Just another day

I turn off the alarm and roll over to find a little boy snuggled down in the covers next to me. He must have had a bad dream and crawled in during the night. I’ll be glad when he starts kindergarten and we can eliminate his daily nap and get him on a better sleeping schedule.

Seconds later an acrid smell hits me. The stench of burning food permeates the air. About that same time David walks out of the bathroom, and I ask, “what is that smell?”

“The beans were left on low last night and burned.”

I can only imagine the mess that will be. I stumble out of bed and into the bathroom to take a shower. A little less than an hour later I’m dressed and leaving the bedroom.

I walk into the kitchen and inspect the dried bean and ham mess. Yuck. I turn on the water and fill the pan half full in hopes of rescuing it from the charred remains of last night’s dinner.

I grab my breakfast sandwich from the garage freezer and put it into the microwave. Then I wash out my coffee mug and start a cup brewing. A bag is pulled from the cabinet below the sink and I start filling it with my lunch for the day. Frozen meal, yogurt, apple, grapes and a cheese stick.

All done with that I check the school lunch menu to see if I need to start making a sandwich. Ahhh, chicken sticks. She’ll eat that. Chicken sticks? How many different ways can they reconstitute chicken? Oh well, the state has deemed it healthy so I will let that assuage my mom guilt for not preparing an all natural pb&j on organic bread with fresh sliced fruit. I glance at the menu again. See… peaches. That’s healthy. I’m still a good mom.

I take my breakfast from the microwave, doctor my coffee, grab Bud a pair of jeans from the clean laundry, and head to the living room to check on everyone’s progress.

Zero. Zero progress.

“Big Girl! Get dressed! Why do we have to do this every morning? I really don’t like it.”

“I don’t like it either.”

“Then why do we have to do it.”

She starts putting her clothes on. I start my laptop and load up the last five minutes of Downton Abbey that I didn’t finish last night when the wifi cut out for some random reason. I knew I missed the cliffhanger. Of course she’s pregnant. I figured that would happen.

I close the laptop and swallow down the last of my breakfast sandwich.

“Teeth brushing time. Everyone in the bathroom.”

I head to the bathroom to fix Bud’s toothbrush and then into his room to get his underwear and shirt for the day.

Back in the living room, “EVERYONE brush their teeth now. The TV is going off if you don’t get a move on.”

Check the clock. We are moving in on the time when everyone should be finishing up so that we can be on time.

They schlep out of the bathroom. “Bud, go take your pull up off.” He heads to the couch instead and starts inspecting the candy he got at school yesterday for Valentine’s.

“Big Girl, you are going to have fix your hair today. You have school pictures. I think you are going to need my help.”

“I can do it.”

“I doubt it,” I mutter.

Into the kitchen to grab her tap shoes, which then go into her backup. I check to make sure her leotard is still in there and then I select a pair of pants she can wear over it since I can’t find her dance shorts (and I don’t want to listen to her whine about the tights).

She comes back into the living room. “Mom I want to wear two braids with these green and blue bows.”

I look at the clock. “I’m not sure we have time, but I’ll try.” Truthfully we should be heading out the door right now. I take the brush and start sorting out the tangles anyway.

“Bud, go take that pull up off right now and put your underwear on.” He dances around the living room instead.

I get all the tangles out of her hair and start dividing into two sections so I can braid it.

“BUD! GO! TAKE! THAT! PULLUP! OFF! RIGHT! NOW!” He heads into the kitchen singing.

I start braiding one side of her hair has he waltzes back into the living room bare assed. “Put your underwear on.”

“I can’t.”

“You CAN. Now help me out and do it. Ponytail holder?” I start on the other side.

“Bud, you’ve got those underwear on backward. Take them off and turn them around.”

“I can’t.”

“DO IT.”

Off go the underwear. “I’m naked!!!!!”

“Ponytail holder?” I snap in the bows and lead her to the bathroom to add some hairspray in hopes that it will hold her bangs back until after the group photos are made.

Back in the living room she starts putting on her shoes, and I get Bud dressed.

“Where’s your other shoe?”

“I don’t know.”

Ugh. How can both shoes not be together when he took them off at the same time? Back into the kitchen to get the other pair of shoes he hates.

Back into the living room to put his shoes on. Glance at the clock. Ten minutes late. “Big Girl… get your backpack.” Bud and I start into the kitchen. I’m turning lights off as we go.

“Don’t turn the lights off on me. I’m getting my stuff ready.”

“That stuff should have been ready. We HAVE to go. Move it.”

Everyone is in the kitchen and being pushed toward the door. I grab my lunch, my purse, a bottle of water, and head into the garage.

Big Girl climbs in the car and starts buckling in. Bud climbs in and I buckle him as he cries for his jacket and some ring he left inside that he wanted. I hand him a jacket and tell him the ring will have to wait.

In my seat, I start the car and start backing down the driveway. Crap. I forgot the slip for the photos. Back in the house, unlock the door for my mom that I also forgot, grab the slip, back in the car, and we are on our way.

Stop at the light. Fill out the photo slip. Write a check and tuck it into the photo envelope. Hand it to Big Girl with instructions to give it to her teacher.

Drop off Bud.

Drop off Big Girl.

Head to work.

Just another day for a working mom.

Tagged as: all about me, being a mom, kids, working mom