{evolution of a summer day}
6:30 Good morning! Life is great! I am so happy to have the entire day ahead of us with no plans! How wonderful to spend the day playing and enjoying each other and being home!
8:30 The day is going so smoothly! I feel so thankful to be at home with my four favorite little people.
10:30 We're having so much fun that I wish every day could be just like this. I feel incredibly sad that the kids go back to school in two weeks.
12:30 Lunch is done and all four kids are resting or reading in their rooms. I think to myself that I could repeat today over and over and over again. The kids have played wonderfully together all morning and I plan on using the next hour to get some things done around the house. I have plans for all five of us to head to the grocery store after rest and then come home to do learning activities. Feeling good.
12:40 Starting to feel a little frazzled. Rest time for Kate and Drew ended abruptly by Drew. A potty accident to clean up while also trying to calm a screaming newborn. Wishing my child-free moments had been a little longer, at least long enough to eat my lunch.
1:00 Kate in her Moby, Drew playing trains, Grace and Luke playing in the basement. Maybe if I work fast I can get some housework done while everyone is calm and occupied?
1:10 Nope.
1:30 Gracie and Luke can not agree on what to play and Drew does not want to be more than a foot from me. I think my children have forgotten how to be independent over the past week and a half.
1:30 I find it hard to remember the happy place I was in three hours ago. Katie needs a nap desperately, but Drew is being so noisy that I swear he is trying to keep her awake.
2:00 Gracie and Luke are doing more arguing than I've seen in a long time. Katie has fallen asleep and woken back up more times in the past hour than I can count.
2:30 A grocery trip is not going to happen this afternoon. I would be pretty stupid to attempt it today. PBJ's for dinner and I'll go by myself after Ben gets home? I am doing everything one-handed right now while holding Katie. Drew is in a mood. He needs a nap, but it is now too late in the day.
3:00 Is this the same day?!? Who are these children that can not get along?
3:30 Fifty percent of my children have had a time out in the past fifteen minutes and all have been in tears about something. Kate is frustrated by the hiccups she's had for the past ten minutes. I would do just about anything for five minutes of quiet right now.
4:00 Momentary calmness for the older three while I get Kate down for a rest. Thank you, Scooby Doo. I have two hands to use and have big plans to finally get lunch cleaned up.
4:20 Cartoon is over. Arguing resumes.
4:45 I don't think I can take any more tattling. How many more hours until bedtime?
5:00 Need. a. break. Happily, the kids are playing peacefully together, at least momentarily. Oh my goodness does it feel good to sit for a second! Even if I'm typing one-handed while nursing Kate and even if I can hear the kids playing in the basement and can guarantee that they are climbing across the furniture, I'll take this mental break as a gift from God.
5:15 I can do this. Ben will be home in an hour. I pull out some puzzles, turn on some music, and get everyone occupied in the dining room for some quiet time. Luke actually says to me, "I am not ready for school to start again." Sorry bud, but although I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you this morning, right now I'm thinking a new schedule might not be such a bad thing.
8:30 The day is going so smoothly! I feel so thankful to be at home with my four favorite little people.
10:30 We're having so much fun that I wish every day could be just like this. I feel incredibly sad that the kids go back to school in two weeks.
12:30 Lunch is done and all four kids are resting or reading in their rooms. I think to myself that I could repeat today over and over and over again. The kids have played wonderfully together all morning and I plan on using the next hour to get some things done around the house. I have plans for all five of us to head to the grocery store after rest and then come home to do learning activities. Feeling good.
12:40 Starting to feel a little frazzled. Rest time for Kate and Drew ended abruptly by Drew. A potty accident to clean up while also trying to calm a screaming newborn. Wishing my child-free moments had been a little longer, at least long enough to eat my lunch.
1:00 Kate in her Moby, Drew playing trains, Grace and Luke playing in the basement. Maybe if I work fast I can get some housework done while everyone is calm and occupied?
1:10 Nope.
1:30 Gracie and Luke can not agree on what to play and Drew does not want to be more than a foot from me. I think my children have forgotten how to be independent over the past week and a half.
1:30 I find it hard to remember the happy place I was in three hours ago. Katie needs a nap desperately, but Drew is being so noisy that I swear he is trying to keep her awake.
2:00 Gracie and Luke are doing more arguing than I've seen in a long time. Katie has fallen asleep and woken back up more times in the past hour than I can count.
2:30 A grocery trip is not going to happen this afternoon. I would be pretty stupid to attempt it today. PBJ's for dinner and I'll go by myself after Ben gets home? I am doing everything one-handed right now while holding Katie. Drew is in a mood. He needs a nap, but it is now too late in the day.
3:00 Is this the same day?!? Who are these children that can not get along?
3:30 Fifty percent of my children have had a time out in the past fifteen minutes and all have been in tears about something. Kate is frustrated by the hiccups she's had for the past ten minutes. I would do just about anything for five minutes of quiet right now.
4:00 Momentary calmness for the older three while I get Kate down for a rest. Thank you, Scooby Doo. I have two hands to use and have big plans to finally get lunch cleaned up.
4:20 Cartoon is over. Arguing resumes.
4:45 I don't think I can take any more tattling. How many more hours until bedtime?
5:00 Need. a. break. Happily, the kids are playing peacefully together, at least momentarily. Oh my goodness does it feel good to sit for a second! Even if I'm typing one-handed while nursing Kate and even if I can hear the kids playing in the basement and can guarantee that they are climbing across the furniture, I'll take this mental break as a gift from God.
5:15 I can do this. Ben will be home in an hour. I pull out some puzzles, turn on some music, and get everyone occupied in the dining room for some quiet time. Luke actually says to me, "I am not ready for school to start again." Sorry bud, but although I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you this morning, right now I'm thinking a new schedule might not be such a bad thing.
Comments
When you write your book (I know you will someday), this entry should be included. It clearly points out that there is an upside and a downside to all things in life and that you clearly NEED to enjoy the ups in order to endure the downs. I love seeing your world through your eyes.
I wish I could remember where I read this, but the quote went something like this..."The thing about hanging on is that after a while, you start to get good at it"
Hang on,
Love
Dad