day 1

Today was the first day of our summer. It was the first day that neither boy had preschool, we had no scheduled play dates, and we had nothing to do other than be at our house. It didn't go well.
I swear my kids don't play with their toys anymore. If they are in the house, they are either chasing each other around or getting into trouble: pulling utensils out of the kitchen drawers, cutting up paper, pulling all of the toys out of their toy bins and putting them into laundry baskets. If they are outside, they are either looking for bugs or whacking each other with sticks. And I can't get two seconds to myself to make a phone call, clean up from breakfast, or even use the potty.
By the time 10 am rolled around, there had already been an incident with the water hose and one with a gas can. There were several time-outs, one spanking, and a few moments of me needing to leave the room.  Crying was had by all and fun by none.
I've heard other moms talk about how excited they are for summer. Their kids are older and they are just glad to have them home from school. Will I feel that way when my kids are all old enough to be in school? Is this just part of the stage I'm in? I only know that my friends who have kids the same age as mine are signing up for every VBS they possibly can. The thought of two days in a row without anything planned is horrifying.
Why did God design it this way? This is the time in their lives that my kids want to be with me the most. They want to play with me and read books and have me watch every single thing they do. Every other moment is filled with, "Watch this Mom" or "Look what I found Mom." And this is also the time when there is so much to do because they can't do most of it themselves. I feel like I can never catch up with anything. And then, when they are older and are finally more self-sufficient, and I have a bunch of free time, they won't want to spend time with me. And all the moms with older kids are saying, "More free time? Oh, this poor gal doesn't have a clue about what she's in for."

photo by: i_am_amy  http://www.flickr.com/photos/i_am_amy/2442384590/