Momma and Daddy's Night Off

After a very stressful day . . . cleaning Katie's room. Shall I say anymore? Millard and Peggy came by and picked both children up to spend the night. Whoo Hoo! Can you say momma and daddy are walkin' in sunshine? Let me just tell you, I love my children with all my heart. They are God's greatest gift to us and I miss them terribly when they are gone with relatives or school. Saying that, sometimes this momma just needs a break. Plus, Katie is definitely a school nut. She began missing school last week. Last Monday, she asked me if she was finally going back to school that day. She was so disappointed when I told her no that she has another week. Her eyes got big and told me that she missed school and all of her friends. Thus, she is up under my chin at all times bored and chooses to get into trouble, instead of acting like big sister and helping me out. Doug loves to remind me how I'm going to miss this stage in her life when she turned into a teenager. Sure, he is absolutely correct. The trouble is, we are in the present right now and it doesn't seem to be too hilarious at the moment.

As soon as Millard and Peggy drove off with our little jewels. We had the best time tonight. We were both pretty hungry for hot wings. They were sooo good. Yum! After supper, we went bowling and played 3 holes of golf. I even got to go dancing. I love it! The best night in a very long time and we did all this without even leaving our home. LOL!! It was so much fun spending time with Doug like we use to before having children. It was just me and him . . . no television, no sports, no phone calls. It was GREAT! I hope we have another opportunity to do this more often. I was hoping this Wii would bring our family closer and so far so good. I just need to get more remotes. Right now, we only have 2 but I have a feeling we are going to have to get one more.

Speaking of Katie's stage, I may need your help.  We're going through this stage where she is so bored.  I've given her a couple of chores - she's responsible for helping Daddy take the trash down to the road and bringing them back up, along with our neighbors and putting the lids back on.  She is also responsible for keeping her room straightened up.  Normally, she does fairly well.  She doesn't like playing by herself, especially outside.  Colton is still too little to play on her level and she doesn't understand that - STILL.  She is just seeing what buttons to push with me and finding herself getting into trouble.  It seems to have been bad right before Christmas.  I thought it might be Christmasidious, what most children go through.  I hoping as soon as school starts back, she'll get back to normal.   I have a schedule printed out on her wall.  She has equal amount of time between tv/playtime, computer exercises and reading before going to bed each school night.  I'm hoping with this schedule her boredum will go away.  Has anyone else been going through this stage?  How did you handle it? 

In the past, when she was acting out because she wasn't getting her way (during the Summer), I had her pick up the back yard.  She had to pick up sticks and toys for a few days.  The problem was I had to stay out there with her because she doesn't like to be outside alone.  Then, I ended up helping because she wasn't getting anything done.  She knows how to play me like a fiddle.  "But mom, I don't know where there are any sticks?"  "I did pick up all the sticks" when she only picked up maybe 10 out 100 sticks.  Ugh!  She is a type person that when you tell her to look up, you'll catch her looking down.  She's really smart because she ends up getting out work.  I hear teenage years are 10x worse.  Boy, oh boy!