All in a Daze work...

I was coming out of Sam's club yesterday and I saw a little 2 or 3 year old straining against his mom trying to run away from her while she held his arm at their car. He was doing his utmost to wiggle out of her grasp. She was bending down over a baby carrier (the kind that snaps into the car to be a car seat. She was using one hand to fiddle with the straps to get the baby buckled. He was resorting to the "go limp" tactic. them scooting on his behind to get as far away from her as possible. She didn't say anything to him just focused on the baby seat. Then scooped him up and hauled him into the car to strap him into his restraints. (love that word!)

As I passed her car I looked back to see the baby reach out for what mommy had set precariously on the edge of the car seat. It was Her lunch - a to go salad from Costa Vida. It was probably a finish lie reward for surviving a shopping trip with children in tow. I wondered as I got into my car if she made it (and if the salad made it into the car. *smiles* If she had luck like I do she probably had to scoop half of it off the pavement.

I can remember days like that when just going to the store was exhausting - just gearing up and making sure everyone was changed and fed and napped so that we could go would do me in. Never mind actually surviving the store and returning with some of my sanity.

I started contrasting that old version of me to what life is like these days.

Here is an example of a typical Thursday these days:

I won't detail the part of the day where I get up at 6 to get everyone off to school with their permission slips found and signed, their lunch accounts up to date, their homework in their bags, and they have a well balanced breakfast (meaning their bagel is in one hand and their banana is in the other). I won't bore you with the hours of tedious monotony of cleaning and laundry and de-cluttering that I do everyday or the phone calls to insurance companies, and repairmen. I won't detail the hours of volunteering at the school and to make YW reports and calenders for my calling. Just know that it was a regular full day.

And then the children come home and the work begins.

2:21 T is home. We chat and have after school snack. I try to build our relationship She tries to evade questions, keep her privacy, and argue her way out of homework (cuz it's not due for 2 more days!)

2:41 Try to help T with 6th Grade Math. The area of a circle is "Pie Are Squared" right?

3:06 S is home. I explain mystery of the universe and why abortion is wrong (She is studying Big Bang theory science and taking a Teen Living class.)

3:14 Realize that T has escaped and is straitening her hair in front of the TV instead of finishing homework. "But I needed help with number 7." *rolls eyes*

3:18 Help S with 9th grade Geometry. The surface area of a cylinder is 2*¶r(squared) + 2¶rh and volume of a trapezoid is L * (b1 + (b2 - b1) * h1 / h + b1) * h1 / 2

3:36 J opens door wide enough to chuck his back pack inside, yells to me that he is going to play, slams door and jets down to his friends house.

3:39 I drag a crying 7 year-old back into the house and explain (again!) that kids have to hug their mother and do their homework before they can play.. Yes, even if.... Yes, and no buts.

3:40 - Drag T to the piano. Once she is there she plays wonderfully. She has a gift, me thinks. Thank goodness that we have a piano with headphones, tho. otherwise the other 2 homework doers might not... (doer that is.)

3:41 Listening to J read while I think about what to fix for dinner. He does math while I peel carrots. 6 + 4 = 10. I can handle 1st grade math.

4:01 - Rounding up J's soccer things, doing 9th grade math, and critiquing piano solo all at once. "Where is my other cleat? Does an isosceles triangle have a hypotenuse? Is this note flat-ed or natural?" Did you wash my sweatpants? (I should have looked under the boots jammed in the closet for dirty clothes I guess. *shrug*) Where is the calculator that does trigonometry? But, that shin guard makes my leg itch. Listen to this scale, mom. I forgot to tell you that these cleats are pinching my toes. But, Mawwwwwwwwwm! I don't WANNA wear a sweatshirt - I'm not even cold and it makes me look puffy."

4:18 Phone rings. It's Jerry calling for evening detail of who-drives-who-where-tonight coordination. Love him for that. Sure couldn't do this without his help.

4:21 Gather library books to turn in (they are only 4 days overdue). We are missing one of them, of course.

4:25 T remembers that she needs a special costume prop for concert rehearsal that starts in 20 minutes.

4:26 Digging through boxes and closets for a non embarrassing (and clean) robe while still keeping an eye out for that other cleat.

4:32 Check calendar for where the soccer game is and realize that it is our turn to bring treats for the team. I load soccer chairs into the Jeep.

4:42 Js done with homework and he and his friend tear through the house playing sword fighting spy game.

4:48 I try not to tear my hair out and take a few big breathes.

5:02 T done with homework. Races to dress for concert rehearsal.
litte friend is booted. Stacie helps J with shin gaurds. I fill water bottles.

5:09 Hand Jer the lost and found cleat. Leave with T for rehearsal.

5:16 Drop T off. Only one minute late! YES!

5:22 Slow down enough to drop off Library books. Can't get new ones.

5:27 Stop at my mom's to pick up genealogy book for tomorrow's project. She is looking at owl's in her back yard. My brother is showing off pics of his sky diving trip.

5:32 Phone call from Jer. (How'd we live without cell phones?) I've told him wrong field for soccer. No one is there and now they are late. I Correct that and find out that J decided he DOES want a sweatshirt cuz the wind is cold *rolls eyes*

5:33 Have to leave Mom's in a whirlwind without seeing the owls or the sky dives.

5:41 Hit the store for treats and juice boxes for 11 soccer players. This means I have to buy 2 boxes of 10. *sigh*

5:45 Race to pick up T and head to game.

5:49 Stop by the house to get Sweatshirt and umbrella.

5:58 Get to game in time to see J block a goal with his body as goalie. *cheers*

6:01 Half-time and clothing change inside of a blanket. (J does, not me! *cheese*)

6:08 Sit and chat with a friend while we cheer on the team! Go Yellow!

6:31 Break out the treats and race for home.

6:42 Help Jer get Ramen noodles on the table for everyone and throw a bowl of soup in the microwave for me.

6:48 Run downstairs to print the YW calenders.

6:59 Race to Young Women activity with the girls.

7:02 Remember that my dinner is still in the microwave.

*big breath* Sadly, this is what more than one night per week looks like for us during soccer season. It really is a blast and I am not complaining but, MAN, sometimes that hammock in Hawaii calls to me *laugh*

I remember when friends with older-than-mine kids would laugh at my baby adventure stories. They'd say life just gets harder as the years go by and as the after school activities pile up and then it is multiplied by the number of kids you have.

They would tell me this while I was wearing spit-up & food-stained sweatpants; while my hair was in knots and I hadn't had a chance to shower in 2 days because my husband was out of town; when the baby was up 7 times in the night just for "fun"; and while I was in the middle of loads of laundry and diapers and nap schedules and feeding times. I could NOT understand how things could possibly get busier….

But I was wrong. Now things are crazy times 3 and it is harder because all of the busiest stuff is not spread out through the day but concentrated in the 3 or 4 hours after school.

God bless mothers of the world for the work we do at all the stages.

*smiles* He does bless me... I get to hold hands with a rice-crispy sticky goalie, receive grateful hugs from a glittery song bird, have helpful and funny daughters and a husband I can steal kisses from over a hot stove, super students, tons of hilarious moments, precious bedtime prayers...

and most importantly, a comfy pillow to crash onto at night.

I wouldn't trade this for anything! I love my crazy life! and my kids are worth every minute of work! I only wish that I had twice as many of them... can you imagine?? *shakes head*

But, then I definitely wouldn't have anytime to write about it! *grins*