Overwhelmed with children
No, not me - my neighbours 
Things were a bit better today than they were last week - I think a full weekend, followed by a busy Monday, has helped 
Since Freddy was wondering what it was like to be at school, we had a “school-start” morning - I didn’t wake the boys, but I did get them doing teeth-cleaning etc earlier than usual, and everyone had eaten by 8.30. Then I told them to put on their coats and shoes and to go sit in the conservatory for ten minutes and pretend it was a car on a school-run 
They did some work, though less than I’d intended since it some of the locals are on half-term this week and came calling - so after lunch all except Toby went out to play. At about 4.30 Freddy came asking if they were allowed into their friend N’s house (they’re not supposed to go in anyone’s house without letting me know) and I said yes - never thinking that N’s parents are used to having one child in the house! The shock of six kids (N, a cousin, and my four) was too much for them and they sent two of mine home 
Freddy fell to bits at dinner-time when he realised that he couldn’t go back to N’s after dinner (he was one of the two sent home), and between that and nobody bothering to tidy up the living-room or the landing or their bedrooms, the decision was taken that bed was a more suitable goal for the evening than ju-jitsu.
Toby is just being a darling - all chatty and smiley. He’s really grabbing things now, and it’s getting harder to eat or drink or email or blog with him around! Scratchy and I were commenting on how fab he is yesterday, and I nearly gave Scratchy a stroke by saying that one more baby couldn’t hurt… 
- half-joking, half-serious to be honest. I’ll blog more about my feelings on that topic another time, when I’m not about to start on a cup of tea
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To get the real school experience, you’ll have to stop cleaning the toilets for a few weeks.
And stop them learning weird stuff like Latin, there’s PSHE to be done you know!
You could always drag them out early during really horrid weather and then sit in wet clothes till they have had enough- that should give them a fair idea.
Um, school experience, 30 min drive + time waiting at roadworks, drop kids at various points, assembley, being stuck in classroom doing something you don’t want to do, playtime (bored kids given freedom), eating rubbish food, Um I’ll stop.