Divide and Conquer

It has been a super busy summer, involving early mornings and late nights, toddlers pushed through and beyond their nap-deprived patience and me melting down or falling asleep by 9:30 most nights.  With all of this in mind, I am particularly thankful that my mother-in-law has taken the littlest two for a sleepover at her house tonight so that I can get the older four off to swim championships at 6:30 am.  This is a win-win situation, the little guys will have a dreamy time getting special attention from Grammy and I will be able to be more present to, and more relaxed with, my older children while they finish up their swim season.  The bonus is tonight, when I get to sit down to dinner with four people who can actually stay at the table for the entire meal.  After dinner we will don pajamas and play a board game, uninterrupted by little fingers stealing game pieces.  Tomorrow I will cheer and scream, and between events I will play UNO and knit with them, keep them hydrated and psyched up, enjoy their individual personalities.  We need to do this more often, with different combinations of children, even when there isn’t a special event providing the reason.  I love that my children can fill up their tanks with love from mom and dad or from grandparents, and I remember so fondly the special times alone with my grandparents, and I feel so much calmer and more peaceful with just four children in my care, which is funny, because by most standards that is still a large family!