Marbles Lost

Well, it is official folks. I might have just lost my marbles. For the last three weeks the house has been taken over by girls. Three little Polish girls and two little Galway girls. Girls, Girls, Girls. Of course Jack and Ron are here too, but only a little blip on the radar.

The three little Polish girls that have come to stay with us for the month of June go back to their full-time foster family next week but before they do, we have arranged a visit with their little brother who is only ten months old. Seven kids under one roof should be enough. Throwing a toddler into the mix for a few hours is barely noticeable at this stage of the game.

Next week, life will return to normal. Whatever normal is of course. At this point, normal looks like the two little Galway girls will be staying for the rest of summer (at least) and in less than two weeks my Sister and her hubby arrive (from France) with their four children. 

The lessons I have learned over the last three weeks are of great value to me, to my husband, to my friends and to my family. If I drink too much coffee I am a beeatch! So, less caffeine intake has given me a calmer attitude when trying to harang these fiesty females. 

First order of business was to beg one of my friends (Becca from Waterford) to come hang out with us for a few weeks to help. My handsome hubby (and I) decided it would be better if he stayed at work during this stint of craziness so that he could reserve his time to spend with my Sisters family when they come.

Living with a lot of little ladies (ages 4 to 9) we have come to the conclusion that 'we are all the same'. Although they all come from very very different backgrounds they obsess over the exact same things:

1. Clothes
2. Shoes
3. Boys
4. Hair 

Thankfully, the weather has been so warm and sunny that bathing suits, shorts and towels are the most used outfits. 

A 'we share everything 'cept underwear ' policy was instituted and accepted early on in the game (thanks to my little Rory-Belle) and that made getting dressed each day a hell of a lot easier.

The food side of things has gone swimmingly and I hope to report in more detail on this as soon as I get a few minutes to 'menu' blog. 

Peer pressure reared its ugly head in a positive manner and in a way it is comforting to see that 'monkey see, monkey do' when it comes to eating salad and veggies. However, as much as we were all thrilled to see how successful this was I cautioned the chef by fast forwarding him to five years from now when one of them brings home a pack of Marlboro Lights and offers a cigarette to the gaggle of girls. .......... be still my thumping heart and just enjoy them while they are young and less hormonally charged.

There is nothing easy about taking  a plethora of additional children into your home and life be it short term or longterm. Rules and routines that you might have instituted for your own children have to be taught and enforced in order to keep things running smoothly. But what I have learned is that kids need other kids. Even when they have been at their meanest (and believe me 'spitting venom' does not come close to describing it) they still have made an incredible bond that very likely will last a lifetime.

Remember to check your judgmental attitude at the door and realize that they are just 'kids' is all that is important. 

Now, back to the searching for all those missing marbles.

Those are all the WiseWords I have for this (already very hot) Father's Day morning!

WiseMóna