Mom, Mom, Mom!!!

We are trying to sell our house. I was really worried, and it might get worse, but it has been fabulous so far. Everyone keeps saying that they don't know how I am doing it. This is how: Everyone helps! Such a great concept! After dinner, everyone helps until it's all clean. In the morning, everyone cleans and works together until it's done. By 9:00 am every morning, my house is spotless. I barely know what to do with the day. All day every day I am cleaning and keeping my head above water. Today after newspapers, Cars took the laundry from the dryer and took it to his bed and folded it and put it all away for me, on his own. I didn't even ask. Some things have had to change. I no longer allow neighbors in the house. Huge difference. The neighbor girls told me today that the gate was closed so they couldn't get into the back yard and wanted to know if they were really fast and quiet if they could sneek through my house. I felt bad, but it's a must (I did allow them to scurry to the backyard through the house, I'm not THAT mean!). I am not baking as much. That's sad to me and the kids, but we make it by. DQ is just down the street! As a really nice side effect, I am much nicer, more patient mom. I have time to really be with the kids, without stress and worry of the house. It's been great. Tonight we delivered papers, cleaned out the Yukon...spotless, played in the neighborhood, went to the library (without dad, I am moving up. I used to not do much with just me and all 5 boys), went to the dollar store for poster board so we can make a summer plan, had a lesson on business with money, and made homemade healthy pizza and cut watermelon together (all without Chet I must add). It's been fabulous! That's how every night seems to be going. The kids are going to bed closer to 9 than 8, because I have so much every night that I am still wanting to do with them. So tonight, it seemed to be dragging on and on after I told them it was bedtime. I snapped at them and told them they were going to start paying me money if they didn't get to bed. Carter comes to my bedroom door and we have this conversation: MOM! No Carter, go to bed. But mom! No Carter, go to bed. But mom, I.. NO CARTER! I am not mom anymore. GO TO BED. Ok, Kimber, can I... and that's when I lost it. He was gone in a flash. Little turd. I tell him I'm not mom anymore after 9, I need to be Kimber sometimes, so he calls me Kimber. What a punk!