Cathy and Steve Schwartz both work full-time and Catherine's sister, Donna, who lives just a block away and raised Cathy after their mom's death, is the main caregiver for their four rambunctious Schwartz children. There's baby Emily, 1, Katelyn, 3, Amanda, 4, and Samantha, 6. From morning to night, no one wants to discipline the children, and any attempts made by the parents are thwarted by Donna, whose refrain is, "They're just kids." Mornings are a study in chaos, as Mom plays short-order cook to the girls, racing to get to the older ones on the school bus and herself to work on time. Plus, though she's 3-1/2, Katelyn still isn't potty-trained. Dad says that keeping the girls in line is harder than his job as a city cop, and Cathy despairs that the girls consider Donna more their mom than herself.