Runnin' My OWN 5K

A day of babysitting is EXHAUSTING! I'm telling you, today has seemed like a whirl wind of business.  I'm definitely beyond ready for bed now. Being a mom, is exhausting, but when you toss in babysitting at home on top of that, WHEW! Now that will really REALLY wear you out! Thankfully my husband and his mom are great help, and between the three of us we have a great system down that means meals get cooked, house keeps picked up, and kids are happy and having fun. I feel like I'm running a 5k of my own on hectic days like this.  Here there and everywhere, but it's worth it.

Everyone is still alive and well by the time the parents arrive, so that's always a good deal! Although, tonight the youngest one I was babysitting decided a big crying fit was a good way to end the evening.  I always feel bad when parents show up and their child is crying.  That's never how you want it.  However, with babies that sometimes will happen. 

This morning I had my over night kiddo, and she went home after we had breakfast (at about 8am or so).  Then it was just my kids and I until around 10:30am when my first 3 kiddos of the day arrived. 

We had fun, we made ginger bread people out of construction paper and tons of craft supplies and I read them a book called "The Gingerbread Girl".  The kids watched some cartoons until lunch time, and then they played a bit while we waited for the toddler to fall asleep for nap time, so the older ones could play outside.  We then piled on layers of warm clothes and went out to play in the snow for awhile.  There were lots of snow angels made, and snow thrown, and for some odd reason they thought it was a good idea to shove each other's faces in the snow.  Silly kids.  I had to send them inside before they ended up freezing their noses off. After the snow I made hot cocoa for everyone to warm us up quicker and we all huddled up in the living room to watch some Scooby Doo!

My over night kiddo joined us again for a couple of hours while her mom ran some errands (don't blame her, it's pretty cold out there and the roads aren't so hot still so I wouldn't want to drive my toddler around in this stuff either)! I was more than happy to have her here visiting, she kept my other toddler babysitting kid busy when she woke up from her nap!

At 5:30 four of my babysitting kiddos left, but then my other four babysitting kiddos showed up! They are ones that I only have from time to time, as I am needed, which works out just fine.  She sits for me when we need a sitter, so it all works out PERFECTLY! These kiddos got here just in time for some home made pizza.  They played, they watched  the Little Mermaid, played some more....till it was time for MY three kids to go to bed at eight.  Of course that's when the baby decided he was done being a quiet guy and was ready to show us how loud he could cry. 

A little after 9 and everyone had gone home! Cept my over night babysitting buddy who is here, and already asleep now and who will go home in the morning. 

*WHEW*

Trust me, when you LIVE IT it's a lot more hectic than when it's typed and read. 

I have learned that there is a VERY good reason I did not become an elementary school teacher like I so badly used to want to be.  Those who can teach a classroom of  20 kids or more, KUDOS TO YOU!! You are my HEROE! There is a reason I do not home school my OWN children, and a reason I don't do NEARLY as many crafts with my own kids as I used to.  We used to do a craft project EVERY SINGLE DAY.  HA....now it's once a week...if we're lucky. 

Thankfully, I DO enjoy babysitting and it's something that I've always done and have lots of experience doing! I've been babysitting since I was 13 years old, kids of all ages.  It's always been a good way for my kids to have friends to play with and meet new people, and a good way to meet Mommy friends!

Now this tired mama is headed for her sweet sweet pillow! Hoping that my own children will let me sleep past 6 in the morning!! It'd be nice...a mom can dream, right? Due to the weather, we won't be going to Church in the morning, but I don't like driving on snowy/icy roads if I don't absolutely HAVE to. 

OH by the way.  My daughter gets an award at the awards assembly on Wednesday! I don't know what it is...I don't care, I'm just SUPER excited she's getting an award and I have to keep it SHHHH a secret, she isn't supposed to know apparently! Yay!!

Ok now off to unplug my Christmas tree and scramble off to bed! At least I don't have to babysit anyone tomorrow after my over night kiddo goes home! (Well I will probably have her again tomorrow night, but that's ok my whole day SHOULD be open other wise and just me and MY kiddos until late tomorrow night). 

Mae