Sugar Rush

The combination of spring fever and the post-Disney effect has created noisy challenges at our house with Gracie wanting to revisit party week in Orlando and Lil deciding that Mickey Mouse was much more deserving of her attention than say, math homework. When Lil and Grace are together one of them is trying to get the other into trouble, and the other is usually cooperating with the plan. When Gracie appeared with a shiner a few weeks ago, Lil denied any part in it claiming she had given up punching her sister for Lent.

And now Lent is over and Petered Rabbit has left them 10,000 grams of sugar to help fuel their little neurons. Their father and I have managed to keep up (just barely)but they have exhausted two young robust babysitters and challenged their regular, bless her heart, grandmotherly sitter who takes care of them on Saturday mornings.

I left them for 2 hours with my very fit 24 year old nephew today and when I arrived home he said "they are a handful". They all went to the park while I was out and he seemed quite shocked at how fast and fit they were (code for able to outrun him).

This is a great relief to me. Every night when I lay down in bed I am so tired that I wonder if my legs will work in the morning...and sometimes, I don't even hear Tony snoring! I don't care if my socks match my pants, if the kids eat marshmellow peeps for breakfast, if Tony has to cook supper, or if we use the TV as a babysitter. I've stopped using my curling iron. The big S has faded from the front of my shirt and has been replaced with ketchup stains.

I was feeling like I had some awful disease until I recognized myself in the face of the 20 something babysitters. Its called parenting, or as my nephew put it: a continuous exercise in active strategic management. Yes, two is more work than one, but its a lot more interesting and fun as well. Lil and Grace get on like a house-on-fire and while the consequences may be similar, it's worth it for the excitement.