Pause, Breathe

There is no noise like the noise of Five Boys. Particularly, I dare say, if the Five Boys are all of the same age.  My ears are still ringing.

Wednesday started what has come to be known at our house as The Four Busy Days.

The Four Busy Days began with me volunteering for a fundraiser at Nicco's school which I only volunteered for in an effort to look good. It was Papa John's Pizza Delivery Night. Painted Sky Families could order pizza and have the kids' teachers deliver it! Fun! Tip your teacher! Yippee! Mrs. G. sent an e-mail telling the parents of her students that she would be a delivery gal, but she needed two drivers to take two-hour shifts on the delivery night. After a couple of days went by, (I thought surely by then someone would have taken the slots) I asked if she had her drivers. She said via e-mail that I was the first to offer! Oh. Okay. See, I didn't really want to do it. I just wanted her to know I was willing to do it. Foiled by my own delusions of awesomeness. I had to actually be awesome, instead of only appearing to be awesome.

I took the early shift and Nicco came along. The day before the event the co-chair called to make sure we all followed through with our commitments. She said she had so much fun last year that she volunteered to help chair the event this year. Don't worry, my delusions don't stretch that far. Anyway, we met at the pizza joint, had a slice, then hit the road. We delivered 5 pizzas in our shift, chatted about this and that, got in some good quality time with the lovely Mrs. G., and got home in time for the Daddy to say, "Maybe we should order pizza!" It was a well organized event and I'm glad I scored the desirable Brownie Points on such an easy task!

Thursday was The Boy's Birthday. Busy.

Friday was a first grade field trip to the Pumpkin Farm. Truth being told, that is where I really wanted to score my brownie points. Alas, I was not alone. Mrs. G. put the names of the volunteers into a hat and drew out two lucky parents. I was not one of them. boo. I had to send my boy off on his first Field Trip on a Bus, alone. Without me. Just like his first day of French Camp, I survived.

Those Three Busy Days behind us, I had to face the Busiest of the Busy Days. Birthday Party Day. I let Nicco choose five friends. I scheduled a bounce house to be delivered. It arrived, Nicco bounced. We skipped lunch for the bouncing. Then the friends trickled in, one by one. It was a bouncy good time. There were only a few arguments about who was The Boss. King for a Day did not like the Peasant Uprising. There were only a couple of bumps and bruises and I think only one elbow to the face. When the Testosterone-Fueled Seven Year Old Alpha Male contest reached a boiling point, I, in my wisdom, shut it down and fed the animals Sugar. Sugary-sugar with sugar on top.

Then presents. Then more bouncing. Then, mercifully, three o'clock came. The boys went home, one by one. Minutes after the last one pulled away, the Daddy came home and took over. Ahh. Daddies. Yay!

My ears are still ringing with the shouts and *other* noises of five boys.

Now my two boys are playing. And I don't have to supervise them.