Well, der Brucer and I are finally back from grandladsitting, which would be a whole lot easier if they didn't squirm so much!
No, things went pretty well. Of course, with the older lad (aged 6) if anyone asks him to help do something his automatic response is "It's not my fault!" or "But I didn't do anything!" And the younger lad is aged 3, which gives him boundless energy that bounces off of everything.
Still, der Brucer got dinner (aka breakfast for dinner) on the table, with younger lad's help. Games were played. Videos were watched. The parents were out of the grandlads' hair and off their case for a few welcome hours. We even got them to bed without too much of a ruckus.
And then the parents returned. Chaos in less than ten minutes. It's really too bad the parents can't watch der Brucer in action, to see how he exerts control.
Now there's a debate going on in the family, because der Brucer's daughter is reacting to our dogs. "The younger lad is allergic to them! And so am I!" she has decreed. Exactly how allergic either she or he are is unclear, but it is obviously the fault of the dogs; she would not take kindly to anyone suggesting that she take an allergy medicine. (I will admit that having younger lad take medicine at his age without advice from a doctor is not a good idea.) I can't help having the feeling that she would be very happy for us to get rid of the dogs. Not gonna happen, dearie.
There's also a debate about how quickly the basement is to be finished as a living space. Frankly, I don't see the rush, as there's plenty of living space for the two of us in the upstairs. But daughter wants the basement fitted out to her specifications for when she and family visit.
Enough. Der Brucer and I have plenty to do, with unpacking and bookshelving and sorting and such. I can't wait until my over-tall kitchen table arrives, to create that extra workspace I've been longing for. And the boxes are on their way from Dad, with all the CDs and DVDs.
On the drive to babysitting the grandlads, there were flocks of birds dappling the sky with moving spots of grey, some in geese arrows, some in random flocking. I thanked der Brucer for moving me to such a beautiful part of the country. His smile made my day.