Wednesday, January 7, 2009

You're Gonna Miss This?


I found this list today on a piece of paper shoved in a blank journal. It just says “Summer 2004,” which would have made Jake 5 and Molly almost 3. You don’t have to read the whole thing, or any of it all. It's not that interesting. I think it captures the grueling, often mundane aspects of being home all day with kids, on a “typical day.” It could just as easily have been 2002 (like the above picture), 2003 or 2005. For those of you slogging through the mud today, hang in there. Reading this, I missed it…sort of. I realize now that while the days are LONG, the years are SHORT. And at least we have blogging now!

7:15 a.m. up, Tom already at work
Paper and Shower, kids parked in front of PBS
Breakfast, I eat, kids don’t
2 Tantrums
Period on shorts
Out door, w/ snacks
Preschool to pick up form
Playground
Oak Hill for forgotten toy
Dumpster dive—new sprinkler!
Let kids go in new sprinkler, fully clothed
Naked Lunch
Nice playing
Put away clothes, organize toy room
Kids rearrange everything to play made up game, “Disney on Ice”
Ants in kitchen
Tantrum (Things not EXACTLY right)
Mom suggests movie
Calls exterminator, does laundry, emails
Molly bites Jake, hard, during movie
M to timeout, J gets popsicle
4 neighbor kids waltz in, uninvited
Mom shoos out—not in the mood
Molly screaming, trying to get out of room. Sticking little hands under the door.
Both kids outside
Back inside, 2 extra kids to play “Disney on Ice” to Jake’s EXACT specifications. (furniture rearranged, toys dumped again)
Make zucchini bread w/ Molly – messy
Call exterminator. Again.
Show neighbors sprinkler, all wet and naked again
Come inside, Stormy weather.
Play game
Raining in kitchen, leaky roof
Lecture Jake about “chilling out” again
Meltdown
Dinner
Spilled milk
Ice Cream
Meltdown, Molly wasn’t doing dishes to Jake’s EXACT specifications
Jake’s ice cream falls on floor, tries to eat it off, weeping
Timeout
Spilled milk #2 and 3
Sweep floor
Baths
7:30 pm Dad comes home
Dad reads to kids
Mom finally goes to change feminine protection. Shorts # 2 stained.

8 comments:

Keetha said...

Exactly - the days are long, the years are short.

How smart are you to have jotted all that down so you'll have it to remember what it a typical day was really like.

Rebecca said...

Wow, that's crazy...I love that you wrote down everything. I've never done that.

And hmmmmm, zucchini bread! Yummy.

It's especially hard when the husband works those hours...does he still have that schedule?

Gretchen said...

Wow, either you're seriously the funniest mom I've ever read, or your creative writing has everyone else beat. I can't tell - did this REALLY happen? did you really write that list? It is so cute, sweet, funny, and a little bit sad all at the same time. Great great post!

anymommy said...

Sometimes it scares me to look back like that. It always makes me cry too. You guys packed a lot into a day!

K said...

That sounds about right to me. I do love that you wrote it all down, I should do that.

Ash said...

Oh thank the Lord - my days with Oldest (6) and Youngest (almost 3) sound perfectly normal now.

Especially the shooing out the neighbor kids because I'm not in the mood..

Lisa said...

Oh. My. Gosh. I can so relate. I love the multiple tantrums and meltdowns - sounds just like my day, and I only have the one rugrat.

Cynthia said...

You are absolutely, incredibly, HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!