The early morning rush - I’m just not used to it any more!!

You are doing a great job Witzend, take it easy now till the next onslaught at 3pm !

Well done Witzend. I hope there is gin/ wine/ alcohol of choice later when they are all in bed.

You quickly forget, don't you? I still maintain that the best thing about retirement is not setting the alarm at night, and deciding whether to get up or go back to sleep when I wake up in the morning.

Well done Witzend and to your daughter. I remember those morning rush hours, you have my admiration for coping and staying cheerful.
Hope your family appreciates all you do

Well done! I'm sure it is all much appreciated.

I sometimes wonder how I did it (and worked and looked after Elderly Parent too).

I feel quite exhausted just reading this! I had only two children so not quite as hectic, and no cooked breakfasts. Some days we walked, some days I dropped them off on my way to work. I certainly remember being too ill to go to work one day and how many phone calls it took to unstitch all the arrangements, including childcare after school.
Well done on stepping in Witzend.

Thanks everybody! A very busy after-school time too, early bed tonight zzzzzzzzz

This sounds like my day today. Only 2 children aged 7 and 4 but one puppy !Up at 6 bath and a coffee before they arrived at 7 in PJs to be breakfasted and taken to school .Dog walked with ours.Then pick up at 3 and fed them and back into PJs and just left now.Did the same yesterday and at the weekend had other DDs 6month old overnight so she could have a much needed night off.I'm now off duty re DGCs for a few days. Good job I like early mornings,dogs and children but must admit I'm ready for some me time.One I've visited my own mum in her care home.At least she's safe and well cared for there and I no longer have meals to deliver and worries about her falling etc.But I'm not grumbling because I feel very lucky to see them regularly .And I do often get thanked.Enjoy a well earned rest Witzend when you get home !

Phew witzend, I need a lie down in a darkened room after reading that. I had 36 hours of daughter, in bed very sick with chest infection, and her 5 and 8 year olds, oh yes and their dog, over the weekend. Mummy largely in bed so grannie in charge. Their dog and mine settled back into their easy friendship so no probs. The children rose to the occasion and were Good. You forget how much washing (clothes, towels, children), cooking, snack making, drinks , and tidying up is involved. Painting, drawing, model making, castles and the armies attacking them -endless.
Go Witzend 👍🏻👏.

Wow, two weeks worth! That's stamina. My limit is four days.
I hope you get the weekend off to recharge.

Witzend Your doing a fabulous job I know how hard it is. We had our DGC for four nights last year, we loved it but talk about exhausted ! 🥱

Witzend it’s tiring but remember you are making memories with your GC. We have a constant stream of GC staying here, and I go to stay with the teens.

I can remember staying with my Grans from a very young age and those memories are so precious, an important part of my childhood and foundations of who I am as an adult.

I did 5 nights with two of my GD ( 8 and 5) and I was exhausted ......but I worked 3 days in between school.....its the after school activities that finish me off ....sweating on the poolside at a swimming lesson ......but I did offer ....and my DD was very grateful ....she went away for her 30th

Witzend, I simply can't do it these days. I just don't have the stamina and wouldn't even want to try. I am available for emergencies - but on condition that they are delivered to me, then stay here in the house until collected. School and activities are out of the question.

Doodledog

You quickly forget, don't you? I still maintain that the best thing about retirement is not setting the alarm at night, and deciding whether to get up or go back to sleep when I wake up in the morning.

Oh how I can relate to that!
Back to the usual slothful habits after Friday, hooray!

It’s good exercise at least, 15 min walk to first school, another 15 mins to pre-school, and back.
And repeat in the afternoon. (Come September they’ll all be at the same one. 🙂)

Must remember efficient shopping bag in future though - stopped on way back for 4 pt bottle of milk and a couple of bits, Co-op bag broke halfway back to the house. 😩

Actually, I'm missing this now they're all teenagers

Washerwoman

This sounds like my day today. Only 2 children aged 7 and 4 but one puppy !Up at 6 bath and a coffee before they arrived at 7 in PJs to be breakfasted and taken to school .Dog walked with ours.Then pick up at 3 and fed them and back into PJs and just left now.Did the same yesterday and at the weekend had other DDs 6month old overnight so she could have a much needed night off.I'm now off duty re DGCs for a few days. Good job I like early mornings,dogs and children but must admit I'm ready for some me time.One I've visited my own mum in her care home.At least she's safe and well cared for there and I no longer have meals to deliver and worries about her falling etc.But I'm not grumbling because I feel very lucky to see them regularly .And I do often get thanked.Enjoy a well earned rest Witzend when you get home !

I have a similar timetable to you Washerwoman as I take my grandchildren to school 2 or 3 days a week. My daughter is always grateful and, like you, I feel lucky to see so much of them - but I must admit that I could do with a week away every now and again as it continues through the school holidays when they go to clubs. I also babysit, three times this week, so might be "unavailable" for babysitting next week!

Wonderful you are there and hope you are appreciated.
Your DD sounds fab and SIL …
Do it while you can 👍
Lucky Grandchildren xxx

Washerwoman, I’d be on my knees! No elderly parents any more though, and just as well - I couldn’t cope with them as well! I do really start to feel my age now…

100yards down the road to school this morning and I yell to Gdd1, racing ahead on her bike, ‘Have you got your swimming things?’ (All put in a a bag by SiL and given to her 15 mins before).
No, of course she hadn’t. 😩

Time was when DH and I would arrive at half-term, or during the school holidays, and take over the washing, shopping, cleaning and cooking as well as making sure the GSs had lots of fun. We used to get home to recuperate.
Nowadays it's just me, and the GSs, nearly grown up, look after me quite lovingly.

Ditto.

I never cease to be astonished at the speed at which I slip back into 'screeching' mode on the odd occasion that I do this... 😮 I'm okay until we get to the 'refusing to put shoes on' stage (6 year-old) and then I hear my voice take on an all-too-familiar pitch as I yell at him to 'Come on'.... It's like time-slipping back 40 years 😏

I don’t recall whether it was on GN that I read of someone urging a small child to be quick! - child then responded with,
‘I am bequicking!’

Loved it, and related it the other day to Gdcs - ‘be quick!’ would at least make a change from my usual ‘Hurry UP!

Gds (7) in particular loved it, and told me more than once yesterday morning that he was ‘bequicking’ 😂