Duct Tape ....revisited

Summer is swiftly approaching...
or rather it is barrelling full speed toward us,
like a train wreck waiting to happen,
like the spring run off from our majestic mountains,
churning and rushing through the rivers,
to the great Salt Lake Valley as I type,

like....


well, let's just say there is no way to stop or prevent it from happening.

The children are thrilled as the last few days of school tick, quickly, off of the calendar, I am waiting with baited breath...baited, I tell ya! In the past, I have looked FORWARD to summer vacations, really. NO! really, really!

As the children get older, I find that I am somewhat less hesitant in my enthusiasm.

The reason for this has nothing to do with how much I do, or do not, love my children and spending time with them. It has MORE to do with the things that happen from sunrise to sunset (which in total is about 100 MORE hours a day in the summer...yup! 100 for real from sun UP to sun DOWN...and if you do NOT believe me, come over for a day!)

Things like, SMACK! (loud sound of hitting), followed by tears....not that my kids EVER hit each other (ahem!)
bickering, fighting, the classic "I'm BORRRRRRREEEEEEEDDDD!", more bickering, more calls of "bored", bicker, bored, bicker, bored.

Bicker, bicker, bored, bicker, bored, bored, bicker! (hey that sounds like a rap song if you sing that last line right!)

Well, you get the picture. Needless to say, all of the above joy leaves me yelling things out of all my open windows like "SHUT THE &@^# UP!" "I SAID STOP IT NOW!" "AHHHHHHHH!!"
(and leaving my neighbors to wonder about my sanity and fitness as a mother.... )

So please forgive me, but I am not 100% certain I am looking forward to the next 3 months at the moment, hopefully my "moment" passes.

I thought to myself, "what can we do to defeat the boredom and the bickering this summer?"

And as usual, a great idea struck me while I was laying awake in bed at 4 a.m., it seems to be my time for inspiration....sigh.

DUCT TAPE!!! The answer for EVERYTHING right? It's so colorful and pretty and allows the kids to CREATE, it can make for hours of fun. The ultimate answer to combat boredom!

So, I am off to Walmart this morning to buy about 1000 rolls. (Do you think that will be enough?) All of you are invited over this summer to help my kids create. I will leave you with just a FEW of the ideas I googled on the internet. Please feel free to add YOUR ideas (freely and in generous, and plentiful, and copious amounts) in the comments section of this blog! (or any other great ideas to combat the summer blues for that matter).

Wishing you all happy, "boredom and bicker free" summer vacations!