"But why????"

Yes it's summer, so my kids think that the rules regarding the length of time they can spend staring at some kind of screen do not apply. If they had their way, they could just veg out in the living room all day long. Oh, and apparently if it's raining and/or cold and miserable outside it really isn't "fair" that the one hour of screen time per day still applies.

So in an effort to compromise and keep my own sanity, I will sometimes allow them to watch tv if they are doing something at the same time instead of just mindlessly watching some stupid episode of "The Suite Life on Deck" that they've seen at least 10 times already. The "doing something" can be drawing, building with Lego, puzzle making, etc. However throwing orange peels at your siblings and arguing over which one is Zack and which one is Cody and what their real life names are does not count as an activity.

And just for the record, eating is also not considered "doing something" while you watch tv. Because they would also eat all day long if they could. But no, not an actual meal or a sandwich. Nope because that would take time away from the tv to actually put a peanut butter sandwich together. It's much easier to take the box of cereal with you into the living room and eat handfuls of it directly from the box. Which of course then annoys your siblings and grosses them out so they can then yell "Mom he's eating cereal from the box again and that's my favorite kind but now I can never eat it again cause his slimy hands have been in there!"

And let's not forget the favorite trick of sliding granola bar wrappers and apple cores down the sides of the chairs and couches because then we don't have to get off our butts to walk the 10 steps to the garbage can.

Effective tomorrow, it will have been officially 7 days since they last saw the inside of the school. Only 7. We have a long way to go. But, on the bright side the weather is supposed to improve starting tomorrow so yea! We can actually go to the beach without hoodies and blankets! Tomorrow also is the start of the junior sprint triathlon training I've signed the kids up for. That will keep them busy (and hungry).

This weekend we're camping for two days in Oliver and then in another week or so we're heading to Vancouver Island for 5 days. Then it's soccer camp for one kid, and off to Kamloops for a few days of fishing with the grandparents. And before long the summer will be over.

It really does go by quickly...but some days can be very very long.