Manic Monday

Wow. This has been a day! So for your enjoyment and my stress relief, here it is! Times are approximate...I don't have a watch.

5:45am-Wake up to 2 of Steven's alarm clocks. Go in the kitchen to make his lunch. Get out bread, lunchmeat, and mayo. Realize that the bread is starting to smell (I'd noticed some condensation in the bag, but no smell last night). Make him a lunch without a sandwich.

6:05am-Take a few minutes on the internet. Then head back to bed.

6:15am-While trying to fall back asleep I realize that I scheduled my 3-hr glucose test for tomorrow, when I also told a friend I would watch her 2yr old twins for the morning while she goes to a reflection. Plus tomorrow Mary Clare has dance and I'm planning to attend the evening reflection. Realize that it would be better to postpone it for another day. Fall asleep and have a nightmare about scheduling too many things for tomorrow afternoon.

7:27am-Turn off my alarm and go back to sleep.

8:15am-Wake up and happily discover that both girls are still fast asleep in their own room! Have some prayer time. Start breakfast.

8:45am-Girls wake up and eat breakfast in a good mood. So far, so good!

9:15am-Start trying to call OB's office to reschedule glucose test. Number is busy. Allow the girls to watch Barney while I get us all ready for a morning walk. Miraculously Mary Clare allows me to dress her and fix her hair while she watches the movie. Ellie tells me her pants are too big but then refuses to take them off. I roll up the waist which made them look lopsided all morning. I somehow manage to fit myself into a pair of non-maternity workout shorts...woohoo!

9:45am-Call again to reschedule glucose test. They answer and put me on hold for about 10 minutes. Then interrupt me while I explain my situation. Rescheduled for Thursday. Call my mom for a good morning hello. She comments that I'm not talking. Oh, I'm clipping my toenails and can't breathe and do that at the same time!

10:15am-Start trying to convince the girls to go on a walk. Finally get them out the door. One of them screams for the first 5 minutes...I can't remember why. Then she slaps her sister in the face. Somehow the rest of the half-hour walk goes pleasantly, besides the whining about being ready to go to the grocery store, and to go back to the street with the giant blow-up jack-o-lantern where a ghost pops in and out.

10:45am-Load up for grocery store! Re-install carseats which were in hubby's car yesterday. Put them on opposite sides as a consequence for slapping behavior during walk. This child screams for the whole drive to Wal-Mart, first because of the carseat location, then because she wants her blanket, and finally because I mention that her sister's good behavior might allow her to choose something special at the store.

11:15am-Arrive at Wal-Mart Super Center. Turn off car and try to open carlocks with automatic switch. Locks don't open. Car won't turn back on. I try to figure out how we will get out of car. Climb out back seat using door switch, then realize I also had a switch in the front seat I could've used. Oh well. Frantically call hubby who can't make it across town to help me and isn't sure if it's the battery, alternator, or what. Imagine what the next few days of carlessness might be like. Call Dad who will come to my rescue.

11:45am-Quickly do my Wal-Mart shopping while Dad is on his way. Get to checkout in record time. All checkouts have long lines. Realize I forgot a key ingredient for a meal this week. Turn back to get it. Realize I also forgot water jugs. Ask store worker if they are on a particular isle near the front where I remembered finding them recently. She looks at me like I have 2 heads and points to the far back of the store. Go retrieve water and spend 5 minutes trying to find canned mushrooms (which only Steven likes!).

11:50am-Back to checkout. Girls climb out of shopping cart and pick up every item on shelves near checkout. Dad arrives, hooray! Vent to very nice older checker lady about my car that won't start in the parking lot.

11:55am-Walk out to parking lot to load groceries and children in the car. Dad goes to check on my car. Realizes that it WASN'T IN THE RIGHT GEAR and turns it on. Glad it's nothing serious but frustrated to have put my dad on a one-hour wild goose chase. He follows me home as I stop to pay water bill which is due today.

12:10pm-Arrive at home (deep breath), dad helps unload groceries (nice!), and he leaves. Start making lunch. Mary Clare wants to go get her doll out of the car and asks permission (way to go!). She lets dog out of the yard on her way to the car and I find her on her bike in the driveway and not getting her doll from the car. Lecture her for a few seconds. Finish making lunch.

12:30pm-Get a call from a man who found our dog. Mentally note address and tell him I'll try to get over there quickly. Tell the girls we must go get Timber. Ellie tells me she can't sit down because she has poo-poo. Mary Clare goes outside only to come back in with wet clothes she needs to change.

12:40pm-Somehow change diaper, turn off stove, find my keys, and get dry kids in the car. Allow them to sit in backseat while I drive the one block to get the dog. Realize it's a police who is holding the dog in the street. Hope he doesn't notice my non-secured children in the back seat. Feel bad for making him wait in the street for 10 minutes. He comments that I need to register the dog at the city office, bringing along rabies papers (how many years since he's had a rabies shot?..way too many!). Thank him several times and put girls in carseats for the one block drive home.

1pm-Convince girls to finish their lunch. Ellie cries for more strawberries (you don't want to know how much I paid for those). Let the girls watch Barney again to try to get them to go to sleep. Take a much-needed shower. Hope that no one is getting into things while I shower. Lay on the bed to recover for a few minutes.

2pm-Fall asleep watching Barney with the girls. Then Barney is over and one child is still awake. Try to put my Rick Steeves travel movie on but this child screams. Phone rings, no message. Get on the internet to write this post. Wireless keyboard dies and needs new batteries. Child is getting into Ovaltine chocolate powder when I enter the kitchen. Thankfully I take it away from her and convince her to lie down.

3pm-This child finally falls asleep on the floor playing with toys, and I realize that my tutoring student will be over in less than an hour and the schoolroom is filled with Barbie dolls all over the floor. Finish this post so I can clean up and look presentable for my "job". So much for my nap.

Hope your morning was less manic!

"Manic Monday...wish it were Sunday...cuz that's my funday...my I-don't-have-to-run day...it's just another Manic Monday!"