The Joys of Winter Break

So those nasty people teachers at the school did it to me again.

They have closed their doors for an entire three weeks for the winter holidays.

Three weeks!! What bit of my sanity will I loose in the next THREE WEEKS?

Needless to say, the perpetual messing has already commenced. The (what seems to be) constant bickering / toy tug-of-war / affection one-upmanship. Yup, they are all here already.

I have always had this insane (rather common) desire to name my house something or the other. You know when you drive around in neighbourhoods, you see the name boards: Willow Ridge; Wind in the Willows; Finally!; Toad Hall and my favourite, the perenially South African favourite: Kaya Costa Baya. I have never found something that I like enough.

Well. After spending a week sofar with a 3,5 & 12 year old, I have thought of the perfect name for our humble, untidy abode:

The Shriek Shack.

Yessiree. That will do just fine, as it is a good description of the general activity within the house.

If it is not me at the kids, it's the kids at me. If not the kids at each other, my mom at the kids. The kids at my mother-in-law. All of us at the cats & dogs.

Eish... roll on bed-time!! That magical moment, when after telling everyone for the seventh last time to "GO TO BED!", and they actually do, and the silence descends like a warm snuggy blanket...

..and what is the first thing that pops up in my mind?

"Uh, it's so quiet now. I think I will go to bed".

How is that for lame.

Tomorrow we have Princesses 1 & 2 doing the Karate grading as well as entering the combat competition. That should prove interesting. Although, from past experience with Princess 1, not half as interesting as eyeballing the assortment of parents on the side in those nasty, plastic, cold, community centre/sports club chairs.

Thank goodness the Sport Club Pub is merely 10 meters away. Nothing to help ease the pain of parenting like a double little gin & tonic.

Watching the poor Sensei getting fifteen toddlers between the ages of 3 and 5 lined up for ANY activity is highly amusing. It is like watching someone herding cats.

With a drink in hand, it should prove highly entertaining...