Getting into a groove.

I love summer.  Love, with reservations, that is.  I fully anticipate having all four of my kids home all day - the adventures we'll encounter, the endless hours outdoors, the lack of schedules that allow me more control over each day... I could go on and on.  And yet... each summer I force myself to be patient as we all adjust to being together all day.  Every day.  For three months.  Life is not always rosy those first few weeks.  In fact, sometimes it can take the wind out of my sails completely.  None of us get enough sleep, the fighting is intense, my children think that since they no longer allocate seven hours of their day to school that each and every moment they are entitled to play, watch movies, and avoid chores altogether.  We've had plenty of fun moments, to be sure.  But the contention somehow seems to eclipse all that for me.  In the meantime, I'll just have to grin and bear it.