What would we do without grandparents?

According to a workingmums' survey, 44% of parents rely on their own mum and dad to help out with childcare. The figures don't surprise me. I would be up the traditional creek without a paddle without my mum. Indeed, she is coming around today so that I can go into the office. This is no small feat with the number of children now involved. Thank goodness she had me when she was young! Once you get past, say, two children, childcare becomes nigh on impossible unless you are a top executive. The costs involved are astronomical, particularly if you are a freelance and working tax credits are based on last year's earnings which means you are constantly in debt to the tax office. If you need someone to pick up your kids on the odd day you have a late meeting, you need to ask at least two friends because a) four extra kids is too much of a favour and b) if they need to pick them up in a car, they won't be able to fit them in unless they are the proud owner of a minibus.
My mum is great with the children, but a full day of looking after them is fairly taxing, it has to be said, and that was before the latest addition. The other day she came round and, within minutes, bonkers daughter had changed her earrings, submitted her to her "beauty" parlour and finished her off with a spotted bow alice band, all while she was trying to rock the baby [I think I was in another room dealing with big girl daughter]. A morning at home with the kids is about as much as even I can manage at the moment. Bonkers daughter is always threatening to use the baby as some sort of experiment so you can't basically put him down in case she tries to do something. Big girl daughter is like some sort of heat-seeking missile when she sees the baby. She simply has to kiss him, even when he is asleep, even though I tell her 100 times a day that this will wake him up and can't she wait. Rebel daughter just wants to spend time together chatting. Meanwhile, the baby is great company, cooing and chuckling, but only when you hold him and mainly when you hold him while standing up. He doesn't like you not looking at him or resting. For this reason, I have taken to organising some sort of excursion every day and, after waking up every two hours in the night, this is beginning to take its toll. Boy am I looking forward to the return to the school run. Six weeks is just too much of a good thing.