And the honeymoon is over

Don't get me wrong.. I am still glad to have the boys back.. but wow its crazy how quick they can get me from exstatic to have them back to moderadely driving me crazy in the span of 48 hours. :P It's really quite a feat.

The boys are home all day during the summer, but as long as I know where they are, they are allowed to go do stuff with friends, they bowl, they swim, they shoot hoops etc. Yesterday was no exception. They wanted to go bowling and then play with friends after. They get one game of free bowling every day during the summer with the pass they get from the school for good grades so its an easy thing for them to ride down and do without any cost. They texted me to ask me if they could go. I said they could.

Now let's remember that there is a standing rule at my house. You don't even ask to go anywhere until your chores are done. Their chores are few.. and very simple to manage. They keep their room clean and they each have one other chore they are responsible for daily. That's it. They have been told and reminded many many times that they are to get those done BEFORE they go play. Since this rule is longstanding and a no-brainer, I don't feel the need to ask them everytime .. I assume that its been followed.

So when they asked to go out around 1pm for the rest of the afternoon, I figued all that stuff was done. I mean, they wouldn't ask if things weren't done right? They had been up for over 5 hours, so plenty of time for them to get that stuff done. There is no possible way they sat around all morning and got nothing done and then would even think about asking to go out without those things done... RIGHT?

I got home from work to what I can only assume was an F5 tornado disaster site. The kitchen was a disaster (Gabe's job this week) the living room had plates and cups all over the place as did their computer desks. Both computers were on and logged into a game. The TV was on .. along with the xbox, the RB instruments, and the tuner. Most of the lights in the house were on. Their room was a disaster.. clothes everywhere, wet towels from showers, beds that looked a battle had been fought in them.. shoes all over. Radio was on in there too. No boys anywhere.

They had really outdone themselves yesterday. I mean not only did they violate the standing rule, they managed to do it and hit pretty much all of my pet peeves at the same time. Wet towel on the floor? Check. Every light, computer monitor, and electronic device in the house on with no one around? Check. Dirty laundry in piles around the room... and all piles less than 6 feet from the empty laundry basket? Check. /sigh

Maybe this was their way of checking to see if I was still paying attention? Well in case you are wondering.. I AM. If its that way again when I get home today.. there will be beatings.. oh yes there will. And no.. they will not hurt me more than they hurt you .. in fact.. I will enjoy it!

Here is a clip from Bill Cosby 'Himself' ... not the one I wanted about the fact that kids can't sleep without their beatings.. but extremely funny parenting clip just the same:




NOTE: Before you freak out and call child protective services .. no, I don't actually beat my children. Its far more effective to cut them off from anything that plugs in than it is to beat them anyway. My take on if you should spank a child when they are young is a whole different blog post and not really relevant here.

Today is officially less than two weeks til Lisa gets here! I know.. you don't care but I do and am super excited and since this is my blog, you get to deal! :P