This summer is no fun, at least through our children’s eyes.
First, we rip them away from everything and everyone they know. We force them to participate in the arduous task of moving. We strap them in the car for 20+ hours, sitting next to each other, looking at each other, torturing each other, and, yes, torturing us. As soon as we arrive, we spend the entire weekend working to unload the trailer, clean the house and garage and begin getting settled. Their only hope for fun was for internet hookup on Monday to distract their misery with Minecraft.
Trace was looking forward to his first day at soccer academy today with FC Spokane, his new soccer team. With the preceding week filled with so much hard work, hotel germs, poor diet and emotional damage, he started playing strong and lasted about 45 minutes before his stomach gave way and he got sick. He was really impressed with the Indoor Soccer Center and trainer and hopes he’s well enough for regular practice tomorrow on the field and academy again on Wednesday. A rough start with his new team.
Niko and Andre are bored senseless. They are not inspired or motivated to play in the rain. They haven’t seen one kid in the neighborhood that isn’t a baby (the memory of playing soccer with some kids on Saturday is completely erased from their minds). Andre said and I quote, “there is probably no chance I’ll ever make any friends here”.
Today, Vince and I had to work as we would any Monday. This was our first “real” Monday of summer. The kids are bored and whiney and we’re losing our minds. Yeah, summer! Ugh. Vince and I are also temporarily sharing an office for about a week until he’s finished modifying his space to his grandiose specifications. Read this correctly, I’m low maintenance, he is high maintenance. We survived Monday.
Tonight at dinner, along with a great meal of homemade chicken and rice stew to heal the ailing and provide comfort in rainy weather, I served french bread and strawberry jam. Trace sighed, “oh, it’s not homemade bread”. Niko looked at the jam and said, “it’s not homemade strawberry jam either”. I nearly fell off my chair. Did they not see me busting my butt all weekend? Did they not see me working all day today? Do they not realize I have a skillet, a pot and a grand total of three cooking utensils? I held it together while Vince calmly reminded them that we are still in transition mode. We’re still getting settled, he told them, while he looked at me to concur that store bought bread and jam are temporary. Spoiled brats every one of them and I’m outnumbered. I’m convinced they only keep me around so they are well fed.
Well fed they are and will be. Fun will be had. Where Vince and I have already found Spokane to be great with every experience, Spokane has nothing to offer the kids, at least through their eyes and gathered from their comments. Woe is them.
Patience and planning is all that’s needed. I only planned up to the move. Now the kids are staring at us for entertainment and I’ve got nothing to offer. What was I thinking? The kids lack of patience definitely comes from me. I, too, want my oompah loompah now. Tomorrow we are planning our Summer Fun schedule. Our family day camp will be open for business and fully operational soon. Advertures await!
Correction: Reading the Inlander, Spokane’s weekly rag, today, I realized I made a mistake in an earlier post that Hoopfest was scheduled for the weekend we moved to Spokane 6/20 & 6/21. Wrong! Phew, we didn’t miss a thing. Hoopfest is scheduled for this upcoming weekend June 29 & 30.
Feel free to fact check me and correct my errors.
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