, by W. Hodding Carter
New obsession:
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
I'm sick of hearing about:
Mel Gibson