Annoyed with neighborhood kids

I first posted this on facebook...but I had a hard time condensing it into just a few words, so I decided it was probably a better blog post. 

There are 3 neighborhood kids who are just older than Rach, that I am losing my patience with.  Every time they come over something is either missing, or broken, and they always climb up into her closet and get out the messy toys that I have intentionally put out of Rachel's reach (legos, mousetrap game, etc). These are the kids who wander around the neighborhood, apparently their parents have given them cart blanche over where they are allowed to go.  (okay-Sometimes they borrow my phone to call their parents, and sometimes two of the girls carry walkie-talkies around and talk to their parents on the other end telling them where they are)--so maybe it isn't as bad as I make it sound.  They are in 3rd and 4th grade I think--so maybe that is normal when your kids are that age.   But they just appear all the time, usually just before dinner, or every sunday when we like to spend time with family...(you get the idea).   Honestly, I don't think Rachel even considers them very good friends, because I have heard her tell them many times that she doesn't want to play when they ask and sends them away.  (is it bad that when she does I am usually thinking "hip hip horray!)  But on a day when she is bored and they stop by she is happy to have someone wanting to play with her and she invites them in...and inevitably I get crankier. 

A while back they thought it would be a great idea to tie jump ropes to a coat rack that was hanging on her wall, to make a fort, which caused the coat rack to be ripped from the wall and holes left in it's place.

One day they brought "back" one of our brand new games and left it hanging on my car door since we weren't home.  I was happy they brought it back, but annoyed they had taken it in the first place.  Okay-Rachel may have given them permission to 'borrow' it, but she doesn't offer it up willingly, it is only after they keep asking "Can I borrow this? Can I take this home? I'll bring it back.''  And Rachel, being a nice person, says okay.  I mean, every time they come, they are each carrying a large bookbag, perfect for toy snatching.  Now I have to make sure to look at them as they are walking out and ask them nicely to leave any of Rachel's toys here.  (I am all for toy sharing, but only with kids that I trust to return it and usually I am friends with their parents)

Yesterday, one girl brought in a bag of popcorn, an entire bag, she was just carrying it around as her after school snack.  And I look over after the kids go into the playroom, and there is popcorn all over my floor.  (for the record, I did go ask her nicely to come and pick all of them up.) 

Then, I found two otter-pops (popcicles in the plastic wrappers) in the playroom the other day, not only did they take food into the back rooms (again)--which Rachel knows is not allowed, but she also 'forgets' the rules when they are here--but they set them down and forgot about them! Thankfully they were standing upright so they didn't spill even though they were completely melted. 

And, there are certain toys that I put up high in Rachel's closet--in attempt to help her keep her room clean, I decided those would only be allowed out if she asked and we cleaned up the rest of the playroom first.  They are up really high in the closet--like on a second shelf above the where the clothes hang.  And a few times I have gone in there and saw it out, and knowing Rachel can't reach, assumed I had left them out or something.  Only to go in there the other day and see one of the older girls climbing on everything in my closet (a stereo, boxes, and metal shelves) to reach up and drang the toys down.  UGH!!  I mean, I wasn't trying to be mean, I never actually told them, or Rachel, that these toys were banned, it was just implied with the fact that I put them out of reach.

Then yesterday, right after they left I realized a certain American Girl library girl book was missing.  (okay this one is probably not their fault--I have no proof, but this is how I have come to think of these girls.  --Not to mention that we have looked everywhere and still can't find the book, which we know was in Rachel's room right before.

Then just now, I tucked Rachel into bed and looked over and noticed that the shelf I just hung up in her room a few months ago to hold her trophies and tball pictures (also hung intentionally out of reach), was also about to fall down because the top screws had been pulled out of the wall!  Someone had climbed up on Rachel's desk to put their lego structure up on display and pulled on the shelf.  UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More than anything I am annoyed at the person that I become when they are here.  I become mean, and strict, and hovering, and can't wait to send them home.  I like friends, I usually like my daughter's friends.  I mean, she doesn't have any siblings so the only time she gets to play with other kids is when friends come over, so I am usually the first one to call and invite someone to come play.  But these kids I want to ban from my house!  I have tried to make Rachel just go outside and play when they come over, but the weather has been so crappy that I let them come inside because Rach was bored and wanted a friend to play with.  I am a fun mom, and fun moms don't ban kids from their house...do they? 

Am I overreacting? Do I just need to lay down the ground rules for my house...again?  Do I need to post signs in the play room:  NO FOOD ALLOWED!  TOYS ON TOP SHELF ARE OFF LIMITS! NO CLIMBING ON FURNITURE! 

I also don't know if it is just these kids, or more the fact that they are older than my own kid.  You know, since I haven't had a kid that age yet I don't know how they act or what to expect.  Does anyone else have similar problems?

(okay, taking a deep breath and trying to relax and go to sleep now ;-)