A Different Dynamic

We dropped Alex & Chase off at camp yesterday.  As we were saying our good-byes their counselor said, "Enjoy your week off!"  Week off... HA! ;)  I pointed to Tiberius, snug in the sling and told him, "This one is number 8... and (pointing to Alex and Chase) I just left my two big helpers with you..."  He looked at me for a moment (stunned silence.  LOL) and replied, "Well... um... good luck then!"  LOL

What I didn't tell him was that helper #3 was not coming home with me either.  Victory is at "Camp Grandpa & Grandma" for the week.  That leaves me with the 6 and under crowd.  In and of itself five kids, ages 6 and under, is not a big deal.  However, when one of those five is a nursing newborn, one is a testing 18 mo old, and a third is a trying 3.5 year old...  well, it's interesting.

I plan on trying to use this week to do some training with the younger ones.  It's time to pass a couple jobs down the line.  So far, Shiloh is doing great with loading the dishwasher.  And, this morning, without being asked, she put a diaper on Jericho.  It took her a while, but once she got it on it was perfect!

I'm also trying to do a "reset" for my days.  I typically wake up when the kids do or earlier, but seldom get out of bed right away.  I do my devotions before getting out of bed (less interruptions!!) and spend time snuggling with random kids as they wander in.  This week, I have to get up.  Someone has to get them breakfast! ;)  When the big kids are all home again, I'm hoping to stick with it!  I think our days will go more smoothly, and again, I'll be able to focus on some better training with the older kids AND youngers.

The good news?  I've survived 1/2 of day one.  LOL

As a side-note, it's amazing how much cooler the house stays with three less bodies in it!  On a day like today the air would typically be running on hi and still wouldn't quite keep up with keeping the house cool.  Today, it's on low, and the indoor temp is lovely! ;)