A day in the life…

Time… Time is one of the things I covet. I don't necessarily wish that I had more of it, but I do wish it could be spent differently. I start my days by waking up at 5:15 - 5:30 (the alarm clock radio starts playing music at 5:15 and I dread getting out of the bed for at least 15 minutes). I must be dressed and ready to go and prepared to get the kids up by 6:15. Any later than that and there will be hate and discontent overtaking our home. The kids are usually eating breakfast by 6:30 and then it's on to getting dressed, brushing teeth and hair, finding shoes that are never left in the same place twice, putting on said shoes (and socks - after 3 minutes of pulling and stretching and getting them on 'just right'), getting lunches from the refrigerator (that were made the night before in an effort to minimize morning chaos), packing snacks and drinks in backpacks and getting everyone in the car to leave. With any luck, I will have remembered that today is "hat day" (PTO fundraiser) and that the kids must have $1 to participate. Money for them to attend the play and the Scholastic book order are both due today. Hopefully, I will have already written out the check. This morning, I had to find $3 per child (luckily, I had cash in my purse which is unusual these days) for hat day and the play. I also had to find the book order paper and fill out the form. I also had to write out the check to pay for them.

I'm already tired and I haven't even dropped them off at school yet.

By 7:15, we're on the way to school and I'm breathing a sigh of relief that the mad dash is over - for today anyway.

I have a one hour commute each way to work, so when I'm not rushing in the mornings to get everything taken care of and get to work on time, I'm rushing to get home so I can pick up the kids and do the evening routine, which is slightly less stressful but still full.

We get home about 6:00 (unless Daddy is off work and has already picked up kids. In that case, I get home around 5:45). Let's pray to God that I don't need anything from the grocery store. What's for dinner? Corn dog nuggets, chicken strips, fish sticks? You want a cheese quesadilla again? Okay. At least they like fruit, I tell myself. Do you have homework? Of course you do. Sidenote: was I spelling words like precipitation in the 2nd grade? After homework is bath time… every other night, anyway. Put your clothes in the hamper! Go to the bathroom before you get in the shower please! Would you stop aggravating your sister? You are not the mother. Do not tell her what to do! You two are driving me crazy! Stop yelling. (and this is all before either of them gets lathered up!)

After showers, it's time to get underwear and pajamas on and hair brushed. If we're lucky we get teeth brushed, too. It's now 8:30 and time to go to bed, but it'll take another 30 minutes or so before they're wound down enough to fall asleep.

Me? I need a margarita.

My floors haven't been vacuumed or mopped in a couple of weeks. The laundry is not too terribly out of hand because I busted my hump last weekend getting caught up. I have two sinks full of dirty dishes. There are piles of clutter on many of the flat surfaces in my home. The only thing I can think of right now is how quickly I can get my contacts out of my eyes and get in bed.

Let's do it all again tomorrow!

I now know why they invented Prozac.