As My Head Spins

My Day: Jumping at 5:07am when the alarm on my cell phone goes off, hit snooze and think of where you put your workout clothes the night before. Jump again at 5:12am, crawl reluctantly out of bed and get dressed. 5:25am leave for morning exercise with Julie wondering just why in the heck you're doing this. Feel good after workout, head back home. Walk into deliciously quiet home, enjoy quiet shower with no cold water being poured on you, no kids swiping open curtain. Get out and start to trying to wake up kids. Arguing with them about getting up, finding their clothes, herding them to the living room to get dressed, explain that there is no TV in the mornings before school. Scowl at husband when he turns on the news. Get kids dressed, by haranguing them for 10 minutes. (put your socks on, pull your pants up, put your shirt on, put your shoes on untie them first). get breakfast, pour chocolate milk, crack the whip over breakfast, eat eat eat. Herd them to bathroom brush wash comb brush wash comb. Find backpacks, coats, send them out the door. Hope they remember to hand in homework. Get youngest ready for pre-K working continuously around husband who is in his own world. Pre-K kids to school, run errands, home for an hour to get ready for the day, back out to pick up kindergartner and Pre-K kids. Wish they had all day Kindergarten. Pouring chocolate milk, snack time, yes you can watch a little TV, referee over what we are going to watch, dishes in dishwasher, pick up morning mess, get lunch, throw laundry in, can't vacuum, too many toys on floor, pick up toys, vacuum, turn off TV and listen to fit, kids in corner for timeout, start Kindergarten homework. Oldest comes home, snack for him, no you can't watch TV til homework done, no friends til homework done. Delay tactics engaged by oldest, dodge them and get him to work. Have to sit right with him. Pouring chocolate milk for the umpteenth time, directing homework, refereeing arguments, trying to think of dinner, wondering if the laundry is done and when are you going to get it folded, reiterating AGAIN why you can't watch TV and do homework, reiterating AGAIN that if you did your work at school we wouldn't have to do homework. Reading the instructions to homework only to be argued with because they think they need to do it different. Asking little one to be quiet so others can do their homework, little one defies you and runs around screaming at the top of his lungs. Keeping the other two focused, deflecting questions that are no way related to homework subject and are just the kids way of diverting your attention so they can put off doing the homework. Getting homework done, whew, only to realized that it is way past time to start dinner. Try to explain to kids that they can't have friends over because it's dinner time and they dawdled too long over homework to be able to have friends. Listening to the fit and putting them in the corner to get over it. Find something for dinner, start cooking it, remember laundry, go get it and fold it, burn dinner (again), referee another fight. Husband walks in the door only to say "why isn't the house clean", want to fling burnt Noodles and Sauce at him, but just grin and say "I'll get to it in a minute." Get dinner over with, clean it up, well almost clean it up, put dishes in sink and food in fridge, give burnt noodles to dogs, herd children into bedroom for pajamas, argue over whether or not they get to watch a movie before bed. Think seriously about putting sledge hammer through all TV's in household. Savor visual picture of this one minute too long and lose all the kids. Round them up again, pj's on, teeth brushed if we're lucky, pee and throw in bed. Pour chocolate milk AGAIN. Best time of day is getting milky goodnight kisses. Close the door and HOPE they stay in there. Walk in my room for a little R&R only to find stacks of laundry, deposit clothes by kids door because you don't want to start the whole bedtime routine again if you walk in the bedroom, put our folded clothes away put hang up clothes on chair with intentions of getting to them in the morning, fall face first into bed hoping to watch a little CSI before sleep hits. Wake up at 3:30 am with TV still running and thinking "I've only got 1.5 hours left of sleep till it's exercise time."