Camp Josie

So I had the bright idea of inviting my nieces and nephews over for 5 days and decided to call their stay, "Camp Josie." With 9 people including 7 children and then later one more adult and one more child, I have to say that it was a really enjoyable week full of new memories. I didn't doubt that it would be fun. My childhood consisted of this exact amount of members in my family and I always loved having a busy, noisy household, full of life. I have to give a lot of credit to my MIL who helped out a lot too. Many of our excursions around town were possible because she willingly stayed behind with Karina while I took all the kids out. I got a glimpse of what life would be like with older mostly self sufficient children and I loved it! For once I began to look beyond the baby/preschool years and not feel a sad loss for those sweet young years. I have so much to look forward to! For reference the kids ages including my own kids were--2,5,7,8,12,13,17. I now understand why some mothers of multiple children say it is easier with more children. It really felt that way! I was more motivated to implement true structure. I posted rules and a chore chart and everyone pulled their weight with no fuss. Just like in the classroom the power of peer pressure worked wonders. The older kids reminded the little kids of things they missed, but they guided them too. What I also loved was enjoying trips out with everyone and seeing things through their eyes, remembering the excitement of summer and how exciting new experiences were. Isn't that the joy of having children?