Crazy

We were supposed to find out about our home offer today, but our realtor couldn't make the meeting since he was with his wife who was recovering from a surgery she had done that morning by my husband. Isn't that just FUNNY? Tomorrow we will hear. (Today when you read this.) Tomorrow. TOMORROW!

Parents of babies/toddlers/pre-schoolers are CRAZY if they think that having school age children will make their lives easier. It IS easier in the sense that you can actually get something done without a small screeching child clinging to your leg (though Rachael can still throw quite a tantrum, so we're not totally out of the woods), but it is DEFINITELY not less busy. After making breakfast and sack lunches for everyone, doing the middle school carpool, cleaning up the kitchen, taking the middle 'uns to the elementary school, exercising, doing some laundry, showering and getting ready, taking care of some computer business (like emailing the PTA president with my totally sincere question, "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE PURPOSE OF DADS & DOUGHNUTS?", and going to the grocery store . . . this is what my 3-10 shift looked like tonight:

3:00 Pick up Elizabeth early from school and take her to the dentist to get her expander put in.

3:30 Practice with a couple of 9th graders for their upcoming vocal duet. (I'm on the piano.) 

3:50 Kate and Will get picked up for their monthly group piano lesson. 

4:00 Coincidentally, while practicing with the two girls, a neighbor comes to the door asking if I could play for her son on the saxophone later in the evening because their accompanist is stuck in St. George. (I guess it's that time of year everyone is being tested/judged in the middle school/high school.) Since I'm already there on the piano, we practice.

4:30 Make some shepherds pie for dinner with Elizabeth while Rachael howls and howls because I took away the ipad. (Too much screen time today!) 

5:00 Kate and Will get home from piano, and I start a game of Monopoly Jr. with Elizabeth and Rachael to keep them off the screens and calm Rachael down. 

5:15 Brandon takes Kate to harp. (Thankfully, he had a short day today.)

5:40 Eat dinner with everyone but Kate.

5:50 I leave to pick up Kate, taking her some dinner to eat in the car.

6:20 At the high school with Kate to accompany my saxy neighbor. (Couldn't resist that.) 

6:45 Back home and making sure Will is working on his book report that is due tomorrow. (Last night we were up working on the rest of his Fitness Badge which is also due tomorrow.) 

7:00 Practice with the last batch of singers, a quartet of 9th graders. 

7:30 Clean up dinner while Brandon helps Will with the rest of his book report. (Again, thank heavens he was home tonight!) 

8:00 More cleaning and creation of a new mess: Making a cake for the annual Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet tomorrow at 6pm. (We're doing a carnival theme with a cotton candy machine and the works. Tomorrow evening is going to be even crazier than today between orchestra, preparing for and executing the banquet, as well as doing a presentation on Japan immediately afterward for the teenage girls at church. Bring. It. On.)

9:00 Move people toward bed. It's a way-too-long process around here that involves books and prayers and drinks and snuggles. The more tired I am, the longer this takes. (Brandon keeps the process moving along more often than not.) Kate is still working on homework, and Will is still wrapping up his book report project. (Because you know 5th grade book reports aren't just reports, they are art projects. My favorite. That's sarcasm.) 

10:00 Will is snuggled up to me with his shark pillow pet asking me to pick out string colors so he can make me a bracelet. What's going on? It's 10:00!!

10:20 Finally, everyone (read: Kate) is finally in bed and Brandon is bringing me lavendar apple lemon tea. Or something like that.