Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

   I am a woman who wears many hats.  Mom, wife, kindergarten teacher, runner, wanna be great cook, writer, recipe reader, sometimes photographer, daughter, sister, friend, cheerleader and chauffeur.

I hesitate to post about this for fear of sounding all whiny and dramatic, but just wanted to explain my lapse in posts lately.  The hat I have been sporting more than the others lately is that of a chauffer. 

I practically live in my car and at various sporting venues these days. 

A typical day for me lately goes just like yesterday.  This was my day....

6:15-6:30 - Hit the snooze button over and over.  Ignore texts from Bradley telling me to get up.

6:30 - 6:45 - Make myself as presentable as possible.

6:45 - 6:48 - Put muffins in the oven.

6:48 - 6:50 - Give wake up kiss. Again. Again.

6:50 - 7:15 - Pack lunches, sign homework pages, get muffins out, tie shoes, race to the car.

7:15 - 7:20 - Drive to high school. Drop off Tucker.

7:20 - 7:22 - Drive to elementary school.

7:24 - 7:25 - Sign in.

7:25 - 3:00 - Work as a kindergarten teacher.  Leave No Child Behind. 

3:00 - 3:40 - Get the little boys haircut (No time for me and Tucker)

3:40 - 3:50 - Rush home and grab practice gear.

3:50 - 3:58 - Fast food drive thru (My middle one has to be fed before sporting events because of his hypoglycemia symptoms)

3:58 - 4:00 - Drive to baseball field. Arrive just as the first batter steps up to the plate.  Play Ball!

4:00 - 5:29 - Cheer like a crazy woman for Tucker who is on the Junior High Baseball team

5:29 - 5:32 - Drive Carter to his basketball practice (Shout to a passing Dad that he is being left unattended.)

5:32 - 5:35 - Drive back to baseball game

5:35 - 6:29 - Pick back up cheering like a crazy lady at the game. (Our team won by one run. Woot Woot!)

6:29 - 6:31 - Drive back to pick up Carter at basketball.

6:31 - 6:35 -  Drive back to fast food restaurant

6:35 - 6:50 - Feed the gang

6:50 - 7:05 - Drive to baseball practice at the other side of town

7:05 - 8:40 - Watch baseball practice. Cringe over missed throws and smile over awesome plays.

8:40 - 8:55 - Drive home.

8:55 - 9:30 - Send one kid to the bath and do homework with the others.  Rotate. Rotate.

9:30 - 9:40 - Fix glasses of milk and give goodnight kiss. Again. Again.

9:40 - 9:41 - Ignore the mess that has accumulated in my house.

9:41 - 9:43 - Start a load of laundry containing needed ball uniforms.

9:43 - 10:20 - Enter whirlpool bath santuary

10:20 - 10:21 - Move uniforms from washer to dryer.

10:22 - ?  Enjoy a few moments with the love of my life.

Sometime later - Collapse.

I am not complaining....nay....only explaining.  Explaining why I haven't had time to write a blog lately and explaining to myself why I can't fit a run in everyday....or a healthy meal....or a clean house.  It is what it is.  And I wouldn't change a single minute of my days.  The boys are growing and these busy days will pass.  And then I will be sitting around missing it. 

Gotta go.

Time for baths and homework.

Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

I'm The Mom That Makes You Feel Good About Your Housekeeping

  I think an aeriel view video of the inside of our house on any given afternoon would be quite entertaining.  Speed up the video and it would look like little tornadoes flying all around the house leaving a path of destruction behind.  I think about what an outside observer would think if they were to just stop by and watch the chaos ensue in the afternoons.

   Today was a typical day.  It went like this.....

School dismisses at 3:00.  I walk to my classroom and tell the boys to grab their backpacks and help shut down all the computers.  I sign out and leave at 3:15.  I run by the bank to deposit a check.  Tapping my foot with impatience because I have to wait on two other cars to finish their transactions.  The boys whine that they are hungry.  They may starve to death while waiting.  We leave the bank and arrive home at around 3:30, checking the mail on the way in.  The mail gets piled on the stove to be looked at later.  Shoes are discarded on the floor. Socks are thrown nearby. Backpacks are flung in the dining room.  The cabinets are cleared of any available snacks.  Empty packets from fruit snacks and cheese sticks are left on the counter tops.  Drinks are poured into cups that are also eventually left discarded on the counter tops.  It is now 3:45.  Pages of school work from the day are pulled out and reviewed.  Questions are asked about drawings and scores on classwork.  The pages are left on the kitchen table and the counter top.  There is no time to complete homework at home.  It is already time to leave for Tucker's basketball game.  Orders are given to the boys.  "Grab your backpacks!  We have to do homework on the way to the game.  Get your shoes back on!  Put on long sleeves, it's cold outside!"  The short sleeved shirts are thrown on the floor and left there in the hurry to get back into the car.  It is now 4:02.  The game begins at 4:30.  It is a 30 minute drive to the game.  We will be late.

  This is an average afternoon.  This is the same afternoon we have every... single... day.  There are a few variations, but it's the same basic story.

It is now after 8:00 pm and we are just now walking back into the house again. 

 This is what I walked into....

 Dishes in the sink.  They are also on the counter tops.

 Beds are unmade.  All of them.

 Shoes are piled in the floor in the regular "shoe spot".

 Laundry is everywhere.  It's here in the laundry room.  In the bathroom.  In the floor of the boys rooms.  And in the laundry baskets in the boys rooms.

Toys are left lying in the living room floor....and in the toy room floor...and in the bedrooms....and even in the kitchen.

We seem to be home just long enough to make a mess, but not long enough to ever clean it back up.  Although I am a bit embarrassed to admit my lack of housekeeping skills, I accept that this is the life I chose.  I could have an immaculate house that is dust free and spotless, but I would have to force the boys to give up some sports.  There are times that this sounds like a spectacular idea!  But most of the time, the thought never crosses my mind.  Life is full of compromises.  To allow the boys the sport filled life they yearn for, I have to be willing to give up the idea of having a home worthy of being photographed for Better Homes and Gardens.  I will just have to compromise and settle for photographing the mess in my home for viewing on this little blog.