Wake up before 7:00 with alert baby, planning on leaving at 8:30 to take KD and Jessie to the bus station in downtown.
At 7:30 KD reads the email from Mom telling her to get to the station by 9:00 – should leave at 8:00. AAhhhh!
Spring into overdrive, finish cooking eggs and toast for breakfast and making sandwiches for girls, while supervising kids and answering questions.
Into the car by 8:15. By the time we’re done with getting coffee (absolutely essential) and gas (even more so) it’s almost 8:30, will we make it in time?
Yes! Drove into the bus station, in spite of a few wrong turns, at exactly 9:01. Plenty of time. Girls get out and haul their luggage to the door. Drove home without incident.
Still on coffee high, instruct kids to clean up Monica’s room and continually supervise while nursing baby and putting him to sleep.
While calming Phinehas to sleep, Monica gets out a permanent marker from the kitchen drawer and draws on her face and all over the outside of the drawer.
Spend next few minutes trying to clean off the marker with rubbing alcohol, then fingernail polish (off the drawer, not off Monica) while instructing Monica to help the boys with their room.
Success! Room is cleaned and even vacuumed! Unfortunately, the vacuum woke up Phinehas. (my bad, I guess)
Phinehas is all congested so I spray saline in his nose and suck out some you-know-what – he is unenthused in a high-volume way.
Immediately thereafter hear a high-pitched scream from Monica – she’s pinched her finger in her closet door and is running around screaming and looking for her blankie.
Pick up crying Monica and hold her and still-crying Phinehas in my lap. It’s only 10:30. They calm down and I close my eyes for a minute with them on my lap to relax… Phinehas starts to fuss.
Phinehas into the baby-swing, so I can hold the still unhappy Monica and we look at my old cloth Alphabet book that Mom made for me when I was about 5. She’s never seen it before and loves it – a good moment. When we’re done I put her down and go to make an effort to unload the dishes with the now unhappy Phinehas in one arm.
Unloaded a few things when Monica starts screaming – apparently Judah was looking at her owie on her finger. Then Ezra adds insult to insult by daring to look at the new-to-him alphabet book. OK, time for Monica to take a nap.
Monica’s down, Phinehas fights taking a nap. I get the boys a couple of hot dogs and bread with peanut butter for lunch. The last bread in the house. Do I have time to make more before the picnic tomorrow?
Phinehas is screaming, I go and nurse him, swaddle him and put him down, staying with him this time to try to get him to go to sleep the peaceful way. Eventually it works. I go back to help the boys find more food: frozen blueberries, bought cookies, and a popsickle to go eat out on the deck.
Monica is crying again, holding up her little pinched finger, looking like she just woke up and wailing, “I want my Daddy, I want my Daddy.” I try to comfort her and end up giving her some tylenol. For the finger, you know. And because she was sick earlier this week, so maybe she’s still feeling ill? Maybe it’ll help her take a REALLY long nap.
OK. It’s noon. The two youngest are finally both napping, and the boys are jumping around on the deck (I can hear them) presumably eating their popsickles. They come in and want more food. I suggest grapes. Oh well, they’re not that hungry I guess. Instead they go into the living room and continue playing with cars and duplo-constructed ships with rather loud shooting noises. I guess that’s OK.
And here I am typing up this little stream-of-consciousness post instead of unloading the still-unloaded dishwasher and cleaning up the disaster also known as my kitchen. *sigh*
Aww, Elly, cherish these days because before you know it they’ll be gone…right? Don’t blink or your kids will be all grown up and big. Then you blink. But when you open your eyes they are still there, crying and making messes.
In all seriousness, some days are just about keeping them alive. If you accomplish that much, then you’ve put in a good day’s work. A mother’s work is so trivial, mundane and annoying and the people we are caring for are so tiny. But the job is huge and the results are eternal. My prayer for mothers is that God would strengthen us for the humble, mighty tasks we face every day.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you, may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
I’m glad the alphabet book was a highlight in your otherwise hectic morning. By the way, it took me YEARS to finish that little book (when I had small children). You now know why. =)
On really busy days, it makes me tired to even think about writing down all that transpired, so good for you for doing that! It will be fun for you to reread in a few years.