Saturday, August 2, 2008

August is the cruelest month

Some say it's April. But no.

August means temperatures in the 90s every day; insufferable humidity; a tighter budget (I get paid on a 10 month schedule); the start of the fall semester; astronomical electric bills; swarms of mosquitoes in our yard; and no vacations or holidays.

The older kids are 3 weeks into school and just starting to complain about homework and waking up early. Mitch is stir crazy, particularly with his partner in crime away at school all day, and is getting into all kinds of mischief. He's totally sick of me and asks every single day when school starts (not til September for him, helpmeJesus).

It's too hot to play outside, too boring to stay inside, and we're running out of ideas. And patience. Especially me...my patience is all but depleted, and I've become a sweaty, frizzy-haired, ponytail wearing, tank top sporting superbitch of a mother.

I can stand nothing but silence. If the children are doing anything but sitting quietly, my nerves get jangled. The noise, noise, noise is more than I can take on top of the cabin fever and the suffocating heat. And Owen and Mitch are the kings of silly lately, with all of these inside jokes that make sense to no one else but send them into convulsions of laughter, laughter which escalates into hilarity, which leads to Mitch leaping gleefully onto Owen and knocking him to the ground, which turns into someone getting hurt, which becomes a fight, which ends in tattling and tears and yelling, and people getting sent to their rooms. And when they come out of their rooms, it starts all over again.

And it's only August 2nd.

9 comments:

BabelBabe said...

it helps me to know that i am not the only person living my insane life.

when people who are having babies ask me about the essentials, I now always recommend heavy-duty earplugs : )

Woman in a Window said...

Is that a real dog? I mean, really? That is much too funny...um, sorry for your tribulations. With all of the heat and then shack wackiness...well, it sounds a little familiar. It'll get better although I'm sure that doesn't help at all...

Blair said...

i love you but you sound a bit like the grinch..."the noise, noise, noise!!!" :)

Christine said...

I have three children; two boys, 4 and 6, and a 19 month old girl. I can TOTALLY relate to the noise thing.

And the heat, since I'm twenty weeks pregnant and wearing maternity medical compression stockings, foot to waist style. I am incredibly irritable and can't wait for fall. Our heat and humidity aren't as bad as yours (Northeast Ohio), but it sure feels like it in these stockings.

I hope the next one is also a girl, because I have a feeling the noise factor would get worse with more testosterone around.

Alice said...

I hear ya. Heat and humidity make me bitchier than my usual self.

Where are you that school has already started?

Anonymous said...

And I thought it was only me who was going out of her mind this early into August!!

Still love to read your posts!
Hope to see you in person again one of these days!

Stay cool!
xo JG

MadMad said...

I hear ya'. But I'm mostly just stuck on the fact you can wear a tank top... I am too self-conscious about my arms looking like sausages...

Amy said...

I can completely feel for you as I am right there with ya!

I can't wait for my kids to get back into school and daycare - only 11 more days for me!!

hokgardner said...

We haven't started school - two more weeks to go - and I'm about to lose my mind from the noise and bickering. Good to know I'm not the only one.