Pack your bag kids, you've won a trip to.....Boarding School!

Is it just my kids that constantly fight? From the minute they wake up to the minute they close their eyes, it's constant nit-picking. Hitting, pinching, slapping, karate chopping, hair pulling, tripping, biting, name calling....you name it, it goes on in this house. Poopy butt face is a favorite in this house! It's not like Shaw and I do those things to each other and my children don't do these things to their friends....so why are they constantly at each others throats? Throughout the year I threaten them with.."The easter bunny is watching you." " You're birthday is coming up, do you want me to give ALL your gifts away?" "Santa sees you at the North Pole" and my favorite.... "Pack your bags, I'm driving you to boarding school" These empty threats usually work for the hour...if I'm lucky, the whole day. But they eventually revert back to their scrapping ways. For Brooklyns first 2 years of life I never once raised my voice at her. She was the perfect child and life was so stress free. Then the day she turned 3, she turned into this child I didn't recognize. Maybe it was jealously because 2 months later we welcomed Dallas into our family. Oh boy, if Dallas had been my first born, I would have stopped after 1 child. He was a piece of work! Madden eventually makes his appearance into the Webb family and life became even more crazy. This past year has been my most trying one as a parent. With 3 kids, 2 of them in school and sports, I'm being pulled in every direction. Trying to find time to get them ready in the morning and out the door on time, picking them up from school, helping each with their homework, trying to make something delicious and nutritious for supper, chauffeuring them to all their sports games and practices then finally back home for shower time, snack and bed. One would wonder where they would have time to fit in physical assults on each other. To make the situation even better Madden is like a sponge parrot. He sucks up everything he hears and sees and then repeats it. So now I have 3 siblings fighting. Last week the screaming and hair pulling came to a sudden halt when I walked into the bedroom, plopped a suitcase on the bed, opened it up and silently started putting clothes into it. They stopped, looked at me and asked "where are we going?" I reply, "It's not where are WE going, it's where are YOU going. I booked you all rooms at a boarding school in Orlando. They are expecting you tonight. Daddy and I will pick you all up on our way back from Georgia at the end of the month." Noooooooooooooooooooo. We promise to stop, promise, promise, promise. Dallas immediately jumps up and starts making his bed. Brooklyn grabs the laundry basket and starts folding clothes. Ahhhhh, silence. My threat has worked. For how long, I'm not sure, but in the mean time I'm going to sit back and relax and enjoy. It doesn't last long and soon they are at it again. Its a beautiful day outside and I actually have all 3 front windows open to let the breeze blow into the living room. But, Oh no, there's my neighbor outside, trimming her trees. I have a sinking feeling that she is going to call DCF (Department of Children and Families) on me, so I quickly shut the windows! There is no such thing as an indoor voice in this house. Everyone screams. I remind them of the room waiting for them in Orlando. There doesn't seem to be any relief in sight of this constant bickering. I have tried rewards, charts, bribery and threats. I have a feeling it will finally stop when they have left the house and moved on to university, emerging themselves in classes, parties and therapists... trying to find the root cause of their irrational fear of suitcases. Me, I'll be all alone in my quiet house wishing I had them all here fighting and screaming!