What can we do NEXT?

We've just survived a HUGE week. I hosted and babysat 5 kids (3 preteens and our own) and a busy/edgy husband under one roof. This was how it went:

Monday: The kids had other plans. We had a quiet day. Mathena started sniffling and coughing. Alex did heaps of running around.

Tuesday: We had a walk to the nearby park. The day was sunny and the kids were good. We later came home for some drawing time after lunch. Cooked dinner for 2 families. Mathena's temps. rose.

Wednesday: After another playground/park morning, came "we're bored...aunty Sarah, what can we do?" I whipped up some craft packs and they went straight into it (except for the only boy in the group who called for helped every 2 minutes with his timber model). My girls loved the interaction and fun...and starting to be quite wild in their behaviors. I am running out of ideas to cook...so I took out leftover spagetti which was promptly ignored!!!!!

Thursday: The kids stayed overnight last night...and it was BUSY! Everything had to be done last minute as the mom was "not well".

Friday: Went to the beach with the kids for nearly 2 hours. The days are feeling kinda long as my creative juices have stopped flowing with ideas due to lack of sleep and exhaustion (Mathena's feverish nights). We bribed them with yogurt to finish their soups for dinner. Mathena's still not eating well and spewing food everywhere. The laundry is piling up fast. Thank goodness the mother arrived 30 mins earlier to help out.

We basically fed, entertained, fed, played, fed, bath, fed and "disciplined" 5 kids under our roof. Kids CAN eat (everything except what's given)!! After this experience, I am very happy to stay with just having 2 girls and NO MORE! Noone can convince me to have more kids!!

The guests children (a set of twin girls age 10 and an 8 year old boy) were pretty normal for their age and background but it sure was an insight to the "family-life" of others. It was a huge lesson on stretching our openness as well as our gratitude for what we have. My girls had a ball!!! Alex showed "strictness" a few occasions and I had to "practice my breathing technique" a few times too. If things are fair, I should have lost some weight too!

On the job front, Alex was offered a job locally but unfortunately many reasons kept us from excepting it. He's now at level 2 of 6 of his other job "interest" and awaiting for stuff/ or a respond.

Pray for quiet times, plenty of rest and recovery for young Mathena who's quickly shrinking in size due to lack of food.

Have a good weekend! I'll be doing loads of laundry.