Round Up

To conclude ...
Haha, yeah, I know - I have done an AWFUL job of doing a day to day. But mostly, it's not my fault. Between Jenie and Michael's crappy internet service and me falling asleep with the kids - I just couldn't maintain. So blame Telus and 7 (sometimes 6) kids for me not keeping in touch.
A general summary of the week:
We went to the River Slide twice. Good times. The second time we got there before they had turned it on, so we just played in the pond it dumps into. The kids didn't seem to care either way. I couldn't find Baby L only once; she had wondered off to sit with another family with kids eating snacks. Shoulda known. Little mooch. Don't kill me for misplacing her, please Michael. It was only like two minutes. I swear.
H got a yeast infection on Tuesday, so her grandma Bobbie came over to help her take care of it. They decided to just take her with them that evening since they had planned on taking her the next day for her birthday anyway. She was gone till last night. Surprisingly, that made the dynamic around here A LOT easier to deal with. H is quite the manipulator and she and E have a VERY hard time dealing peacefully with each other. So without H running the show O, E and Ms. R played all three days without screaming, tears or me tearing my hair out in frustration.
All the kids besides H have taken the time Michael and Jenie have been gone relatively well. H ... not so much. One kid out of 5 isn't so bad though. Good odds, I'd say. The one I was the most worried about - Baby L had taken them being gone surprisingly well with no complaints. We (meaning Baby L and I) do butt heads frequently, but she's almost two and I don't take subordinance well. Don't tell me toddlers aren't subordinate and ornery.
So, in conclusion - the time has gone slowly simply because I am lonely not because the situation was overwhelming. I can do 7 kids without it being a big deal - mostly I think because I had nothing else on my plate. It has made me consider taking on a kid or two more myself. Kind of. Not seriously. Just ponder. You know, maybe in a couple/few years.