Super Nanny, please help!

Oh dear God summer needs to end and it needs to end NOW! I am so over my kids staying up late at night, sleeping the day away and bitching & moaning about how they are bored. Um, read a book! Go play outside! I opted out of camp for them this year (who am I kidding, my wallet opted me out!) however, my kids have not been without fun activities and things to do. When feasible I've taken them to do different things including but not limited to the following: the pool, BBQs, sports complex, movies, the mall, amusement park (OK, so my babysitter took them, but I paid for it), and the park. Sounds like a lot doesn't it? Damn straight it is. And yet the cries of boredom rage on. I do not understand at what point a kid's fun-meter fills up, but my children seem to have an insatiable need for activity. That's all well and good, but mama's got bills to pay, a FT job and no desire to entertain you 24/7. I give you food & shelter, entertainment is on you.

My second, and more troubling issue, is that summer seems to have drained my children of all brain power and ability to reconcile "right" from "wrong". Not to mention the ability to listen to me. It's almost as if the discipline they are taught throughout the school year falls by the wayside once school is out for summer (insert Alice Cooper lyrics here.) I find myself repeating things over and over and over again. Did I mention I repeat myself? Well I do. I repeatedly repeat myself and it's annoying. My oldest daughter will be 13 in less than a month. So in addition to the summer brain drain, I am also dealing with "soon to be a teenager" hormones. Yay me. My middle son has a lack of motivation and low self-esteem which is a whole other can o' worms, but I digress. My youngest son has more energy than a case of Red Bull, but is also 3 years old. His ability to listen is almost non-existent. His attention span is limited and his temper tantrums are frequent.

Each kid has their own challenges which keeps life interesting. Trouble is I am struggling with how to deal with each without going absolutely freakin insane. Summer and the lack of a routine is not helping, but alas, it is almost over. I'm hopeful I can survive without Super Nanny, but will keep her number handy just in case ....