'Tis easier to complain than to discipline ...

I know ... everyone reads my posts and thinks, "Good grief ... here she goes ... complaining about her kids again."  And it doesn't mean I don't love them.

Well, lucky for you, I'm warning you up front.  So if you don't want to read my complaints, exit the blog screen now.

But, if you are a mother, you know that it truly is easier to complain about my kids and their bad behavior than it is to discipline them for their bad behaviors.

There.  I said it.

I'm lazy when it comes to discipline.  I really am.  I own it.

I started the summer with really good intentions.  We started a new behavior management technique, where each kid has a jar in which we put marbles for good behavior; in turn, we also remove marbles for bad behavior.  When the jars are full, the kids get $5.  Now here we are at the end of summer and their jars are only half full.

And there is no chance they will be full any time soon.

In the last two weeks especially I feel as if I have taken more out than put in.  And now I find myself saying things like, "Do you want to lose a marble???  Do ya?  Do ya?"  And Kendall is really tricky about it -- when she loses a marble, she'll go right ahead and do something to make it up and get another one right back in the jar.  I told you -- she's no dummy.

So here we are today, the last Wednesday of summer break, and all I can think about is getting them to leave me alone.  I have considered many different options to keep my sanity.

A) Lock them in their rooms separately for the entire day.
B) Lock them in one of their rooms together for the entire day.  And let them duke it out.
C) Cram ear plugs in my ears so I can't hear them fighting.
D) Get drunk.

Please notice in the above list there is no mention of actually disciplining them and trying to get them to change their behavior.

I am all referee-ed out.

And it's not even that they are physical with each other.  It's more of a constant whine from Tanner.  And a constant smart-assness from Kendall.  And the bickering.  That's what is setting me over the edge now.  I feel like we are in a forever state of "Yes-huh" and "Nuh-uh."

So I'm tired.  I want my sweet kids back.

Maybe the beginning of a school year will bring them back -- once they realize they miss me when I'm not around. :0)