Has your husband ever asked, "What did you do today?" My typical answer is, "the usual." But today was one of those days that I think deserves a bit more detail. Read on:
Kids are all up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready for school. Amazingly enough, Brianna, the oldest and typically slowest to arise is dressed and laying on my bed waiting for me to wake up. (She's the one I often have to plead and prod to get out of bed and is known to have eaten breakfast in the car.) McKayla soon follows--clothed and ready to go. "Wow," I think. What a great way to start the day. Still, there are lunches to prepare and book fair money to disperse and dad to call and wish a good-morning. Somehow, the little "kink" in our routine of getting ready for the book fair has thrown everyone off. The girls are off to recover some allowance money from their piggy bank to increase their spending power. They spend too much time making plans and we barely make it out of the door in time. 7:28 a.m. and we head up the street to pick up another kid (carpool). As I drop the kids off at the corner near the school (way faster than the drop off loop) Brianna comes back to the car complaining of a piece of mulch that has gotten stuck through her Crocs (the only reason I don't like those shoes!). I quickly fish it out and she runs off only to return seconds later, "I lost my water bottle, it isn't in my pocket!" I assure her she had left it at school the day before and she is again on her way.
Whew, on time for school again. One of my great daily accomplishments I think deserves an award. After a quick shower I try to make myself look presentable while Jenna protests that she hasn't had her breakfast yet. (oops, sorry kid). I feed her and then fold laundry while Courtney splashes in the tub. I then notice that Jenna has gotten hair stuck to her from playing on the bathroom floor (thank you, post partum hair loss), so I grab the vacuum and go to town on the second floor of our house while packing baby on the hip.
Now it is time to head downstairs to a disastrous kitchen. Time to do some dishes and clean up the kitchen...uh oh, I notice the girls' snack sitting on the counter. Now, there have been times that I would head to school and drop it off. Today is not one of those days. Instead, I help myself to one of their cookies! (I guess I just lost my award.) Just as I finish the phone rings. It's Brianna wondering if she has to buy a chapter book or can she buy something else. (Why they sell toys at a "book" fair I'll never understand!) Meanwhile, Courtney REALLY wants me to play with her and Jenna tells me it is time for her nap.
Thankfully, Jenna goes down easily for a very long morning nap. (Wow, quite unusual!) I relish in the quiet time with just me and Courtney. Courtney sits down at the "kids laptop" and plays some computer games while I work on some decor pillows for the guest bed in Jenna's room. (yes, baby number 4 has to wait until she is almost 6 months old to get her bedroom decorated. OK, so I admit I never deserved an award!) Meanwhile, I realize that I should take advantage of this quiet time and call our financial advisor to discuss the strategy to dealing with this market chaos. So, I head to the office to make a phone call and chat about Wall Street and our future.
While I'm on the phone I hear Jenna calling me. We wrap things up. Jenna is rescued and lunch is prepared. Courtney finally gets what she's been wanting all day and I sit down to play "Mario Party 7" with her while we eat our lunch. I realize we have to head to the vet today, so I stick my head out the back door in hopes of calling our wandering cat home. I then read her a story and tuck her in for her nap--hoping to have a peaceful evening and not a grouchy one. Of course, the nap is no success and I get to debate with her for about an hour. (During which I am trying to pick out photos from Jenna's recent sitting so that I can place an order. The cat arrives home and is sequestered to the house.) I realize she really may be getting too old for naps--darn!
Minutes later my relatively peaceful abode is hit by a storm. School's out and the girls have arrived home! McKayla informs me that she is one quarter short of getting the second book she wanted and that her teacher said the book fair was open after school. "Can we go now?" Well, the animals are due for their annual shots at the low cost vaccine clinic at our veterinarian. I'm not sure there is time. I am assured that there is. The girls quickly complete their homework(thankfully it was a short homework day), Jenna gets a serving of carrots, and we are off.
Oh wait, one detail. We have to get the cat into the cat carrier. The cat is not happy. (I think he has memories of his "lion cut" he got last time I stuck him in that thing.) As I push the cat in he sprays me with some aweful smelling stuff! Nice. The kids are freaking out about the smell. I wash up and we are off to the book fair. I continue to hear complaints that the cat is "stinking it up" in the back seat.
The coveted book is purchased and I, with my 4 children (including baby), my dog on a leash, and my cat in a crate, head to the vet. Am I crazy? I get many comments like, "You sure have your hands full," and "I'll bet they all sure keep you busy." Thankfullly, no one bothers to ask if they are "all yours?" I guess they can tell by the disheveled appearance I certainly have taken on at this point. (The usual splotches of spit up are now accompanied by some orange splotches from the carrots.) While we are there I grab a flyer for a mobile pet/cat groomer and think maybe I can avoid another confrontation with the cat crate.
As I prepare to make dinner I realize Brianna's neorologist never returned my message about his refusal to let the pharmacy refill her prescription. I place the call, again, to the office. I'm informed she needs another follow up visit before we can get a refill. She's almost out of medication and my quite vocal protests are met with an appointment for Friday in Riverside. It is during school, so there will ONLY be three kids with me for this one. yay.
At dinner I have only one quite vocal complainer (the one who maybe really does still need naps). Still, the kids actually eat and I am happy. I proceed to help Brianna begin typing up her monthly project. This month she is making a book jacket for a fantasy book she read. It is due Friday--no time to waste. McKayla and Courtney, now clad in swimsuits for some reason, inform me that they are still hungry and want some apple slices. I slice apples, they head outside and I return to Brianna at the computer. We manage to get the jacket folded and cut to size and Brianna chooses the font and color she wants to use. (During this time Jenna has been crying and has fallen asleep in my arms.)
While she is busy typing I head outside to take the giant garbage and recycling cans to the curb for collection tomorow. Our cans are overflowing this week. As I turn the large garbage can around to face the street I somehow manage to dump it over onto myself! Oh man.
As I, with another layer of stink, head to the backyard and into the house I overhear the neighbor asking her son where the apples came from and could he please throw them back over the fence! Uh oh. After some questioning and some shrugged shoulders I get a confession. Many tears are shed but McKayla finally agrees to go to the neighbors and apologize and pick up the apples. She cries all the way, but the task is completed and hopefully a lesson is learned.
It is now time for bed. McKayla heads upstairs crying. While they get dressed I am feeding Jenna her dinner of mixed grains cereal. Chris calls and we chat while Jenna devours her food. McKayla and Courtney appear again--NOT in their pajamas. I begin to smell tuna fish. Courtney taps me on the arm and informs me that she spilled something. The water I had saved for the cat (who is again roaming the neighbornhood) has been knocked off the counter and on to the floor. YUCK! I begin the glamorous task of cleaning the mess while the girls say goodnight to their daddy. They are again sent upstairs to get ready for bed. Minutes later I hear McKayla calling, "Do you want me to get my pajamas on???" I think, "Did she really just ask me that question?"
I finish the clean up and head upstairs. I instruct the girls to collect their piles of clothes off of my bed and put them away. I start a wash load of towels and otherwise extra soiled clothes we've accumulated during the day's events. As I leave the laundry room I notice Courtney UNfolding each item before she puts in in the drawer--arghhh! We begin to read stories and I remember McKayla hasn't done her 20 minutes of reading yet. We squeeze the reading in while Jenna, very uncharacteristically for this time of evening, plays contentedly on the floor. Scriptures are read, prayers are said.
Just as I'm thinking I'm almost off duty someone notices their long nails. Pretty soon everyone is showing me their long fingernails and toenails. So we have a quick trimming session in the bathroom. Then it is off to bed, lights out, ("No, you can't read any longer tonight!") and it is now 3 down 1 to go. It is just Jenna and me. As I head down the stairs she ejects a large glob of spit up on my arm....perfect landing.
Now, you must realize that scattered throughout this day was all the other "stuff" we deal with as moms. Jenna had at least 4 dirty diapers. I must remember not to let her devour so much banana as it really constipates her and she now has a rash. Of course, there were also many of those typical 5 month old crying fits from not getting what she wants fast enough. And some typical sibling squabbles and tattling (which we are working diligently to reduce and actually have been somewhat successful--yay!).
Overall, this has been quite a day. Thankfully there was no soccer practice or gymnastics to attend today. Jenna is now alseep and I've managed to add a post to my blog. Success.
As I review the events of the day I realize there is only one thing left to do: take a shower!
