So lately it's been a little hectic around here. As you know we have four children and for the past two weeks I have been husbandless. Nothing tragic has happened. He's just off traveling for work.
At first, it was like a mini vacation. Pajamas 'til noon. Romantic comedies. Bagels with strawberry creamcheese for breakfast. (And the bathroom sink has stayed surprisingly clean.)
But now, it's back to the daily grind, with a little extra to grind. It's now 6:45 p.m. and I have actually just gotten home for the evening and dinner is warming in the oven. I am tired and the couch is calling. I have managed to avoid the couch in the evenings during most of the week since there isn't a whole lot of appealing TV shows anymore.
But tonight, it's looking very tempting. Or maybe I'll watch a video on the laptop in bed, in my pajamas with a hot.....
.....cup of tea! What'd you think I was gonna say?
So my day went like this...
6:15 Wake up and make sure the two teens are up and getting ready for school. Start my morning routine of getting ready for work: hair, make-up, clothes.
6:45 Get in car with teens and drive them down the road to the bus stop.
6:50 Back home. Wake up tween and baby and get them started dressing, eating, teeth-brushing, hair-brushing, back-pack and diaper bag packed, shoes on, coats on, hats on. Also finishing up my own routine and pouring the coffee into thermos and packing my lunch, etc. (Thank you to the person who invented my auto-timer Kitchen Aid coffee maker!!)
7:20 Everything listed above is now packed in car, everything is turned off in the house, and we drive 5 houses down to drop off tween at friends house to catch the bus.
7:45 (hopefully it's not later) Arrive at Nonna's house to drop off the baby. Usually end up chit-chatting for a few minutes.
8:00 Arrive at work out of breath from power-walking from parking lot to office because I'm pushing my luck with the time.
1:30 In meeting at work, when voice mail received from tween's school office letting me know she is not feeling well.
**Normally, this is the point when I can call husband to have him pick her up and take her home. However, since he is traveling and not home I am left to my own devices. And, since this is the day when payroll needs to be closed and submitted for our 250 employees and I am the only one at work who can do this, I'm kind of between a rock and a hard place. Luckily, I am close to having it finalized at this point so I tell the ailing child to hang tight while I finish up a few things at work.
2:30 Leave work and get ailing child from school.
3:15 Home for a few brief minutes until son arrives from school.
3:50 Leave house and drive into the city again to pick up a few grocery items
5:00 Arrive at Nonna's house to pick up baby (and dinner, again. Did I mention that I love my mother-in-law!)
5:20 Arrive at the Senior High School to attend "mandatory" senior high track parent meeting. (de ja vu)
6:00 Arrive home under gray, drizzling skies. Carry in my purse, the baby, the diaper bag, the groceries and the dinner. Unpack everything and put the dinner in oven to warm.
Which brings us to 7:15 p.m. I have updated my blog and I can smell the delicious dinner. And I have wondered since ever since the phone call at 1:30, How in the world does a true single mother do it???
Bravo to you!! So the next time you see a lady who looks slightly aged before her time, maybe a few stray grey hairs, dark circles under her eyes - DO NOT just dismiss her as an old bag. She's probably just a lady who has had some bad luck and is working very hard to get the day to day stuff done. The day I just described above probably looks pretty cushy compared to the day of a single mom. I'm sure that she is just finishing up dinner for her kids, looking forward to cleaning up the kitchen and then getting to bed so that she can do this all over again. Tomorrow.
Sweet dreams!
