Summertime Blues

I'm ready for summer to end. Yeah, I know, I got a ways to go but for the most part, I'm ready for change.

My first problem is obvious. The kids are home. They fight, they're slobs and they're bored. Drives me crazy. I feel bad for them on one level because when I was a kid, my street was filled with kids around my age and we all played together. They don't have that advantage. There aren't that many kids around and those that are generally aren't home. Still, there is plenty to do and my two girls are of an age that they can play together and heaven knows there are enough toys although that number has been shrinking.

Second problem arises from the first. It is impossible to keep up with the housework. My sink is filled with dishes all the time. I could run my dishwasher twice a day. During the school year, my kids eat something quick for breakfast and they eat lunch at school. With summer, they are eating at home. And they eat all the time. Healthy stuff but all seeming to require dishes. They leave their stuff around and won't pick up after themselves. This has led to multiple meltdowns on my part. I've also been picking up their toys and putting them away in a place they can't get to. There is more laundry and the bathrooms get a lot more use.

Third problem is just me. I can't seem to light enough of a fire under myself to change. In my mind, I know what I need to do, but I've felt so listless, I can't seem to operate. I had great plans for the summer, but they aren't coming to any fruition. My motivation to get things done has fallen off the chart.

Most of it is a chain reaction. I really thought my kitchen would be done this summer. I've had my new kitchen appliances sitting in my family room since March. It is a big enough stack to block a window. On top of that, I have a massive dresser my SIL insists she wants but hasn't arranged to pick up yet. It gives my house a sense of disorder. My kitchen is difficult to keep clean and its so ugly I have no desire to clean it. The disorder in my house is affecting my writing. I've actually been writing and while its good, its not what I like to write. So back to the drawing board.

Sounds like I need a vacation, right? And yes, I'm going at the end of this month which just makes it all the worse. Remember how miserable the ninth month of pregnancy is? It is the month most filled with anticipation but it is also the most uncomfortable. You're huge, you're slow and it doesn't matter what you eat, it sours on you. That's how I feel right now. In less than four weeks I'll be relaxing under palm trees at the beach but for now everything seems too much. Its more of a viewpoint issue.

It hasn't all been bad. Hubby and I got back into dance class. I found two swimsuits that fit and look cute. I've read some great books and "Hell's Kitchen" has been on. And while I'm frusterated with my writing, I'm aware that it is a bump in the road rather than an obstacle and I feel like I can get over it if I put my mind to it.

How about you? Has summer been what you thought it would be?