This is an update of my previous post, “Banished.”  It is now 12:08 am and after a couple of hours of blissful quiet while the gaggle was watching a silly movie called “She’s the Man,” all noisy hell has broken loose.

About ten minutes ago, the six tweens came bounding out of the sunroom after the movie ended, running and laughing and yelling.  My husband had decided that he would brave the noise from our bedroom on the 2nd floor.  The truth is, he’s not really braving it.  He’s deaf in one ear and has learned to cushion his good ear against a pillow when he wants to enjoy some silence.

And although my own hearing is declining as I age, I still have the benefit of two working ears.  So after being banished to my bedroom by Chloe earlier this evening, I banished myself to the attic in order to get some sleep.  So much for that.  As I started to doze a few minutes ago, the movie ended, and I awoke with a start to the running, laughing and yelling.

They will eventually fall asleep, right?

I am too old for this.  And let me tell you, I mean it.  I felt as old as I’ve ever felt a little while ago when, in my nightgown and ugly (but oh so cozy) Lands’ End robe, I went downstairs to check on the girls and found myself making them popcorn, preparing a couple of bowls of cereal and cleaning up their plates filled with cupcake crumbs.