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Getting the Kids Back on Schedule/Day 1

With the Christmas break ending and a return to "normal" in three days, there's a need to get the kids back into the swing of regular life as painlessly as possible.  By painless, I refer to the kids' eyes sprained by rolling them so much at Dad.  So today was the first day in a several-day effort to bring normality back to the household.  This is a cumulative process as just throwing them into bed on Sunday night after so much hoopla invites disaster. 

So how'd it go?

• For the most part, they awoke at reasonable hours although not at school time.  The exception was the feverish one who slept through until mid-morning, and I'll live with that one.
• Each kid had their own to-do list with the caveat that upon successful completion and approval by Dad, they could have time on the new Wii system.  With such incentive, each took some care to assure that things were completed, although some items fell through as is the wont of all teenagers.
• We were back to the usual sniping and grousing that comes from the younger children.
• Dinner was held at a reasonable time, altough the meal didn't come off as I expected.  Newly discovered leftovers left the new dish in the dust.
• The family engaged in a "family fun" night as we broke in the new Wii system and this is where the wheels fell off of the wagon.  Bedtime for each was exceptionally late and if they arise at a regular time tomorrow, then there will be hell to pay on account of attitude and integrity.

So the catch-up tomorrow will be to assure that they at least get some sleep in the morning and a recurrent grinding of parental teeth as they  bounce off one another like so many marbles.  And tomorrow evening is also the crunch time for getting to bed at a reasonable hour since a late bedtime tomorrow would definitely affect the bedtime on Sunday night, the last night before school.  If that goes, then the first several days of school will be unpleasant while they get the routine back down pat again.

And I'll keep you advised...

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