"ENOUGH!"

I find myself hollering this a lot lately.

"Enough!"

I'm doing it so much I don't think my kids even hear me anymore.

So what do I do? I holler louder.

"Enough!!"

And again.

"ENOUGH!!!!"

And then they look at each other and start laughing like "haha, we made mom pull her hair out" or "heeheehee, look at that vein popping out on mom's forehead!"

Or they look at me with those innocent faces like they haven't just been roughhousing across the back of the couch or throwing chess pieces at each other for the 37th time today.

I am so ready for school to start I can hardly stand it. Normally I wouldn't say that. Normally I would be so happy to stretch the summer out as long as possible. I love sleeping in. I love not having to worry about getting the kids and myself into bed at a certain hour. I appreciate the fact that my children are old enough to scavenge around in the kitchen and find something for lunch whenever they're hungry. I love spending long afternoons at the beach.

I don't want to go back to alarm clocks and setting clothes out every night and packing lunches and signing notes and all of that. I would really rather continue enjoying these dog days of summer.

But I've had enough of the bickering and the picking and pushing and whining and crying and tattling. Mercy! Enough! I grew up with two older brothers; I understand how siblings can get on each other's nerves. But for crying out loud! Enough is enough.

A little more than three weeks until school starts ... and I think I'll have myself a little party on the first day.

Whew.