Decompression

Apparently one ought not to resurface from the depths too quickly. Otherwise one gets the dreaded "bends". And so it was with me attempting to have my head above water this weekend after the craziness of the past weeks. No dice. Nuh-uh. Because the kids needed to be wrangled back into some semblance of order after spinning out of control along with our wack-o schedule. It is a "herding cats" kind of situation. The return to normalcy is beginning to work, but they didn't get to the current level of wild, wilder, and wildest overnight. So it will take time to reel them back in to normal. (Or at east what passes for normal around here.)
There is general rebellion and chaos because Evan needs super-structure and he has not had that at all. Erin has been a little too free and a lot too tired. Meanwhile, Katie is trying to have us prove that she is precious by being a pain. (It totally makes sense. She needs us to express that she is wonderful no matter how difficult she might actually be--- because she is a tween.)
The idea around here is that we build one another up. Because the second we exit these walls, there will be someone waiting to tear us down. (My father-in-law planted this seed after a fairly yucky scene many years ago. It has put down roots and flourished, but sometimes the idea can still hit a dry spell.) Home must be a haven. The safe place where one is loved, accountable, and understood. It's just a matter of taking the time to resurface slowly enough that we do it right.