56 Days...

I love summer and all, but the boys and I are about done with this. Just enough going on that I can't pack the boys up and head to Nebraska, and too many days of boredom and squabbling in between.

We've been watching the siding repair the last two days, and even that hasn't really held our interest. The work was completed today, and with the siding off the grass I was able to get the yard mowed. Yippee, two hours of quality IPod time...

For some reason, Riley and Shannon don't care too much for the plastic wading pool anymore. They always ask me to fill it, but then they never use it. Could it be because Mommy is always screaming at them to quit splashing, when in reality that's all a little pool like that is good for? Or maybe it's that the target age for the wading pool is 2-4 years old? Heck, I was a regular at the public pool when I was Riley's age, so I really do understand.

And larger bodies of water are out there, but they're, well... they're dirty! I hate lakes, even if they are less than a mile up the road. On top of that, there's the fact that one of the boys always tries to drown right when I'm not looking. Lake Michigan is a clean lake that's only an hour away, but when you add in the hour of preparation, the sand in the food, and the chance of waves (Corey + waves = bad,) well, just not a good idea to go that alone without a herd of nannies in tow.

I was royally given the riot act the last time I signed the boys up for a craft at the library, seems the idea of making coasters was tantamount to asking the boys to drink poison. Of course they loved it once they got in there and realized massive amounts of paint and glue were involved, two substances I try to avoid getting into at home for good reason. But when the craft session was done I was informed that further craft participation, under no uncertain terms, would have to be okayed by them first. Yeah, so I went directly back to the library and signed them up for sand art next week. I'll show them.

Any ideas for free local entertainment would be greatly appreciated. Keep in mind, it must be physically and mentally stimulating for boys aged 5, 6, and 7 (as well as a mom aged 24.) Yeah, keep dreaming, I know...