Temporarily Out of Service...

When we got through the summer, I had such high hopes for the fall.  I thought for sure that with children nestled all snug in their classrooms, that I would have quiet mornings to get some of my favorite things done, like blogging, and enjoy some peace and quiet as I pad around the house with two sleeping kids.  It's mid-October, and I'm still waiting.  Instead of carefree time and reading books on a comfy couch, my days are more like a giant, daily, slide than anything else.

Just like climbing UP the steps of the slide, my mornings start with an uphill battle: me getting up is the first hurdle - especially if Isaiah was up a lot in the night, followed by getting everyone ELSE up.  Then its getting breakfast, doing some scripture study with the kids, and the "showering/dressing/bedmaking" rigmarole that needs to take place before the "find your backpack/shoes/homework" scurry, so we can send off daddy and the first two to school. *breathe!*

Next rung up is "Morning Madness" of gathering clothes, stacking dishes and putting away breakfast followed by the "Morning Machine Race" where I start my house working for me before I am buried by IT.  Laundry in, dishwasher started, quick vacuum (which is almost so quick it looks as though it didn't even happen at all,) and a check at my dinner list to see what needs to be bought/thawed/prepped.

After that, the next step is usually the first load of laundry ready to be folded.  Somewhere in there a toddler needs attention, and there were some diaper changes in there.  Then my Kinder comes home.  After the big climb up, it is allllll downhill from here. If it's not done by now, its probably not gonna get done today.

Open backpack to see what homework *I* (sic) now have.  Seriously, a Kindergartner is supposed to come up with a creative way to do a "self-portrait" on a gingerbread cookie? When was the last time your kinder asked for some ric rac, was responsible with glue, and even cared that the stupid project even got done??  More digging; A Sally Foster fundraiser. *sigh* and it's RED RIBBON week.  Hooray. So on top of a bonkers morning I also have to facilitate the crazy hat/pajamas/crazy hair and athletic wear???!!!  All this so that my kids will not do drugs.  They'll just LOOK like they're doing drugs - for a week.

Do that homework, put baby down for a nap and read the library book they sent home with a check list, "15 minutes a day to reading success! *smiley*."  Then put everything BACK in the backpack and get ready to get big Sis.  Who also has homework.  Some of which is actually appropriate for her age.  Since the grocery store is by her school, I get to go shopping with ALL the kids, as I wonder how on earth I ran out of pancake syrup and milk in just one weekend (aka "what my kids did this weekend while Mum and Dad were cleaning the grungy carpet....").  Yes, its like Ralphie on the slide, as someone comments to me, "You look really tired kid."  Really?  I thought it was on top of it! AHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh. *thud*

Finally, with the whole crew out of school, errands completed, and back home. Cue the whining as we start the "do your bit" part of tidying - which could also be named, "Mommy could do it faster AND better, but I am raising productive children and not plants" portion of the day.  Kids complain and drag their feet while accomplishing such mammoth tasks as putting away their own laundry, unloading part of the dishwasher, and helping set the table - cuz now its time to start getting dinner on the table.  And cleaned up. 

Then everyone in jammas.  Books to read, teeth to brush, and a slew of nighttime requests and "special appearances" of pajama'd kids, while I collapse into a comatose trance watching something like "Dancing with the Stars."

Somewhere in these days I have to wedge in plans for Halloween costumes, checkups, teacher's conferences, "minimal" school days, visiting teaching, the mountain of paper that magically appears on every horizontal surface, and extra projects that kinda make my head spin.  Oh how I despise you neighborhood ghost for giving me an extra project to complete in "just one day!" 

And that's the bottom of the slide.  It takes a day to get from top to bottom, and it will start alllll over again tomorrow.  I have had some blogging thoughts, but they just don't have the time to mature into a real post.

My Mother once said, "If you thought you had to do it all the time, you'd never make it.  So, just take it one day at a time, and things will change...." 

Yes they will.  The baby will sleep through the night. The toddler will get toilet trained, and some day - the kids won't want us to put them to bed.  But for now, its a daily trip up and down the slide.  Its crazy, its nuts, but it won't last forever.  I'm sorry blogging friends who keep stopping by for a lucid thought.

I'm like a log roller.  You are either on top of it, straddling it, or under it.  Right now, I'm just trying to stay on top of the log. We'll just have to hope for lucid thoughts later. ;D