Herding Cats, 1.17-1.20

Back in September I started a new "job", and I say this with parentheses because I always feel silly describing something involving parenting my own kids as a job, but anywho... so this new thing brought two extra kids over twice a week. Enter V (2yo) and F (12m.), and before we go any farther V & F's parents consented to me blogging about them. The beginning was TOUGH. Robin was still pretty new at that point, V was very homesick, and between juggling nap times and who gets to play with what toy and then feeding everyone lunch I was ready to pull my hair out. And note that this was just two days a week.

We got into our routine, and it's a strict one, I'll tell you about that later in this post (exciting stuff you know!). V warmed up to the idea of being here all day, Robin became a more efficient nurser and Abe decided to share his toys. So here we are now, doing FIVE days a week.

These are the cats I herd.

So yeah, a little bit crazy, but I've got my reasons. It's that good kind of chaos too, the kind that when you get a minute or two to sit down you melt into the chair. The kind of chaos that makes you sleep better at night, and the kind of chaos that you just have to give into sometimes, join in, start barking like a dog, draw endless pictures of 3 headed monsters, have conversations with dolls about whether or not they want cheese, that kind of stuff. You can't lose it, and really there isn't time to. Back in September I remember one day when V was really, really sad. We were eating lunch and she was sobbing at the table, clutching her blankets like they were the last remnants of her parents, not eating lunch and then her brother began to cry, then Robin started to cry, and then Abe looked at me and said "I just want to cry because everyone else is." I sat there thinking kid you are my rock! don't go out on me now! And there was a little of what the eff am I doing this for!? But we've gotten past all of that, trust me. These kids are dolls, F naps like a champ (knock on wood), he has the funniest way of crawling and eats like a horse. V is an observer at our house for the most part, but if you can get her to open up a bit, which she does, she is a hilarious, giggling little girl.

Our days our super structured...

Drop off 7:30-7:45a

Story time at 8:30a

F goes down for a nap at 8:45a

Put Robin down for a nap at 9-9:30a

Craft/cooking/activity with the older kids 10a

F wakes up around 10:30-11a

Robin wakes up around 11:30a

Lunch 12p

Clean up 12:40p

Story time at 12:45/1p

F, V, and Abe down for a nap at 1:30p

Robin down for a nap 2p

F and V start waking up around 3ish

Pick up between 3:15-4p

Yes, there is lots of playing in between all of this. Lots of playing during, around, on top of all of this, it is good. Once a day V and Abe watch a little TV, 20m-30m of something like Sesame Street, Dinosaur Train, Yo Gabba Gabba, or something along those lines while I nurse and rock Robin to sleep for his morning nap. And sometimes, when all the stars align I have 30m- 1hr of time in the afternoon when everyone is asleep. It's incredible. I sit. I might get on the internets, like today and write this blog, or I might knit, or I might sew, but I typically don't do anything I should be doing, like dishes or laundry. It's a fantastic span of time. Sometimes Declan gets home from work early in there and we sit together, again it's fantastic.

So I thought I might write about this new adventure every once in a while, and call it "Herding Cats", because that's what it feels like, chasing babies, filling cups with milk, handing out snacks with a 20lb. baby on each hip, that sort of thing. So if you don't like babies or kids stay away on these posts, and if you think I'm crazy or wonder "why?" then come by and read these. I'll tell you what we've done this week for activities (this week we... made pasta, did crayon etchings, made cupcakes and pasta necklaces) I might tell you what I've fed these kids, stuff like that.

And here's me, in the midst of being crawled on by babies and attacked by toddlers, probably telling someone "no".