So that's what was wrong

Ah ha!

Today the kids and I tackled the basement. See, when the fleas got bad downstairs the older 3 kids kids moved upstairs. This was fine but challenging. Their clothes moved upstairs and they lived out of laundry baskets because of lack of space upstairs... Etc., and the kids went back to bunking in the bunk bed upstairs (double bed bottom with a twin top. (Ricky got kicked out of his study space room which sucked too)

So it has been over 2 months and now that the fleas are gone there was this daunting task of cleaning up the aftermath. (The real aftermath mostly being all the pesticide residue needed cleaned up!) And we left the place a mess down there! There was lots of dusting to be done, lights that burned out, and the smoke detectors needed new batteries. Oh, and after we put the cats outside we didn't take the litter boxes out --or even clean them lol)

...So there was WORK to be done!

Well today after the kids did a great job helping me finally clean, declutter, vacuum, and wipe down the basement I felt a ton of bricks fall from my back and the kids happily romped and played in their special space. So I was right, they were all getting sick of each other, BUT more than that they needed space. Of course it's only been one evening. And for a good portion of it they turned the tv on down there! lol. But they are all nestled in their clean beds; Sage and Ethan in beds next to each other and Charlotte and Layla in Charlotte's room. (I hope Layla doesn't wake up tonight! - This is her first night down there:)

And so for now, I breathe a sigh of relief.