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Along with Hubby and the boys, I looked forward to the end of the school year with enthusiasm. A brief reprieve from dragging the kids out of bed every morning would be wonderful. For a couple of months, I would not have to make breakfast while putting together bag lunches -- or writing checks for the cafeteria, depending on the current "hectivity-level" in our home. (Hectic plus activity equals my new word -- hectivity!)

The first couple of days were all I had dreamed of -- and more. The boys slept in, Hubby got up early and made a pot of coffee, and I was extremely productive in my little home office. When the boys rolled out of bed, they fixed cereal and then went outside until dark. I'm sure they popped in for food, because our food stores depleted steadily. Life was good.

But sleeping-in ended and everyone's schedule slipped into the normal summertime routine. When school is out, everyone showers in the morning. I start my day with a cup of coffee and the gentle sounds of running water. Brief pauses allow the water heater to recover, but the soothing sounds of water remain as the washing machine works on load after load.

To keep the water from distracting me as I work, I imagine my office to be located in the heart of the Amazon rain forests, sans the creepy bugs and big snakes, overlooking tremendous water falls and a clear, rushing river.

The boys have also adjusted their methods of socialization since the end of school. Before walking half a block to shoot hoops, they call the kids three doors down. Sometimes, the kids three doors down call my house looking for my boys rather than peeking out their window toward our end of the street.

This method of communication is not a bad one, unless I need to make a call and the phone that is supposed to be on my desk is missing. We own three phones -- all cordless -- and have already drained the pager mechanisms that assist me in locating missing handsets.

When the handsets could still beep, I would follow the sound into the room of a teenager, then excavate until it appeared. Handsets also turned up outside on the deck, the front porch and next to the driveway -- left there just in case the neighbors called while my kids were actually outside.

We now have a new rule: Nobody is allowed to use the phone on my desk except me. So far, the rule has worked well. My handset hasn't gone missing in days. The only downside is that I have to answer the phone every time it rings, since I'm the "closest" to a phone.

The phone doesn't interrupt my day nearly as much as my sweet, wonderful family. In their defense, one of the reasons I chose to work from home was to be able to spend more time with Hubby and the boys. Writing and completing paperwork can be quite the challenge when four people desperately need my input.

I'm very flattered that my wisdom and clarity are required for every meal and snack selection, every laundry status situation and every activity. And the fact that everyone wants to show me what they've done, from cleaning part of a bedroom to emptying half the dishwasher and feeding the dog, is heartwarming.

We now have another new rule: Unless it is an emergency, no one interrupts Mom until she's on a break or done with work for the day. Once we come to an understanding regarding the definition of "emergency," my productivity should shoot way up.

It hasn't been all bumps and kinks this summer. I happen to love the fact that Hubby has no classes and did not take on a part-time job. As a 10-month employee of the school system, he gets a nice break, which means I get a nice break-- from laundry, cooking, shopping, cleaning and yard work.

Hubby has taken over domestic duties while I sit at my desk, nose to grindstone, and take phone messages for the boys from their friends up the street. When I wrap things up for the day, I jump in and help with the dishes or take out the trash, pleasantly surprising Hubby.

Before summer's end, we will probably develop a few more new rules. By August, we should have our routine running well and I should be as productive as ever -- just in time for school to begin and schedules and duties to change.

Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com.