The 22nd day of off-track

On the twenty-second day of off-track, my true love gave to me, four cranky children and a toddler on top of the table!

On the twenty-third day of off-track, my true love gave to me, three hours of church, four cranky children and a toddler on top of the table.

On the twenty-fourth day of off-track, my true love gave to me, five loads of laundry, a toddler eating toothpaste, four cranky children and a toddler on top of the table.

On the twenty-fifth day of off-track, my true love gave to me, dragging kids to gymnastics, folding five loads of laundry, toddler eating toothpaste, four cranky children and a toddler on top of the table.

All right, you get the idea. I'm on a countdown. I have 9 days until I can send my fighting, attitude-giving, grumpy children back to their teachers. We will have survived a whole entire month off-track. It hasn't all been horrible, but I could do without the fighting. I could also do without the 'I'm bored, there's nothing to do.' (I got plenty to do kid, if you are bored, I have a whole list of things to do.)

I think whoever came up with the year round school schedule didn't have children. Otherwise, why would they punish us during a time of the year that we can't banish our children outside? It's just cruel and unusual punishment. I've tried to banish them to the outside, but they come up with the whole, 'it's too cold' excuse and the parent in me feels obligated to let them back in the house. Of course, they might not be cold if they WORE SHOES, LONG SLEEVES and PANTS!! What kind of kid goes barefoot in the middle of the winter anyway? Oh wait, mine do.

Oh, and I have a toothpaste obsessed toddler that can go with the rest of them too. The joys of parenting are many, aren't they?