McBlog

Yesterday was a “curriculum day” at Nykolai’s school (a “kid free” day where the teachers review curriculum issues, cross train, etc) so I worked from home for the day. Many of the other parents aren’t able to work from home so during school holidays or on curriculum days it’s not uncommon for our place to host a few kids for the day. Yesterday was no exception.

Nykolai and three of his mates took over the lounge (with the heater) while I moved a couple of laptops and the phone into the kitchen (no heater) and worked on the table there. We’ve got a Wii, PS2 and Xbox plus the kids all have their DSs. Throw in a few computers hooked to the ‘net and it’s Kiddy Paradise in the lounge (for all ages of kids).

So long as I limit their access to heavy sugar items (no candy, no sodas, etc) then we can get through the day without too much chaos. Trust me, the lesson has been learned from a previous event where cans of solo/lemonade/etc were served at lunch along with some Freddos (small chocolate bars). Huge mistake!

Fortunately the kids spent most of yesterday playing 4-player XBox games. Even though the Wii had 4 remotes, I don’t think they got to it. Beating the crud out of each other and various bots in a Star Wars based game seemed to be the preferred option for the day.

Aside from having to turn on the gas burners on the stove a couple of times so I didn’t get too cold, all went well. I managed to get work done, the kids had fun and the house wasn’t trashed. Throw in some happy parents who didn’t have to take a vacation or sick day, and everyone wins.