Tired

I'm not sure I could describe how tired I am. I drag out of bed at 4:30 am to make sure my lovely not-a-morning-person-either daughter has gotten up so she'll have plenty of time to make herself look fabulous. I get my more self-sufficient son out the door to football practice at 5:45, not looking so fabulous, but very cute in his pads and gear, then I blast my next son's nebulizer treatments in his face while he is still slumbering sweetly until it is time to drive now fabulous looking daughter to seminary at 5:55. When I get home, I either crash on the couch for an hour (I know-a waste of perfect exercise time, but please, this is me) or if I have a morning appointment, I'll get in the shower, then get myself looking fabulous (or not so much) for the day and start all over with the next batch of kids. Get son 2 and son 3 eating breakfast and testing blood sugars, taking pills, getting dressed and brushing teeth and combing hair and all those little things that 8 and 10 year old boys really can't be bothered with. Didn't you wear that shirt yesterday? Turn around and go change, buddy. No, don't just turn it inside out. Well, where did you put your shoes last night? Then while I drive son 3 to school at 8:15 (compliments of my school district who decided that my little neighborhood didn't need bus service even though we are out of the two mile radius)while son 2 walks across the street at 8:30 to the intermediate school. I get back home and have a few hours to run errands, try to make a dent in the vast laundry pile, clean the house that never gets clean and will be a wreck anyway when I come in for work at night, mess around on the computer, and time an extra fifteen minutes to either bribe or talk son 4 into the joys of kindergarten, then off I drive him at 12:15 (again compliments of the school district who used to let us have bus service right on my curb last year- the sweet memory of it all). So did you notice that with all five kids, they all start school at a different time. Then I have 2 1/2 blissful hours to myself, which goes oh so fast. I've been using most of it for errands and groceries and filling out the enormous pile of paperwork that all four schools need in the first weeks, having appointments with school nurses to go over health care plans for CF son and all that kind of stuff. I'm hoping that I'll get organized enough to use a little of that time for writing, yes my lovely indulgence. Of course that is always when my dear heart comes home and finds me on the computer and gives me that look of is-that-what-you've-been-doing-all-day?

Then at 3pm I sit in front of sons 3 & 4 school with tons of other early parents so I can be one of the first in line to get the boys at 3:30 (you know the tune- compliments of my school district who should let the bus drop them off at my home and give me back my half an hour) so I can drive them home, change into my lovely work clothes then haul my flat pale butt to work by 4pm where I will stay until 10pm, midnight on weekends, then drag home, chat with dear heart for a bit, watch some recorded tivo shows to relax until my eyes droop and I pause mid-show then climb into bed.

Yeah, that's pretty much the routine of my average day. I have today and tomorrow off though. I'm so excited. Maybe I can catch up on some rest and helping the kids with their homework. And write! After I get another submission sent off to the last major publisher I'm gonna try. After that, small press baby! And good luck to me!