Ignore. Drink. Relax.

Designer Unknown

Chaos is defined as the inherent unpredictability in the behavior of a complex natural system. 
A state of utter confusion.
 
As I type this I am in between house guests. Normally my house is tranquil and quiet.  Orderly like the paper clips above, but now they have been scattered.

The first house guests were dear friends from Austria. They have an almost 2 year old. Now this toddler was a trooper. He has jumped time zones more than the Tardis this season. (Doctor Who reference)

While they were visiting, my three year old went off his normal sleep schedule. Two youngsters off their sleep patterns creates touchy, cranky, even crabby kids. Any parent out there can tell you sleep schedules are important not only for the kids, but also for the parents.

Decompression time is critical for parental sanity. 

Now, my sister and her husband are coming with my 8 month old niece from California. As I type this they are driving though Wisconsin.

How to keep sanity with bonus children in the house whose schedules are disrupted?

I have three simple steps to keep my zen.
Ignore. Drink. Relax.

Ignore the Rules.
This doesn't mean let your kid(s) get away with everything. Commons sense rules tend to be forgotten by young minds when they are motivated by the palpable excitement of getting to play with someone else.

What it does mean is let naps happen off schedule if they happen at all. Sometimes having them all sit down on the sofa in front of a Chuggington, Thomas or VeggieTales is all the rest that is going to happen.

I have to reconcile myself to the fact that my standard, daily unwind time will have to be sacrificed. Bedtime isn't going to be on time.

You can put kids to bed, but you can't make them sleep.

For the past four days it was ten thirty most nights when the adults would go to sleep. I would check on my son before going to bed and he would still be in a semi awake state of consciousness.

He is an only child. It is very exciting when there is someone else sleeping in you room.

Drink Coffee.
I have a personal rule to not drink caffiene after one in the afternoon. I am typically awake all night if I do. This is another rule to ignore.

Kids don't need an energy boost. Adults do, I do.

It isn't solely for the caffeine. Drinking coffee comes with slowing down long enough to drink it. When I am host for guests, I find I rarely sit down.

The point of having people stay with you is to spend time with them. 

Grab the coffee and sit down. Let the kids play. Give them a chance to figure out social skills for themselves. Chat with your friends, or family.

I am a coffee addict, but there does come a time when coffee isn't what you need.
I know, shocker! 

When the kids were finally contained to my son's bedroom for the night, we would sit down to play a game, chat and drink some home brewed beer.

We tried to convince ourselves it was for the greater good because we needed to clear up some space in the chest freezer for the brew my husband and my friend's husband made earlier that day.

In the end, it was just a nice way to end the day.

Relax.
I for one am horrible at this step. I spend so much time making sure everyone's needs are met that I forget about my own. There is one thing I have to keep reminding myself.

Things will go wrong, but that's okay.

So dinner might be late, or burnt. That's okay.

You can always order a pizza. When you live near Chicago, it is practically a manditory meal for visitors anyway. Deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's.

A kid or two might get hurt. That's okay.

Running in a outdoor activity because my house is too small to be a race track. This rule was ignored by the kids. My son ran down the hall at full speed, rounded the corner to the office, and jumped into a pile of bedding. Or he tried to. He jumped to far, hit the wall and knocked himself silly.

The panic button activated in me the day he was born went off. He got a bruise, a bump and a headache, but he is just fine.

You can't control everything and that is when the best memories are made.

I just received a text. The next round of guests are just about here.

I plan to ignore some of the rules. Like drinking another cup coffee even though it is three in the afternoon or maybe even drink my husbands home brewed breakfast stout brewed with my lagniappe decaf roast. When they pull into my driveway, I will be relaxed.

I plan to make memories, not family enemies by having a breakdown from stress.

It is September already. The holidays are going to be upon us before we know it.  
How do you handle the stress of visitors or being a house guest yourself?
I would love to learn some new tricks. Use the comment box below or contact me directly at sarahjorichards@gmail.com.

Happy Roasting and Brewing!