WFMW: Older kids

My kids are little, almost 3 and 16 months, and during the day the only way I can get 10 minutes of peace is to turn on Playhouse Disney, and even then they want something ("Look Mommy!!!") every 11 seconds.

This summer I have been blessed with Justine, 15, Lucy, 12, and Jane, 8. They have been coming over (Justine's gone home to France this morning... Sniff...) regularly to play with the kids.

What have I gotten done? Oh my gosh, a ton. I cleaned out cabinets and got rid of a bunch of stuff, so that I can actually put all the debris that was on top of the fridge and the microwave into cabinets, instead. As a result, the entire kitchen looks cleaner than it did before. I've read entire books. I've kept up with the laundry. I've cleaned with chemicals - something I normally save for naptime because I don't want Claire to try to taste the Comet (it makes your face turn green...). I've been able to drink my coffee in peace and relax with my blogs while the big kids were outside entertaining the heck out of my little kids.

It has been bliss.

If you have little kids, I highly recommend that you beg, steal, or borrow a teenager (or preteen) for a couple of days a week while they're out of school. A lot of parents with older kids have trouble finding care in the summer - they're too old for daycare (and it costs a fortune) but they're too young to be left on their own 40 or 45 hours a week. Be their hero and volunteer to "help them out" by taking their kids a couple days a week. We'll just keep it our little secret that their kids are going to be doing all the work while you enjoy a calm summer. Actually, their parents probably know, because their kids were young once. Everyone wins - the big kids have fun and build babysitting skills, the little kids have playmates, the mom gets a much deserved break. And if you have two littles, like I do, you can do outings that normally would be difficult or dangerous on your own (like the pool) with the simple addition of a responsible teenager.

The only problem is I have no idea how I'm going to cope when all these big kids go back to school!!

Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW ideas! And click on the tag "WFMW" over there -----> for more of my WFMW tips!