Is Christmas Break over yet?

This might have been the kids' first full day of Christmas Break - but wow. The kids did nothing but fight all. day. long. From the time they got up until the time that they went to bed, they were at it.

I was at my wits' end more than once, and may not have displayed the most patient parenting skills available, but there does come a time when I just can't deal with it anymore. There may have been a garbage bag rampage in the girls' room, the boys might have gotten sent to their room more than once, there may have been some toys taken away on a semi-permanent (or permanent in one case) basis, and there may have been a few temper tantrums on my part.

I'm not perfect. I don't even pretend to be.

But, in between the chaos, I had to take Sarah to get her eyes examined. Luckily, The Dude came to my rescue (again) and kept the other 4 kids at home and I just took her downtown to get it done.

We were only gone an hour, but it was a peaceful hour...and in that hour he managed to help/encourage Emily to take care of her mess in the girls' room as well as straighten up the kitchen for me - all the while keeping all 3 of the boys in line. After Sarah and I got home, he got her to take care of her mess in their room too. I don't know how he does it - but he's good at it.

I had to try on a funky pair just for the heck of it.

Sarah's new frames - it'll be about a week before she gets them.

So tomorrow's plans involve having The Dude here all day so that we can clean and start prepping food for our feast on Saturday...we can tag team with the kids to keep them occupied and hopefully prevent them from killing each other and/or burning down the house. At some point, I do have to wrap presents - I was going to do that tonight, but a lack of sleep last night and a lot of emotional stress today (not just the kids, but some other stuff too) are acting together to make this an early night.

If I have to, I'll sneak presents into the bathroom tomorrow during the day to wrap them while The Dude distracts the kids. I really should go out and get more stocking stuffers and a few more small things for the boys....but we'll see what happens in that department.

Right now, the futon is calling my name....

The Big Game and Floating Kids

The kids and I went to a friend's house today to watch *the* game - you know, the Penn State/Nebraska game. She's a die-hard Husker fan, and well, we all know where my loyalty lies. ;)

Watching the game was emotional. I was so proud of the way that the players handled themselves - on both teams. Watching the Nittany Lions walking onto the field arm-in-arm brought tears to my eyes.

The kids played outside most of the time...

The girls had a blast with the sidewalk chalk....

I have explained the situation to them - in terms that they can understand. They know that kids were abused, but I didn't go into graphic detail.

I had no idea what they were drawing when they were out there, but needless to say, I was thrilled when I saw the final projects. :)

Friends - before AND after the game!

We all went outside after the game to enjoy the glorious weather for a bit, and I managed to get a picture of Sarah levitating. Or something.

She managed to 'float' part way up a tree....

After the game, we went to a park for a little while.

I managed to catch Emily flying through the air...

...and again...

....and again.

Not to be outdone, Sarah had to catch some air too!

So all in all, it was a good day. Long, but good. The kids did pretty good at Teri's house and at the park, and then they started to fall apart - I think that they were all getting tired. By the time we got back here, they all pretty much lost it with each other and everyone was pushed to the limit. There was a lot of screaming and yelling and tantrum throwing - both from them and from me (not proud to admit that, but it's all a part of life).

We ate supper and got baths and the boys all went to bed early. The girls are watching a movie while I play around on the computer, but I still have about 87 loads of laundry to do, along with cleaning the kitchen. I was really hoping to get to bed early tonight, but I have a feeling that once again, that isn't going to happen.

Imagine that. Maybe tomorrow will be calmer.