Bligh Bootcamp

Well, here we are. Today is, in my opinion, the last day of summer. Sure, we have the long Labor Day weekend ahead, but then next week is a school week! The kids find out at 5:00 tonight who their teachers are, and let me tell you, nerves are at an all-time high (especially for Taylor).

I have mixed feelings about the end of summer. Sure, it marks the end of no schedules, long days the pool, late nights with friends, and excess amounts of ice cream, but my kids (and I) thrive on schedules and routines. It will be good to have structure again.

Just last night, all hell broke loose at bedtime. Brayden was purposely annoying Taylor, Matty was being a jerk to Brayden, and Taylor made some hateful remarks to Matty about his hurt foot. I lost my cool and yelled at all of them (and I may have called them assholes - it was not my best choice of words but I am being honest here). Within seconds, I successfully had each child in tears. I spent about 10-15 minutes tucking each child into bed, assuring them that I love them and that we will talk about things in the morning. I finished bedtime at 9:55(!) and crawled into bed myself. For this reason, it is time for summer to end.

Now it is morning. Taylor is awake (slept from 10-7, not enough sleep in my opinion) but the boys are still sleeping at 8:45. Before Taylor woke up, I hid every game controller, laptop, iPad, and remote I could find. I also dumped our stash of candy into the garbage. It is time for Bligh Bootcamp. These darling children of mine need to go on a sugar detox and start pulling their weight with chores around the house. I calculated this morning that we have spent over $300 at Zoe Yogurt (the froyo shop down the street from us) in 2019. This does not include other ice cream places we have gone. Gross! No wonder Matty just had his first cavity filled last week.

I am also tired of talking to myself in the mornings. I ask the kids what they want for breakfast, and nobody answers me because they are all glued to a device. I ask them to do simple chores (like make their beds) and so far Matty is the only one who follows through. So, today will be the start of something different. I am the anchor on the fun ship starting now. Too bad that it is a holiday weekend. We start now. Bedtime routines will not begin at 9:00. There will be no candy to grab/sneak behind my back. There will be no screen time until chores are done. It will mostly be a chore for me to micro-manage these kids in the mornings, but I pray I will start reaping rewards in just a few weeks.

Wish me luck!