Sunday 27 July 2008

The next couple of days ...

should be interesting. I have five boys in the house at the moment, which may not seem like a lot to some, but it's most definitely a lot for me! Add in the fact that 3 of them are on the autism spectrum and it just gets better. Two attitude-filled-almost-thirteen-year-olds, two slightly quieter but just as sassy eleven-year-olds and my rather loud and unco-operative (at the moment) nine-year-old. Paradise!

A friend has had a death in the family on the other side of Australia and asked if I could look after her two boys so she could go to the funeral. Flights to the Eastern states being what they are (that is, unavailable at short notice unless you leave and arrive at dark o'clock .. aka midnight), she was planning to drop them off on her way to the airport at 10:30pm and pick them up on her way home from the airport at roughly the same time.

In a moment of inspired madness, I talked her into dropping them off at dinnertime tonight and picking them up from school as usual on Wednesday, so that I didn't have to wait up for them. (I like my sleep but I'm sure we've covered that numerous times before.) Judging by the noise level now roaring through the house, it wasn't one of my better ideas, but I seem to remember that they sleep well, when they actually go to sleep, so there's hope yet!

The noise seems mostly to be about the Wii. Four remotes and five children is never a recipe for peace especially when they're all boys, but they seem to have reached a compromise with a two player game that they are all taking turns with. It's really quite enlightening listening to all the instructions being thrown around and yet, none of them seem capable of following their own instructions. I hope the games consoles (and my eardrums) survive the onslaught!

In all seriousness though, they're all good kids (most of the time .. no-one's perfect!) and it shouldn't be too bad. As I said to their mother, "I'll get them back to you in one piece physically. You can send me the bill for the therapy later!"

I'm off to try and send them all to bed and to find the bottle of port from Margaret River. I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to need it by 9pm.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I just read this - it makes me feel like reaching for the alcohol as well - and they are not even in my house!!!!