European Vacation..........Not.

Summertime is here, and the kids are out of school.

Well the neighbor kids are out of school. Mine are going back to school this Monday after being off track for three weeks.
Remember all of the goals I had set at the beginning of their three weeks off of school?

None accomplished.

It certainly wasn't for lack of good intentions on my part, we just had a few problems. Between the weather being less than perfect (much less) and two of the kids being sick for a while, we just didn't get anything done.

Okay, the truth is that I just wasn't willing to do the necessary nagging and yelling inspiring words of encouragement to make sure things got done.
However, from recent reports, things have been going swimmingly well in Playstation 2 land.

The potty training is at a standstill. The first day of vacation, we spent outside with max in big boy underwear! We were outside for a few hours. The kids played on the swing set and trampoline, and we had a picnic lunch.
We went inside the house for just a few minutes, and I heard the sound of dripping. Yes, Max had an accident on the kitchen floor. I guess I should just be grateful that it didn't happen on the somewhat new carpet.

We will revisit the potty training thing in a few weeks.

Really, sometimes it's just easier when they're in diapers. Like when you're shopping, you have a cart full of items, and someone needs to go potty. Now. So you make the mad dash across the store, leave your basket outside the restroom, race the child inside to find that they waited too long to tell you that they needed to go, and they've had an accident, and so you take a while to get them cleaned up, and come out of the bathroom to find that some helpful store employee took your cart away, and is at that very moment putting all of your items back on the shelves.

Anyway, the kids go back to school on Monday, and I would just rather call it good, and keep them home for the next six weeks. (and really, this has nothing to do with how much I enjoy sleeping in when they're not in school) (really, it doesn't)

The teachers have a great system going to get the kids to want to go to school the last three weeks. They've planned several field trips, parties and other fun activities.

Sneaky, sneaky teachers.

This is the conversation we had in our car as we drove home from Grandma's house earlier tonight.

Me: "Do you think that if I called the school Monday morning, and told them that we were going on a trip to Europe for the next month, that the school would be okay with them not coming to school for the last three weeks? (after all, lying to the school couldn't be much different from lying to the kids)
DH: "Well, if we were in Europe, they couldn't have much to say about it."
Brielle: "I CAN'T miss school! I have a big math test coming up, and I can't miss it!"
CJ: "That would be okay with me."
Aaron: "We're going to Europe?"
ME: "No, we are not going to Europe. I was just wondering if the school would have a problem with you missing the last three weeks.
Brielle: "I CAN'T miss school! We have a big math test that I NEED to take!!"
Max: "Dat not be good."
Aaron: "Are we going to Europe??"
DH: "NO, we are not going to Europe."
Brielle: "That's good, because I don't want to go to Europe! I can't miss school because we have this big math test, and I can't miss it!"
DH: "I think you would have fun in Europe."
Brielle: "Dad, I have a math test!
Me: "So, what if we REALLY were going to Europe? Would you be okay missing the math test then?"
Brielle: "NO Mom, I CAN'T miss this test!"
Aaron: "So we ARE going to Europe?"
Me: "No Aaron, we ARE NOT going to Europe!"
CJ: "Why not? I think it would be fun to go to Europe."
Brielle: "I CAN'T miss school! I have a math test!"
Max: "Hi, my name's Steve. Have you seen Blue, my puppy?"
DH: "NO, we are not going to Europe."
Aaron: "Why not?"
CJ: "Yeah, why not?"
Me: "Because Brielle has a math test!"
DH: "Is there someone we could leave her with, and the rest of us can go?"
Brielle: "STOP TEASING ME!!"
Aaron: "So we are going to Europe?"
DH: "No Aaron, we ARE NOT going to Europe!"
Max: (singing) "You've got to find the first pawprint, that's the first clue, put it in our notebook and it's who's clues? Blue's clues!"
Me: "I guess we could always leave Brielle with my cousin, then she wouldn't miss her math test."
Brielle: "STOP TEASING ME!!"
Aaron: "So are we going to Europe or not?".........................


Just for the record, we are NOT going to Europe.