Inmates Running the Asylum

I feel like such a fraud.  I grew up being a dog lover and always had the pets with me wherever I was in the house.  Geez until Kate was born both dogs slept with us.  Now that they've been confined to our kitchen/family room area of the house behind the baby gates and are no longer permitted upstairs at night (Rascal ruined that privilege for both of them) and I see how much cleaner the house stays, I don't know if I could ever have a pet running loose in the house again.  I've been trying to give them extra love and attention (such as it is given I don't exercise so theirs comes from being outside in the yard) but the part of me that's left to give after work and the kids ain't much... Jeff is in California through the 17th and I'm here with the little ones right now.  The weather here is picture perfect and the doggies spent most of the day yesterday outdoors.  The boxer likes to move  around as the sun shifts so she's always basking.  Today while the kids and I were having lunch my neighbor rang the doorbell to let me know that Chloe (boxer) was apparently outside the boundaries of the electric fence and hanging out in his yard - not bothering anyone but clearly out of her element...I knew the new batteries for the collars had come so I brought her in and changed her battery leaving her inside and Rascal outside.  I came up to put the kids for their naps shortly afterward (sidebar:  How nice is it to have one kid that I can rock for a bit, give a big kiss to, and put in the crib and she'll go to sleep for me?).  Kate fell asleep and finally Jackson did too and so did I.  Chloe was just barking her head off so I went downstairs to see what's up....my neighbor rang the doorbell again.  This time to report that Rascal was frolicking about with him, his wife, daughter, and their dog as they were outside doing yardwork...Hmmmm.  Both batteries gone bad at the same time.  Granted it's time to change them but they shouldn't go DEAD in a month.  I check the unit in the garage and the light is off.  I check the one in the basement and it's on.  Back to the garage.  Flip the switch back and forth and Voila!  it's back on again.  This is my omen that it's a good think I made arrangements for the pe(s)ts to have a week away at "camp" this week.  So Rascal is now in and I come upstairs to finish my rest and Chloe is barking in the basement...down I go to find Rascal asleep on the back of one of our chairs....he, who is not allowed on the furniture and he KNOWS it....I've been giving them inches and they've been taking miles.  I can't wait to get them out of my hair and to Club Pet in the morning.  It would be such a disaster if they got into one of their horrendous fights, ran away, or even made one of their huge messes in the house while Jeff is away and I'm trying to hold it together by myself.  I don't know what it is with my dogs but they are like having another two small children who have to be monitored constantly.  They have changed my whole outlook on pets.