To hide here for the rest of the holidays.

[fruitstick]

My children are the light of my life.

I can't cope with them any longer. They need to go back to school.

They are getting louder by the minute, squabbling over everything and can't be left alone in a room together (they are 10 & 7).

Can I hide here for a bit.

[incogKNEEto]

I'll hide with you! These holidays have been lovely but l (and they) are more than ready to go back to school. Five more days...

[Shannaratiger]

I'm hiding in the kitchen! Dd and Ds have friends over, also brother and sister the same age. The stress levels and voice volume is rising!

[fruitstick]

I've contemplated inviting friends over but that seems utter madness.

[Mummyshortlegz]

Tomorrow I have to go to hospital for some steroids and anaesthetic to be injected directly into my hip joint. After that I need two days lying down. This is it. This is the final day. Preschool reopens on Monday and I will be first at he door seven weeks!! Seven!!

The baby is napping and my three year old is playing with water in the garden. 3.5 hours till Dh is home and the dinner / bath / bed can start and I'm done.

[londonmummy1966]

I feel your pain OP - I have to wait until Wednesday - it will then be 8 weeks...I find inviting a gang of friends is the best way to cope as they entertain each other and stay out of my hair.

[KondosSecretJunkRoom]

The six weeks holidays were seven weeks this year and, it seems, one week too long for me.

This time last week I was all, "It's so lovely to have the kids at home and go on trips out and have friends over, yada, yada"

This week I'm "just keep watching the telly, I'll phone for pizza, it's 120 minute till your dad is home, will it wait till then?"

Argghhh

[BastardGoDarkly]

I hear you

This holiday had actually been really nice, but no, enough now, they get up and bicker until their friends turn up, then bicker for lunch, friends, bicker for tea, friends, bath time, and bedtime. Thank god for the friends really!

[formerbabe]

I'm going through the same thing op...they are arguing constantly...literally it doesn't stop! It is soul destroying to listen to squabbling all day! I could cry!

I cannot wait till they're back at school and I can clean the house in peace and go to the gym!

[LisaMed1]

The school technically starts back on Monday, but they have a training day on Monday so I have to wait to Tuesday.

I'm surprised I've made it this far.

[Mummyshortlegz]

My house looks like a pit. I didn't realise just how hard to keep a house clean would be with two small boys rampaging.

[onemouseplace]

I had a revelation about 4.5 weeks into the holiday that for the first holiday ever I wasn't willing them back to school.

Fast forward two weeks and it can't come soon enough. My older two are at each other's throats constantly and the toddler is just wandering around under the radar creating chaos.

[fruitstick]

We've come to the park.

Normally I could kick them out onto the field by themselves but I don't trust DC1 not to lash DC2 to a goal post.

The sun is shining though - and there's always Mumsnet.

[Armi]

I'm refusing to entertain my 5 year old any more. I've had six weeks of 'mummy, mummy, mummy, mummy.......' and of being enthusiastically engaged with her, doing stuff. I'm done. I've told her I'm working on the computer in the kitchen, so need peace and quiet, when I'm really just eating Maltesers and looking at pictures of Idris Elba. She's standing in a bucket of water by the back door (!), asking for usually restricted foodstuffs. Am mutely handing over biscuits, ice lollies, sweets and cake just to be left alone with my own thoughts for a few moments.

I love that kid but I can't wait to go back to teaching teenagers on Monday.

[MaureenMLove]

Before I post, just to make it clear, I am only joking and have been where you are, so I know the last week is pretty shit!

I was wondering though, how many of you are the same people that moan about teachers getting at least a week off every 6 or 7 weeks?

Makes you think doesn't it? You have just your couple of kids for 6 weeks and you've had enough of the bickering, constant need for attention and entertainment. Now imagine that with around 25/30 kids in a classroom all day every day.

THAT is why teachers need a break so often!

Hope you all manage to get through the last week without killing anybody!

[Armi]

I am a teacher, Maureen! I only see my various students for an hour or so a day, which isn't really long enough to get totally sick of them. Plus they are teenagers, so they are funny even when being horrible ('NO-ONE UNDERSTANDS ME!!!!!!! IT'S SOOOOOO UNFAIR!!!!!') and they belong to someone else so they go home at the end of the day, instead of climbing all over me shouting, 'I WANT TO KISSSSSSSS YOU ON THE LIPPIES!!!!!!!!' which my 5 year old does all the time.

Primary teachers, on the other hand, are a whole species apart. I truly couldn't do it.

[fruitstick]

I never moan about teacher holidays. I'd double their pay.

However every teacher I know would rather a 4 week holiday and longer at half term/Easter.

[MaureenMLove]

Lol! See, I'm secondary too, but I've truly had enough of all of them by the end of term! Could be because I'm more pastoral though, so more of a school mummy!

Got to say too, it's kinda lonely at home for 6 weeks, when your only DD is grown up and DH is at work. There's only so many times I can have lunch with the people I work with, before I get bored!

[Zippydoodah]

They're different at school but not always in a good way

[KondosSecretJunkRoom]

Do you want to have lunch with my kids Maureen? Incidentally, do you know what a picachu evolves into? what your favourite Pokemon is? what your element would be if you were a Pokemon? what Pokemon you dislike the most? Which series of Pokemon is the best? Who is the best trainer? Why are they the best trainer? Hmmm? Because if not, you best start studying.

[fruitstick]

Oh dear God - even the humour value of DS getting excited over the prospect of a SlowPoke has worn off.

I have no idea how to Powerup a Manky either.

[MaureenMLove]

Ah, the silver lining of no kids for 6 weeks! One day, you'll have this too! .

If it helps though, the family are home from their work places now and are making demands of me!

Last day off for me tomorrow and then it's countdown to half term! 7 weeks to go and they're all yours again!