I live in a state of “constant”. Most moms do. While I’m working on one task, I’m thinking about the next one or making a list for the next several. Speaking of which – I love lists. They give me the freedom to forget. Anyway… I work three days a week. On my way home I mentally walk through the evening’s to-do list: homework, the supper plan, whether or not the kids need baths, whether or not I need to do laundry, whether or not Chad or I have plans that evening. It helps me to be prepared when I walk in the door, to hit the ground running. I walk in the door, our sitter gives me the run down on the kids’ attitudes, and it starts.
- Can I have a snack?
- Can I play the Wii?
- Can I play on the computer?
- Eli pulled my hair in the carpool line again today.
- I didn’t pull any cards today!
- Can I go outside?
- What are we doing tonight?
- Can we have friends over?
- What’s for supper?
- Can we go out for supper?
Deep breath….. No more questions. Everyone can have a snack. No one can play games. No one can go outside. It’s time for homework. Resounding moans from all three…. check. Did I remember to get the meat out of the freezer this morning? Crap. Plan B.
Thirty to forty-five minutes later and homework is done, Eli is playing the Wii, Ada is on the computer, and Grace is outside. Everyone is having snacks and violating the “no food and games simultaneously” rule because frankly I just don’t care at this point.
Or there’s the two days a week that I don’t work. Those are the days where we have swim lessons and soccer. I feel like a relay runner. Have you seen those runners? They stand there waiting for the runner to make his way around the track – anxious, nervous, jittery, then they start to go even before the runner makes it to them with their arm back waiting for the baton. That’s how I feel on those days, waiting in the carpool line. I’m already running before they’re even in the car. I’m ready – just throw ’em in! We have fifteen minutes to have a snack, change clothes, get the swim or soccer bag, and get back in the car. The scary thing is, it will only get busier. More deep breaths…
I’m not looking for sympathy or anything. I just needed to get these words out of my head. Did you know hail gets bigger and bigger the more it bounces around in storm clouds? Yep, it’s like that. I needed to get these words out of my head or else they’ll just keep bouncing around and getting bigger and bigger until a giant crazy storm unleashes. My poor kids.
So there you have it. My rambling for today. I’m not sure the last time my bathroom was cleaned, thankfully my baby-sitter is past the nauseous stage of her pregnancy. I don’t recommend going into my children’s bedrooms. But we haven’t been late to swim lessons or soccer yet, the kids haven’t missed any meals, they have clean clothes to wear, and they’re all in bed. So I will check today off, dish up a piece of french silk pie, and watch last week’s Grey’s Anatomy.