I survived Barforama!

Phew. I think we're done with Barforama 2008. After one last barf ALL OVER DOUG Tuesday at lunch (and yes, I laughed, heartily~mean I know, but really, it always happens to just me), the girls have been better. No one is eating particularly well, but I'll take that over all the barfing. I have managed, so far, to avoid being sick. I'm sure that I'll wake up tomorrow sick because we have plans for the fourth. Crossing my fingers and toes that that doesn't happen.

It's been a really long week here. The "I hate summer" whines continue from Meg, even though she had Erika this week to occupy some of her time. They took two really long walks in the woods, just the two of them and had a nice time. But as soon as they rejoined the family fold, the attitudes started up again. We sent Meg to summer camp for a few days last summer, and it was a nightmare. It was just day camp, and we thought with all the activities, she'd have fun, but on the first day she lost her favorite sweatshirt, and then she was bullied by a couple of older kids, and even had her money taken from her at the roller rink. In all, it was a bad experience, so this summer she is staying home. She is ice skating Monday nights and loving it. We've had to cancel some play dates due to illness and her horrible attitude, so this week has basically sucked.

The bright side is that Doug is on vacation starting tomorrow. I need him here more than I can describe. Between the sick kids, the fighting between the older kids, the heat and humidity, my patience (ok, really, I'm a Type A personality so I have no patience whatsoever) has flown out the window. Tomorrow we're going to take the kids to Bath for Heritage Days and if they manage the day well, we'll try for the fireworks. I am highly doubtful that will happen, but maybe with the promise of that treat, they'll be good. We usually host the 4th (especially when we had our pool at the other house) but I basically told Doug I can't manage it this time. What with the cleaning, food shopping and preparing, I am just too worn down for it right now. Thank goodness our families were ok with it. Next week we're going to Naples (Maine, not Italy) for a ride on the Songo River Queen. We've never taken the kids, but Doug and I did the trip once many moons ago before we were married. I think the kids will have fun. And of course, next week is our trip to Boston with the niece and nephew to go see Bon Jovi (we got our 17 year old niece and 16 year old nephew tickets, which totally freaks us out, because they're old enough to go to an awesome concert with us). Woo hoo!

Right now I am looking around my "computer room" and thinking that a house cleaner is in order. I call it a "computer room" because it contains more than just the computer~the piano (yes, my grandparents' piano that I inherited. Wish I played it; I can play, I just don't), bookshelves, kids crap everywhere. The rule of putting things away after you're done with them just doesn't apply to my kids. Well, that's not true; it applies, they just refuse to follow it. I think next week we're taking a Super Nanny approach to our family life and making up a schedule for the kids to follow during the day. Somehow I'll have to fit cleaning up in there. Because in all honestly, I don't have the energy to clean up after them after changing diapers and trying to keep the girls from tearing apart the house all day. I haven't even had the energy to blog, or really comment on blogs this week.

One thing I did do was watch Baby Borrowers last night. Did anyone catch it? I was freaked out by the premise at first~5 teen couples get to "play house"~they get a home to live in, they have to get a job (one of them) and for the first two episodes, they were "parents" to someone else's child for 3 days. I was thrilled to see that the child's parents watched EVERYTHING on a closed circuit tv, and were close enough by to come over when things got bad. Doug and I sat there all on our soapbox saying things like this: "Welcome to the real world" and "That's what being a parent is all about". OMG. My mom says those things to me (hi Mom) and it makes me nutty, so to hear it come out of my own mouth was a tad bit horrifying. Because really, I don't handle my family as well as I could, so I have no right to be all judgmental. Good lord.

Ok, I have to stop blogging and do something productive. I was in the middle of putting laundry into the dryer when Drew decided to fall, smack his face on a table and split his lip. Guess I should get back to it. Blech.