TODAY

Alarm rings-3:55 am.

Make sure Aaron is out of bed.

Roll over and snooze while he gets going for the day.

Wake up enough to pray with him, say goodbye, send him out the door.

Back to sleep.

Alarm rings-6:00 am

House is quiet.

Reset Alarm.

Roll over and snooze some more.

Alarm rings-6:30.

Baby is crying now.

Bring her back in bed to nurse.

Listen to the brood begin to wander upstairs.

Resign myself to get up after nursing and actually start the day.

Breakfast, diaper change, shower, breakfast for someone else, wipe nose, cycle kids through shower, feed another mouth, then another. 

"Did you make your lunch?", dress baby, wipe nose, dress toddler, get next kid out of shower, find missing tennis shoe, fix daughter's hair, comb boys, fix other daughter's hair.

"Get your backpacks!  Time to go!"

Family prayer, kids out the door. 

9:02, close enough to on time.

Grab baby's car seat, wipe nose, let the dog out, find other missing tennis shoe, nurse baby again, gather school books, tie tennis shoes, put dog in kennel, apply make-up, find belt, "any body need to use the bathroom before we leave?", wipe nose, "here just keep some tissues in your pocket!", head out the door.  

Only 35 min later than I wanted to leave. 

Oh well.

Stuck in traffic, stop by pharmacy to pick up new prescription since pharmacist flipped that dr prescribed yesterday's prescription for use during breast feeding. 

Roll eyes.  But grateful for watchful and protective pharmacist!

Stuck in traffic again.  

Finally make it to freeway, get to fabric store, browse with well behaved kids (yay!!),"I really like that vase, I wonder if Aaron would?", shake myself back into reality, find fabric on list, Bonus! find fabric for a skirt for me.  

(hey, it was $2/yd)

Wait at cutting counter, finish at cutting counter, realize I need elastic by the yard.  

Back to cutting counter.

Check out line with antsy kids, 4yr old tries to bolt, 7yr old drags him back, hand ringing cell phone to 8yr old, run card again since the machine "needs to be rebooted".

Make it out the door, 5 kids?  check.  Buckle car seats, head out, stop by store to get pepperoni and garlic bread for pizza night.  

Get 20 other things that were not on list.

Lots of the 20 other things were strawberries, $1/carton, make mental note to make more jam this weekend.

Out the door, still 5 kids in tow, 16 minutes until Jacob is out of school.

Stuck in traffic.  Crud.

Make it to school with one minute to spare.

Home, unload kids, unload bags, unload school stuff (did they do anything in the car??)

Let the dog out, switch laundry loads, fold three loads laundry, put dishes away, clean up table, clean off counters and island.  

Take a pill 

(It was Zithromax.  Stop assuming things.)

Round up scattered tennis shoes, pick up toys from living room, start lunch, pull pillow, shoe, tupperware container and pencil out from under island, nurse baby, put baby down for nap.

Eat chips and Salsa.  

Peach salsa.  Yum.

Check email, check to-do list, toddler crying, kiss bump on head, "put your clothes away", call kids for lunch, shush kids, "if you wake up the baby YOU will be taking a nap".

Whoops-didn't put away groceries, kiss another bump, put away large foam floor puzzle, watch large foam floor puzzle get pulled right back out.

Baby sleeping, kids fed, house clean(er), inbox cleared, doggy sleeping on my lap.

Ahhhh.

The peace of getting past noon.