day 100: summer is not for relaxation

(really? 100 days? do I get a prize?)

Let me assure you that there is nothing at all relaxing or soothing or vacation-ing about my summer. Yet.

Today, the 23rd of June, was my semi-official start to summer. I know school's been out for weeks, but I've had to be there since. Training. Yay.

So one would naturally surmise that time moves slower, things are a blur, and the noise is at a dull roar around here. Not. The. Case.

Here is today, for you, in all its grandeur. The times are approximate. The names and events are real. Brace yourselves....

8:00 Wake up to a kick in the ribs and a new text on my phone. McK has sleepwalked, again, into my bed. Partly sweet, mostly annoying. Text from a friend checking in to see if I am feeling better. Got sick and vomited last night (oh, how I hate that word. it's gross.) I'll text her back later, but I want to sleep just a little longer, while all 3 kiddos are still snoozing.

8:10 "Mom, I peed the bed on accident." Lovely. Do you know how much I loathe pee sheets? (And no, this didn't come from the daughter who was in bed with me.) I force my butt out of bed and clean up the child.

8:25 R and I are downstairs cuddling, on the couch. New Angelina Ballerina movie from the library is on the tv. She's chugging the full cup of chocolate milk I just made for her and rambling on to me about all the dreams she had last night.

8:28 Whoops, forgot to text my friend back. Texting ensues, about 15 of them, until we've got a problem solved. Well, kind of solved. Not really.

8:40 K ambles down the stairs and heads straight to the couch.

8:45 McK follows suit, whining that she doesn't like Angelina Ballerina. I mix up a cup of chocolate milk for her, too. It's the 5-year old version of a cup of coffee. Works wonders for her energy and happiness levels.

8:58 Pour myself a bowl of cereal and simultaneously write a list of what we need to get packed for K's week at camp next week. Meanwhile, kids are bickering. I ignore. I think I invented multi-tasking.

9:20 I call an ultimatum. "If you don't come and tell me what you want for breakfast right now, there will be no breakfast. Lunch is at noon." One for a Pop-Tart, one for cereal, one for fruit snacks. Check.

9:27 Turn the A/C off and open every window in the house. Indiana weather is so bi-polar. Today, it's overcast and gray. Looks like rain, but none on the radar. I'll settle for fresh air in my house as long as the temps are this cool. Meanwhile, kids are bickering.

9:45 R's turn on the computer while I head to the shower. Whoops. Tell the other two I'm getting in the shower. No fighting, okay? I hedge a bet with myself on how many times I'll be bothered while shampooing of "Mom, she just told me..." and "Mom, do you know what Kennedy just did to...." Today's shower interruptions stand at 3.

10:30 R is done on the computer, her normal 30-minute limit extended by an older sister who was constantly asking me when R's turn would be up. Lesson learned? Probably not.

10:35 Check my email. Nothing exciting. Meanwhile, kids are bickering.

10:37 K's turn on the computer. Meanwhile, kids are bickering.

10:40 Mailbox run. One note to stick in the mail.

10:42 Laundry load 1 of 2 started. Pee sheets load first. Yay. Fold two baskets of laundry that have been sitting on the futon for a few days. Double yay. Meanwhile, kids are bickering.

11:15 Time to instill in my kiddos one of my prized skills. List-making. This time, a list of all the things they want to do this summer. I figure if we don't make one, our summer will have disappeared before we have a chance to enjoy it.

11:28 Starting right in on one of those items on the list. Story time. Read Chapter 1 to the girls from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

11:43 Clean laundry to dryer. Dirty laundry to washer. It's never-ending. Meanwhile, kids are bickering.

11:50 What to make for lunch? The girls are already munching on Goldfish crackers, so I'd better get a move on it. Pasta. Carrots. Easy and quick.

12:05 Paper plates will work just fine. Sure, you can eat in the living room.

12:09 Doorbell rings. Mail lady. Package delivered. Don't get excited - just from our security system company. Our replacement yard sign that I called in and ordered, since the punk neighborhood kids decided to break my old one and strew the pieces through my yard. Love them.

12:15 "Mom! McKinley ate all the noodles and I'm still hungry for more!" I boil another pot of water.

12:18 Wonder if ASC will call. He knows I'm home today.....

12:36 Lunch is cleaned up. Moving on to packing for camp. Meanwhile, kids are bickering.

1:45 Don't think ASC is calling. Too late now for him. One kid is packed for her week-long camp. Look at the day-camp letter for the younger two girls. Crap. They need to wear tennis shoes all week. Theirs were done for by May 27th. Girls, get out of your pajamas and into clothes (this included me). We're going to the resale shop. Meanwhile, kids are bickering.

2:15 Wait. There's a big box of shoes for the girls to grow into, all hand-me-downs, in a closet. Maybe a pair will fit one of them? Success for one. Not the other. To the car.

2:42 Not a single pair of shoes at Once Upon a Child fits this kid. Plan B: she'll wear Crocs the first day. If they say anything to me, I'll go shoe shopping then. Not stressing about it for now. And look - all the toys are 40% off. Wonder if I can find a birthday present for McK.....

3:15 I force the girls to hide from me while I'm checking out. I did find bday presents, plus a few other surprises for our trip to the beach next month. And I found a purse that made me swoon the instant I saw it. She went down without a fight, and she was mine. And using the gift card I got from the store for FREE last time due to bad service (long story there), I pay just $1 for all my loot. Sweet.

3:16 ASC texts. Wants to try and get on FaceTime. What is he still doing awake? I hurry home. Meanwhile, kids are bickering.

3:28 Home. Text him back. Consult my user's manual for my new iPhone, only to find that I am apparently dumb. I thought I had an iPhone 4. Nope. 3GS. Guess what's the only version that FaceTime can be downloaded on. 4. Crap. ASC tells me to figure it out and we'll talk tomorrow. Nothing like getting me so looking forward to actually seeing his face.....and then not. Wonderful.

5:00 Compose a grocery list, which is complicated. Consult store ads, my current coupon stash, my meal plan for the next week. Meanwhile, supper has crept up on me. Pizza Rolls for McK and K, soup for R. (R cannot stand the sight or smell of Pizza Rolls. McK, on the other hand, thinks they're the best things I know how to cook.)

5:30 The car leads us to Grandma and Grandpa's. They didn't have to twist my arm too much to convince me to leave the girls there so I could have a few hours of grocery shopping on my own.

5:50 Jo-Anns. By myself. With nothing I'm really needing to buy. Oh, but there are things I need. Some lettuce green Krylon spray paint to re-surface some storage containers in my classroom. 40% off coupon, thank you very much. Some fabric remnants at 50% off, also for some classroom projects. I pay $9 and feel like I ripped them off. That's a success in my book.

6:24 Lord-have-mercy I am seeing red. Walking in to Target. By myself. In a very stressed out mood. Nothing is more dangerous than that. And in feeling oh-so vulnerable, I walked straight to the food court. Pizza Hut breadsticks AND a Coke. Now that is a splurge. And I don't stop there. Clearance finds left and right. Items that I have TWO (read that - TWO) coupons for, both a manufacturer's one and a Target one, which makes them practically free. Every item on my list checked off. Sweet success.

8:00 Call my sister back. I had to ignore her call to me while in the check-out lane. You see, it'd be so very irresponsible of me to not pay attention to how each and every item rings up, in case of an error. We talk while I drive home, unload all my groceries, and then I unload my problems in her ear. God love her, she can't solve any one of them, but she sure did make me feel better when I was done.

9:15 Six feet come pattering down my sidewalk and to my front door. Gramma brought them home. Instant noise. Chaos. I missed them?

9:40 Shoot. I didn't get all the trash collected and put by the curb. And then I found this in the bathroom trash:

Heavens to Betsie, whose head did that come from? K said, "Who did that?" and R said, "Did someone cut their hair?" and McK smiled.....and then ran away and cried. Culprit. Apparently, at some point today, she had been cutting paper, and when she bent down to cut, she cut her hair, too. She didn't tell me about it because she was afraid that I'd be mad at her (her side of the story). I assured her that I wasn't really mad at her (and was really trying hard NOT to laugh) and that I just wanted to know what happened. Why in the world do I get all this payback for things I never did as a kid? This payback is for my husband....and he's not here to enjoy it.

10:00 All the trash is outside (hair included). Shoot. Didn't feed the dog. Shoot. R's bed is without any sheets or bedding.

10:36 Whoops. The kids. Tv is on, and all three are asleep on the couches and the living room floor. Brushing teeth before bed is just a recommendation, right?

11:50 Blogging is almost done for the night. Wow, what a day. At some point tonight, I heard K reading a bedtime story to her sisters. Lily's Purple Plastic Purse. One of my favs. There's the point in the book where Lily's teacher writes her a note, which says, "Today was difficult. Tomorrow will be better." Good thought. Good night.