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Lolli here…
I am no longer used to having all 5 kids at home. Since my youngest started school last August, I have been able to have a few hours every day to concentrate on my work. I got into a good routine and stayed busy while they were in school. And now that they are all home for the summer, I am still just as busy….but with much less structured time on my hands.
I admit that I have had my moments of frustration since school let out last month. Not only is it harder for me to stay on top of my work, but 7 people in a small townhouse all day, every day inevitably leads to fights. Some days I want to banish the kids to the back yard and not let them come back in to the house until dinner is ready.
And then I found a picture like this on my memory card from last week and it made the challenge of juggling work and kids and fighting and messes all worth it:
This week, after feeling my mix of emotions over the family time we had, I came across an article on our sister site, 5 Minutes for Special Needs by Kimberly, author of The Simple Life. I can completely relate to her sentiments.
The Bright Spot
Yesterday was rough all over. I’m still recovering from our trip last week – behind on everything. My semi-chronic neck pain is back with a vengeance thanks to the long hours of driving. I barked at the kids about little stuff but didn’t have the energy to keep them occupied and out of trouble. I even burned the broccoli. I turned on the burner to let the broccoli steam, then went to check my e-mail which hadn’t been working earlier in the day. While I was doing that I noticed a long overdue project sitting on my desk and started working on that. Sometime later the aroma of blackened broccoli wafted in. Of course usually I would have had more broccoli around, but not yesterday. This week I had decided to just use up what I had on hand because it was the perfect amount. It fit the rest of the day…
Written by 5 Minutes for Mom managing editor Lolli. You can find me blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.
*Photo by Lolli*
Susan says
Girl, I have NO idea how you handle 5 kids on ANY day, much less all summer long. Thank goodness you have a back yard.
What a fabulous photo… I’m so glad it reminded you of what an amazing job you’re doing.
Lolli says
Thanks, Susan! I still can’t believe how busy I’ve kept the kids (and ME) this summer. And yet, after taking them to a camp-resort and traipsing all over town with Grandpa for the weekend, my oldest daughter still claims that we haven’t been doing anything this summer. Argh!
LaTersa Blakely says
I totally understand your frustrations. I too was struggling at the beginning because both of my babies are home for the summer as well, but I just wrote an article at Moms Wearing Multiple hats about some of the tips that i’ve been using to keep me from going insane. Thanks so much for sharing.
Lolli says
LeTersa, I’ll have to go check out your tips! I used to do really well when the kids were younger and park play dates were an easy way to keep them entertained. Oh, and back when I wasn’t working, the kids were easier to keep busy, too. 🙂