the time has come

Summer mornings are in a way harder than school mornings when getting the kids ready. I know they are always tired so I let them sleep in as long as they need to and then we start the process. But since we don’t have to get anywhere by a certain time there isn’t as much urgency. So it all takes 3-4x times as long. I say “get dressed” “put on your shoes” “brush your teeth” many more times than normal. So today there isn't much in the way of clean clothes beucase we have been away camping. And if you ask Paige, there is never any clean clothes. I have to stop at Wal-mart on the way so I told her to make the best of it becuase she coudln't go into the store in her "Live Strong, Be Strong, Write Strong" oversized t-shirt that she slept in. After getting Joshy out of the tub and fending off Ally while doing it (normally tubs are at night but he didn't get one and needed to wash the camping off him) I hear Paige playing her guitar in her room with the door shut (hate shut doors). Me: "Are you dressed Paige?" Paige: "I don't have any shirts and I am watching Backyardigans to calm me down." Me: "To calm you down because you are so angry that you don't have any clean shirts?" Paige: "Yes." Me: "Today I am going to teach you how to do the laundry and you are going to start washing your clothes by yourself."

And now at 9:32 I still have to go to Wal-mart and drop them off. And then come home to a mountain of laundry, sleeping bags that need a home and oh yeah, cleaning an entire bottle of baby powder off of the "playroom" floor and the various assorted toys which are now covered in white powder.

I have said it before and I'll say it again, I don't know how anyone raises a child to adulthood without becoming and alcoholic!

When is it my turn?

Chris is away again. I just counted...I've been alone with the kids 60 days since January 2007. Sixty days!! Except for going to Vegas and the trip to my father's last fall, its always me cleaning up the cat vomit (which is how my day started) and dealing with the demands of the miniature dictators I live with: "I want more juice!" "I am not going to school today!" "I don't like dinner!" "I am not tired, I don't want to go to bed." "I am too tired, I don't want to get up." Or dealing with fun situations like this morning when I had to take Ally's baby away from her (they can't bring toys to daycare except for on Fridays). With tears streaming down her face, her little brown eyes pleading with me, she says "But mommy, I NEED her!" She has become very attached to this baby, not even putting it down long enough for me to get her dressed. I have to wrench it from her grip just to put that arm through her clothes. She even puts her in the empty chair at the table so the baby can eat dinner too. I understand they have things they are doing and they don't need kids fighting over personal toys but somehow, a 2 year old's "woobie" seems harmless to me. I seriously never want to be a single parent, although I feel like I'm getting good practice.