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Friday, March 20, 2009
Why I Hate Spring
Admitting that around here—especially after the winter we’ve had—could be dangerous. But with the first taste of spring-like temperatures this past week, I’ve been reminded once again why I hate this time of year.
It’s not that I enjoy those long, cold winter nights. But I like the way our winter schedule works. Dinner at 5:30, followed by homework and baths for the kids, then some quiet time either watching TV or reading with the kids. Nice. Simple. Relaxed.
Here is our spring schedule. Boys head outside with dad when he gets home. Around quarter of six I start calling out reminders that dinner is in 15 minutes, and tell them to put the toys away, come in and wash up. No response. Even the dog ignores me, and “dinner” is his favorite word!
By five of six, I’m getting angry and frustrated. Everyone knows dinner is at six in this house-I run a tight ship! I start making threats. I’m still being ignored. My husband is as bad as the boys, because of course, in spring the not-so-young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of… his convertible. The hood is open and only half his body is visible as he tinkers with the love of his life, preparing to get “her” on the road soon.
Boys continue to ignore my calls until I start the major threats, taking away game and television privileges, play time, having friends over, breathing, etc.
By 6:20, dinner is either cold or overcooked and this is when my family begins trooping back in. Since my backyard is an unrecognizable swamp territory after the melting snow and spring rains, there are eight muddy feet plodding through my doors. Four that belong to children, and four furry ones. At least the dog knows enough to stop in the doorway and let me wipe his paws.
My boys leave a trail of wet, muddy feet , socks and shoes --because boys cannot resist the lure of mud. Sliding in it. Rolling in it. Throwing it at one another. Reveling in it. You get the picture. I take one look at them and realize that hand washing isn’t even going to come close.
Take those muddy clothes off and get in the shower, I bark (thank Heaven for downstairs bathrooms.) Now I wrestle them, one at a time, into the shower and have to stand watch. There is an unspoken rule with my boys that when you get into the shower, you don’t wash—not so much as a toe—until the hot water is depleted. You dance, you play, you splash, you sing, you make up silly songs about your penis. This is why Mom has to stand there like a drill sergeant, squeezing huge dollops of shampoo on heads, ignoring the screams of “it’s getting in my eyes!” and “not so hard!” when I slap the wet washcloth on them and start scrubbing.
I shoo one out with strict orders not to run around wet and dripping, but to go directly upstairs, dry off and put on clean clothes (it’s important—really important—to specify clean clothes). I begin the torturous process with the second boy, thanking God once more for contraceptives and the fact that by the time my second one came along I was too darned old and too darned tired to try for boy #3. (And yes, since I have four nephews and two boys of my own, there is no doubt. It would have been a boy.)
Once the second son is out of the shower and issued the same strict orders, (after shooing son #1 off the couch, where he has been sitting in his wet towel watching TV) I am drenched, dinner is forgotten and my mood is … well, let’s just say there’s smoke pouring from my nostrils and flames shooting from my eye sockets. I’m tired and frustrated and long past hungry. It’s now close to seven o’clock and I’ll be lucky if the kids are in bed by nine. There is no hot water left, so my winter time nightly ritual of a long, hot soak in the bath will either have to be forgotten for tonight or I’ll have to suffice for a very fast, very tepid shower.
This is when my husband, who has been outside putting away bikes, scooters and skateboards, and lovingly studying his emerging lawn, blissfully unaware of the events unfolding indoors, has the nerve to walk inside and ask “what happened here?”
I really hate spring.
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8 comments:
LOL- My Dh still finds a way of not coming into eat after I've told him five minutes! So he gets cold food when he does eventually show up.
Hey, it' just not boys. My girls were as dirty as the boys until they hit- 20! They thought it was great fun when friends were over to roll around in the pig wallow. That was all summer long! Then as teenagers the girls and boys thought it was great fun to ride four wheelers through the swamp and any muck hole they could find. Do you know how hard it is to get swamp mud out of clothes?
I know your pain and know it won't be long before my grandkids will be here and we'll start he cycle all over a gain! LOL
LOL It's nice to hear from someone who has been there. I can only imagine how much worse it will be when they're teens!
I think this year I'll just go ahead and eat when dinner is ready--with them or without them--and leave them to cold food and see how they like it, LOL.
LOL -- wait until they hit their teens. They'll eat when it's ready. In fact, you'll have trouble keeping food in the house! They'll still come in dirty though, and their rooms and bathroom? So don't want to go there... But boys sure are fun, aren't they? I can't tell you how happy I am to be missing out on the teenage girl angst many of my friends are dealing with ;).
Fun post!
Helen
Um...yeah. I'm that bad, too. I actually leave the house when the weather turns! The sun still shines after I'm home from work! AH but I love that! Food? Who needs food?
I hate spring for the allergies. grrr.
Funny Post, Nicole! I swear I go through gallons of Shout for my toddlers. I'm fear I'll have to buy stock in the company before they're teens. I wish what was on the kids and hubby's clothes was only mud...my in-laws raise beef cows. *sigh* The joys of motherhood, right?! lol
I'd call them twice and then I would sit down and eat. Then, if they're lucky, you might help them get clean, after you enjoy your nice warm meal. Just keep sending them back outside to the hubby.
I'm enjoying my meal, if you'd like to join me, come when I call! :)
I have a secret confession, when my large, hairy, old dog died this year the first thing that sprang to my mind was, "Thank God I don't have to go through another spring with her". I loved her to pieces but a white dog and black mud made spring a mess in our house. I feel guilty for even thinking it but I did. Why can't we go from winter to spring and skip the mud season?
Fun post.
Roni
LOL. Sounds like a lot of fun around your house, Nicole!
When my boys were young, spring meant countless hours getting them to little league practices and games. With three of them all playing ball on different teams, I had to print out calendars so I could keep things from getting out of hand. Most nights, dinner was hot dogs bought at the field.
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