Monday, 11:45pm. Fall asleep while reading good book after long day of solo duty while K is in Pittsburgh for charity golf event with his dad and brothers.
Tuesday, 1:05am. Wake up to K coming home from trip.
1:06-3:40am. Toss and turn trying to get back to sleep while mind races about all the things we have going on this week. Try to remember if I pulled out uniform socks for L. Make mental note that I have to remember to pick up M's prescription and have it filled. Think about how I'm going to find time to make dinner tomorrow. Brainstorm how I'm going to get D to soccer practice and L to baseball warm-ups at two different fields at basically the same time. Finally fall asleep and realize what time it is because I hear E get up to go swimming.
6:34am. Alarm goes off. Wake up A and M. Go downstairs and make them breakfast.
6:45am. Wake D up and remind him that his dad is bringing them to school so he needs to not take a 45 minute shower since I won't be there to remind him to get out. Walk downstairs with L who was already awake and talking to himself in his bed. Make breakfast for L and D and make sure lunches and snack for L are in their backpacks. Remind L that Daddy is bringing them to school and to make sure that if Daddy isn't down by the time the Kratt Brothers is on tv to go upstairs and wake him up.
7:00am. Remind K that he's bringing the little boys to school because I have to do the big guys.
7:05am. Drive big kids to school for the first day of exams. Reassure M that she is going to do fine on her exam and listen to A plan for all of the skating and herping he wants to do next week once school is done.
7:40am. Return home and see that K and the boys haven't left yet. As I pull into the garage see D sprinting out to his dad's car with a notebook in his hand (he is notorious for having to run back in to grab something). Hope they make it to school on time.
7:45am. Decide that if I'm to survive the day I better go back to bed and catch a few winks.
8:45am. Wake up and make a cup of coffee and two frozen waffles for breakfast. Watch a few minutes of morning tv while I eat and at the same time check emails both personal and work.
9:15-10:45am. Do a bunch of random yet pressing things. Answer some work emails. Do some actual work. Answer texts about M's soccer team with 3 different people including the coach (tryout time is never fun). Check with pediatrician and make sure M's prescription is ready (her ADHD med is controlled so I have to pick up paper prescriptions). Talk with little sister S about termites in her house (ick).
10:45am. Shower and figure out how D and L are going to get to their sports later.
11:00am. Drive to pediatrician and pick up prescription.
11:10am. Drive to store to fill it and pick up a few things I forgot to get the day before, including our contribution to the 8th grade graduation party this week. While in the store, field email questions from K about possible summer basketball for D.
11:40am. Pick up A and M from school. Listen to them talk about how hard and easy their tests were. Celebrate with M that algebra is finally over.
Noon. Get home. Call Coach Uncle DG (C's husband) and arrange for me to drop him off at their house on the way to D's practice so L will be at early baseball warm-ups on time. Listen to DG talk about little league drama. Make lunch and try to look at FB for a few minutes to zone out.
12:30-3:30pm. Attempt to get work done with A, M and E constantly interrupting me about relatively trivial matters. During this time also field texts and phone calls from K, S and C about various things including how much termites suck.
3:30pm. Little boys arrive home from school. Make sure L and D both have the appropriate uniforms for the rest of their day. Make chicken fajitas and all the fixings while simultaneously making sure D and L get dressed, eat and have full water bottles.
4:05pm. Go upstairs and give M detailed instructions about when she'll be picked up for soccer practice and logistics for after practice to walk over to baseball game (thank God they are at relatively the same time and same park). Repeat myself 3 times to make sure she understands and heard me.
4:15pm. Leave home with all equipment (soccer and baseball) in the car.
4:30pm. Drop L off at cousins' to catch ride to game.
4:50pm. Drop D off at his practice. Text friend who is bringing him home and confirm that she is in fact grabbing him for us. Thank her profusely.
5:30ish pm. Arrive at baseball game and set up in bleachers hoping to relax for a few minutes. Instead have ear talked off by obnoxious baseball dad whose kid is much older than L and not very nice to him. Nod to annoying dad and try to be nice.
6:35pm. Game starts 35 minutes late because umps don't show up. L hits a triple as lead off hitter and scores a run. Hoping this bodes well for the evening.
6:40pm. Field texts from kind friend picking up D who doesn't see him. Text and call a bunch of moms who should be at the field to tell D where she is. Offer friend up one of my kidneys for offering to pick D up and have to sit around for him when he doesn't get off the field on time.
6:45-8:45pm. Watch L's baseball team win the semifinal game against the Miami Hurricanes only to have L throw two massive temper tantrums after he had one of his hits caught and struck out for his next at bat. Get down from bleachers 3 times to walk to the dugout to tell my 8 year old that there is no crying (unless you are legitimately hurt) or bat slamming in baseball.
8:45pm. Drive home with tired and grumpy L who completely forgot about his triple and scored run and only focused on how so and so got a game ball for the third time and he never gets one even though he makes tons of great hits, blah, blah, blah.
9pm. Get home and help L get something to eat, shower and get to bed. Realize there is nothing left from dinner for me to eat. During these activities ask L if this bad attitude is the kind of boy he wants to be. Listen to 8 year old tell me yes this is exactly the boy he wants to be and he's never going to change all the while scowling at me.
9:20pm Finally get L in bed and wrestle a few smiles out of him. Promise him tomorrow will be a better day. Sit on his bed for a few minutes and rub his back, kissing his head and telling him how much I love him even when he isn't the best of sports.
9:25. Talk a few minutes with A about the next day plans and tell him about the baseball game. Go back into little boys' room and convince D to get to bed and field more questions about baseball game.
9:40pm. Finally go downstairs with all kids relatively settled to clean up dinner dishes.
10:00pm. Grab a diet coke, box of vanilla wafers and my laptop and attempt to record my day on the blog despite the fact that I still have lunches to make and laundry to fold.
Woven throughout the day are feelings of stress, sadness, worry, loneliness, and frustration.
And this was a relatively easy day.
Looks like tomorrow is much more of the same. Lovely.
