Schools Out, Scream and Shout!

We are all schooled-out, sported-out, scouted-out, music'd-out (yes, I know it's not a word...but you get the picture), danced-out, doctored-out, recitaled out and performanced-out at this house. We are ready for summer to begin and for our schedules to open up so these taxi drivers AKA Mom & Dad can take a break and breathe for a moment!
siiggghhhhh...

I have to say that Curt takes on the taxi driving just as much as I do which helps a ton to alleviate me throwing six kids into the gas-guzzler and rushing around town. Thank you, babe!

But it's time for the lazy days of summer....lots of front yard carnivals as they are now called. The kids come out from the four corners of our neighborhood and gather on our corner and in our front yard. We live on a double cul-de-sac street...smack dab in the middle. And this is where they congregate. This is a daily occurrence-as long as my car is in the driveway, they come in droves.

Despite trying to stop it, the contents of our garage gets unloaded onto the grass. They did this in Utah too...it looked like a cul-de-sac garage sale every weekend! We're talking beach chairs, towels, water bottles, clothes (WHY clothes??? don't know--cause it was in the garage from last time), sand toys, skate boards, bikes, strollers, baby dolls, wagons, scooters, snacks, and consequently trash from snacks ...you name it... it's on the front lawn. The kids are doing sidewalk chalk anywhere they can. There is a baseball game going, or they're shooting hoops, throwing the football in the street, blasting the radio or ipod from the porch. There are skateboard ramps, pop-up tents, sometimes a snow-cone machine, lemonade stand (with pretend lemonade 1/2 the time aka water...c'mon-use your imagination and give the kids some $$$!) The kids typically range from 1 year old to 15 years old. The moms of even toddlers in the neighborhood wait until the kids are out and they all come and are entertained by my kids--who will open their big mouths and tell them most anything they want to know about our lives and their 2, 4, 7, 9, and 10 year old takes on it...cringe. No harm done, we can only hope.

One time I was out and a nice lady with her beautiful golden retrievers stopped to say hello.
I had never met her, but she began to ask me all about Viviana and recounted that she knew Lexie & Izzie were in Utah with my mom for 6 weeks last year, that one of the kids had a concussion last year in football, that one of the kids got honor roll all year, that we used to have a dog, Scooby, who ran away. REALLY..and she went on and on...knew each child by name. Excuse me, who are you again? Oh, yeah, the nice lady that my kids offered their whole life stories to as you walked your dogs by our circus/carnival apparently going on in the front yard. Forget a private blog--we have seriously social children who sometimes need muzzles. Perhaps some 'seeds' are being planted with their social behaviors. I should just have my kids wear missionary tags and hand out Books of Mormon on the corner...I'm certain their 'regulars' will listen to them.

I used to get all up-tight about these 'carnivals,' but honestly, whatever I've done to stop it...they find a way around it. I am a disciplinarian, but a little mess outside never hurt. I know to the untrained eye our front yard looks like maybe about 13 families live inside...I'm declaring that WE ARE NOT WHITE TRASH...I promise. There's only one very, very large family that lives here. And I love being the house the kids come to so I can keep tabs on my own. And as long as they keep it OUTSIDE, play fairly, and use nice language, 'ugly Mommie' doesn't have to rear her head too often.

So just know, if your kids come over to play, and I think the more the merrier... This is not a babysitting service...it's an each kid for his/herself thing. It is like a carnival.

It is the lazy days of summer at the McLaughlin home.
All we ask is that you pick up your own trash and help clean up the mess. Come experience it for yourself. Unless, of course, we're at the beach...and in that case, still come join us, but you have to find your own ride--my bus (or Escalade) is officially full!