7

Today, I dared to go where few have gone before.

I rolled up my sleeves and got my hands dirty.

I made a pact to pull up my boot straps and become a man.

Except I'm not a man, and I have no idea what a bootstrap is. But that's beside the point.

Ahem. The point is, today, I hosted 7 children ages 4 and under at my house. By myself. And frankly, I'm pretty proud of myself.

First, I'm proud I tried. And second, I'm proud I survived.


I would now like to introduce all 7 of them to you because they all played a vital role in my motherhood maturing, and I want to prove to myself someday that there were indeed 7 children (4 & under) in my house at the same time, and I lived to blog about it. With pictures nonetheless!

#1 - Keith - wins the award for best snack distributor and activity picker-outer.



#2 & #3 - Conley & Ellie Kate - both awarded for their heroic efforts in attempting to keep the younger ones in line.



#4 - Claire - easily wins as the most daring and the most likely one to give me a hear attack. (ie. turned my back for ten seconds and she managed to stick her whole leg into the fish pond. Oy.)



#5 & #6 - Peyton & Stone - most easily forgotten for their exceptional independence and laidbackness - until they needed a snack, and then - WATCH OUT!



And last, but certainly not least, #7 - Canaan - champion eater, slobber-er, and paci-sucker.



So, there are the troops. And never once did they fight, argue, push, hit, or decide to turn on me.

No, really, I'm serious. They were great!

So, what do you do with 7 kids (4 & under) at a play date for two and a half hours by yourself?

You read books....



Eat plenty of snacks....



Feed the rabbit....



And an assortment of other things, of which I can't recall at this very moment.

Hey, give me a break. I survived!

On a more serious note, I did this as a part of a mom's morning out. I host the kiddos one day, while mom goes out and gets some much needed TLC, and likewise, she keeps mine while I go out another morning. I'm not sure why it took me so long to figure this out, but it sure has made a world of difference. Every mom needs a little time to herself - to grocery shop, go to the post office, or just pull over and take a nap. We moms gotta stick together, and I am so glad I have friends who come along side me and help during this sweet time in life.

Now excuse me while I got eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee ice cream.