Our Helper (live-in maid) has arrived.

It's a bit odd having a stranger in the house over night, but we are about 48 hour into having a Helper and I'm more than sold on this new arrangement.

There are groceries in the house. Dinner was waiting on the table when we came up from the playground last night. There are clean clothes in the drawer and my bathroom is clean. I've woken up both mornings a bit later than usual and walked out to the kids sitting quietly at the table eating breakfast.

Other than giving our Helper a short grocery list and an idea for dinner, I haven't actually asked her to do anything - she just knows what to do. I am so glad I spent the extra time to find someone with the right combo of experience for us. The kids seem very comfortable with her, and she has played games and answered lots of curious questions.

But more important than that, our first few regular days have been filled with little bits of magic, because I was present and not off trying to get things done in small slivers of time.

• I played one-on-one with each of the kids.
• I took just the Littles to the Wadding Pool. That's special for the little ones, as MsC is always bored there, so we hardly ever go to that pool.
• I read a story to just MsE in the MIDDLE of the day.
• I made a tent with the kids for MsC read to MsE in.
• MsC had another person to chatter with and felt important because she helped our Helper find the grocery store and pick some extra favorites from the store.
• I didn't have to hush anyone while I tried to get MsE down for a nap.
• We tackled so many puzzles and board games.
• I watched a movie WITH my children, rather than putting one on so I could get a task done.
• and our Arch Nemesis Bedtime...well, bedtime went so smoothly, that Jonathan actually went for a run after the kids were asleep and then we stayed up chatting.

Tonight our Helper is going to come down to the playground and hopefully we can introduce her to some of our neighbours.