It has been a very long week of snow and sniffles here at our house. In fact I think it was this weeks round of winter illness that finally sent the boys tumbling into the winter grumbles. They have been kept from playing outside because of temperatures. They have been kept from playing with friends because of snow. They have been kept from a being even out in general public because of illness this last week. So they have been forced with out relent to be with each other.
Now most of the time we have enough breaks in our week that they don’t ever achieve full on annoyance between them. But occasionally like these past few weeks things just line up so that we aren’t able to have a bit of a break from each other. That is usually when things like what color lego one of them is using versus the color the other one wants to use becomes a full scale screaming match. Yesterday alone I separated them a few dozen times. They are still so sniffle ridden that their little voices are cracking when they yell.
This isn’t pretty. It isn’t even much fun for them. They are stuck in a cycle and not really sure how to get out of it. So today I am breaking out the paint supplies. Enforcing the “Go Read Alone for 30 minutes” idea. And probably stuffing my ears with cotton balls if my distractions don’t work.
Winter you do so make me long for Spring.

Ugh! I hate times like those, only with one, it’s each others nerves we get on
.
I hope the paints help with the tension.
In addition to reading, mine can stay forever in a bath.
Those are the days I want to yell back, stomp my feet, run to my room and slam the door.
Okay, some days I do that, but others I try to use what I learned from “Siblings Without Rivalry,” which on most occasions works. “Gee, you are really mad at him. You want to use the red legos and so does he. I wonder how you two can work this out.” Most of the time I really want to say “Suck it up and deal with it, stop being a brat!”
I am so sick of the cold and snow, spring can not come quick enough. I long for the park, green grass, and even humidity! All of us have terrible cases of cabin fever.
.-= christine´s last blog ..I am an idiot. =-.