Don't by cheap duct tape!

Summer is a time when I feel like I've Scotch-taped my life together. And it's not even real Scotch tape, it's the cheapo brand you get at the dollar store. Actually, a more fitting tape would be the no-name brand duct tape I bought several months ago at... I think it was actually at the dollar store. It doesn't stick to anything! Duct tape is supposed to be like, every man's solution for saving the world, right? But this duct tape isn't even sticky enough for taping ducts, which is what it is originally designed for.

So, back to my life.

I'm not big on getting kids into so many extra-curricular activities that they don't have time to be kids, so I don't sign my son up for anything when school is on. However, the summer is the complete opposite.

There are NO children my son's age in our neighborhood. Oh, wait... I take that back. There is one kid his age, but his parents won't let him play with my son because I'm a bad mother. ( Due to some incident when my son was 3 and I was painting the basement apartment and he got upstairs and somehow opened the door and went outside and crossed the NOT busy street to say hello to the two ladies chatting. When I noticed he was gone not 3 minutes later I ran out and saw he was with them so I was relieved, only to be yelled at by this woman claiming to be the parent of the year or something, saying she was going to call child services if this happened again... like it happened all the time... and how she had a son his same age who NEVER tried to open the door... ever!)

Anyway, where was I? Oh ya... so my son doesn't have anyone to play with. (Well, there's one little friend he has who is almost 2 years younger but isn't home during the days, or he'd play with him.) So guess who gets to be the entertainer??? Yep, you guessed it.... the playstation! (Ha! I bet you thought I was going to say me, right? Well actually, it IS me, really. He's only allowed to play the PS for an hour a day, tops.)

So, I signed him up for swimming and soccer. I have also done summer camps in the past, but they are so expensive and I want to have a new kitchen this summer.

I am not good at scheduling my time wisely. My original plan this summer (and I even printed it out and everything!) was to have him doing chores, homework and reading in the mornings so I could work out. Then we'd go to swimming lessons, then lunch, then I would sew aprons in the afternoon and try to resurrect my sadly neglected Saucy Frocks business while he played with friends.

Ha ha ha ha!

We seldom get to the homework or reading part because he drags his feet doing chores... I race to shower after my workout, and we try to catch up after lunch on homework and reading... then he doesn't have anyone to play with so I have to play with him, then he plays video games while I fix dinner and that's that.

See how the el-cheapo duct tape comes into play? My life is a series of catching up and cattle-prodding! First thing tomorrow I am going to go buy some REAL duct tape! Seriously.... Oh, and I'm throwing out the stupid printed schedule, too. It only makes me feel guilty and inadequate, and who needs anyjmore reminders? I have my entire life in front of me to do that!