The Down Side of Summer

I Love my kids.  I hope that doesn't even need to be said, but I do.  I will admit that it's much nicer when I have some one on one time with them individually.  That was life when Sasha was in school.  We'd have the typical chaotic morning, then Lyla and I would walk Sasha to school.  Once we dropped her off, maybe I'd take her for a walk in the stroller, or we'd just come back home, but it was just the two of us.  She had no one to fight with!  No one to bother!  She was so easy and it was an absolute joy having that time with her.

Fast forward to today and there is no break in the chaos.  The girls love one another, but they also love to bother each other.  They are either sitting together on the same side of the couch or fighting to the death for that coveted spot.  They are either playing a game together or scream crying over who gets to be red and who doesn't.  It's constant.  There is always some cause for distress (no matter how minuscule it may be....)

If one kid wants a snack twenty minutes after breakfast, the other one must have something to eat too.  Same with drinks, same with personal attention, same with getting their hair done, same with EVERYTHING!  It's exhausting.  They feed off each other.  Don't get me wrong, they love to be together, but the drama is amped up big time when they are.

The constant scrapes and bruises aren't helping anything either.  It's like once the weather warms up, the world around us turns into a giant mine field of razor blades.  I feel as though every trip outside ends with tears and band aides.  Did I mention that the three year old is TERRIFIED of band aides?  Her legs are covered in bloody scrapes and it's the band aide that ruins her life?????

 Last year I was able to keep Lyla in capri pants or leggings and that seemed to save her knees from constantly getting skinned.  At this moment in time,  she will throw a fit if she isn't wearing a skirt or a dress.   Pants are absolutely out of the question!  I thank my lucky stars for the invention of the skort because she isn't to keen on shorts either and I refuse to let her do the peep show dress dance.

I'm sure I'll adjust to the constant squealing and arguing.  It's probably just my routine that I miss.  I need the order that comes from school schedule.  I can't dink around the house all day doing a little of this project and a little of that cleaning when I'm on the kindergarten three hour schedule.  It helps me prioritize and manage my time a lot better.  I don't want to be that lady that wears her night gown all day with NO BRA FOR THE ENTIRE DAY.  That's not good for anyone!   My mini goal for the rest of summer is to have everyone dressed by 11:30, and I hope to have some mascara on my lashes as well. That sounds do-able!

Honestly, I just need to enjoy the sounds of the screaming daughters because next year Sasha will be in school ALL DAY LONG and Lyla will start pre-school.  This is all good stuff, yet I already know it's going to be a hard pill to swallow.  Even my husband said that all day school seems "a bit excessive" for our oldest.  We all did though and it was fine.  It's probably a much bigger adjustment for their mothers than it is for the kids.  At least that's how it feels here.  So, I'm off to enjoy some squealing girls while they're both still here with me.......but I'm putting on my bra first.