Fifty-three hours in…

It started at 3:31PM on Friday.

March Break. It began with a ringing bell, squealing children and several requests for a sleep over.

He dropped off his school backpack in the (now ample) front foyer at 3:36PM.
“I’mgoingovertoChris’sBYEEEEE!” he called out slamming the door behind him.

(Well. This is starting well, I thought to myself).

At 3:39PM He ran back in a moment later to get hockey gloves, his stick and a hat.

“I’mgoingtoplayhockeyuntilitgetsdarkontheroadwithcarspassingbyatgreatspeed” he called out again before the door cut off his run on sentence.

(So many empty days ahead to be filled, I thought)

But already time was Marching by at Breakneck speed.

He came in at 4:39PM “CanChristophersleepovertonight?”

At 4:39:10PM No. Maybe tomorrow. Why cram all the excitement into the first night?

He could do the sleep over Saturday night, be crabby all day Sunday, his aunt will pick him up Monday and bring him back late Tuesday, he’ll spend Wednesday with his grandmother, and complain all day Thursday about how bored he is just in time for a medieval feast on Friday followed by a weekend with his fake cousins.

He turned on Rock Band and banged away on the pseudo drums until 5:49PM

“I’m bored” he said flatly.

That didn’t take long.

After dinner he bounced from the DS to the PS to the Wii to the TV to a movie.

He looked up at the clock. It was 9:00PM.

“sinceitsaholidayI’mgoingtostayupreallateadnsleepin” he announced.

No, no you’re not. Get out of here NOW. He fell asleep at 10PM just in spite.

I left the house early Saturday and returned to an empty house at 2:30PM

He came running into the house after his hockey game (phew dodged another one. score!)

“CanChrissleepovertonightrememberyoupromisedhecouldandIreallyreallyreallywanthimto”

(Crap) Sure.

5:15PM with my very best loser mom tone I asked chris’ Dad if he could stay over, explaining that I ju-

“YES! YES! HE CAN STAY OVER!”

Are you dancing?

“No. We’ll feed them and water them and you can put them to bed.” He sounded way too giddy.

They entered the house at 8:10PM.

They banged on the drums until 10PM

They woke me up from a sound sleep at 1AM when they were milling about the house NOT SLEEPING.

They woke me again at 3:25AM. I told them this was their last warning. I don’t know what I thought I would do at that hour to punish them. I was delirious it was 3:25AM.

The husband got up to ‘tune them in’ at 4:15AM.
I woke up for the day at 5:54AM. Made tea very loudly. Looked over to see they were fast asleep.

At 9:30AM they were quietly playing a video game. Well, one was playing with the Tv the other was on the DS but they were talking incessantly.

Aren’t you guys exhausted? What time did you fall asleep?

“FiveAMbutweweren’ttiredI’mstillnottiredI’mwideawake” the nine year old said through half closed eyes. The ten year old neighbor said, “mmmphgl”.

At 12:30PM Chris the neighbor kid asked to be released from our clutches. I let him go but not before noticing a small bowl of white powder beside his side of the pull out sofa.

WHATTHEHECKISTHAT? I asked in a slightly raised tone.

Sugar the neighbor boy mumbled.

“Yeah! We’vebeeneatingitallnighttokeepusawake!”

Sugar high over, the nine year old is desperately trying to keep awake. It’s 8:45PM.

How many sleeps ‘til school goes back?