The Sleepy Years

Well, I guess its about time I blog about my new adventure as a working Mother. I've been "on the job" for almost a month now and we've pretty much settled into our new routine.



The unofficial start to my day usually begins some time between 3 & 5 am. This is when one or more of my little 'wonders' decides to pile in with Derek and I in the double bed we share in our temporary love nest. After reclaiming my pillow and my fair share of the covers, I'll sleep until I have to officially rise and shine at about 6:45.



The its juice and cereal bar for Britton and the biggest cup o' joe Mommy can find.



Brit watches The Wiggles while I shower and dress. I start waking Tate up around 7:45 and by 8:00 he's (hopefully) munching on a semi-healthy breakfast of Lucky Charms and fresh fruit.



At 8:30 we are out the door and in the car headed for preschool. Our trek to preschool usually includes a winding, rocky back road in which we religiously stop every morning, roll down the windows and "moo" at the cows. It is a happy day when we actually receive a "moo" back from our new brown & white friends.



By 8:50 I am kissing the boys goodbye and trying to escape from the preschool building without getting trapped in conversation by another mother or preschool teacher. (NOT that I do not love to chat- we all know that I do- its just my days of endless chatter are over- at least between the hours of 9 & 5)



9 am finds me pressing the round black button on the Dell Desktop (yes, I do LOVE my commute) then scurrying off to the kitchen for my first cup of Office Coffee- which, thanks to Deidre, ain't half bad!



From 9 until 5 or after, my day is a whirlwind. Meetings, meetings about meetings, conference calls, planning sessions, drafts, phone calls, emails, office banter, etc. Most days I still cannot believe my eyes when my computer screen reveals 4:45 pm. I'm typically out the door by 5, especially when I am the one picking the kids up.



I pull into Sonya's driveway about 5:10 and am greeted at her door by two little happy shorties dying to hug me and tell me about their day.



By 5:30 we're barreling into the front door- all papers, bookbags and juice cups- the boys are running to find their toys, I am flinging my shoes off and putting on PJ's.



Dinner is now around 6 and has been great since we're living with "Gram"- the saintliest woman I know. Sometimes she will cook- sometimes its me- my favorite is leftovers because I don't have to cook and I don;t have to feel guilty about her cooking either.



After dinner I let the boys play outside or in- whichever they choose. Sometimes we will go to our new neighborhood and play tennis and fish. The boys LOVE tennis- and I LOVE to teach them how to play.



7 pm is bath time and after that, if Tate has had a "sunshiny" day- he is rewarded by a 30 minute dose of his favorite cartoon- 'Tom & Jerry'.



8pm is 2 story books and 2 "stories without words" as Tate calls them. The ones without words are what I make up and 9 times out of ten have to do with "Two little boys, a dark cave and a treasure chest". What can I say, usually by this hour my creative juices have run dry. I sing 2 songs (Godspeed & I will be Here), give lots of hugs, snuggles and kisses and then, fingers crossed, I'm out the door.



It is a rare occasion these days that the boys actually stay in bed without being "scared" or "thirsty" or "hungry". Unfortunately, we typically do not see the last of them until around 9- but we're working on this. "Boundaries", Laura- yes, I know!!



So.....what goes on between the hours of 9 & 10 pm??? I'll never tell!!! (I'll give you a little hint- draft paper, square footage and building materials).



If I'm lucky I'm in bed with a book by 10, if I'm being realistic, I'm usually up making sandwiches, packing lunches and getting everything ready for the next day until 11.



Then it all begins again the next day. Same time, same place.



So, that is what I do each day. Now I'll address what you really want to know...how do I feel?



The first week was pretty guilt-free since my children were cared for by a combination of best friends, family and my husband. Life was great really- I gave myself my job during the day, then was "Supermom" at night.

INTERNET INTERRUPTION....my mini novel was just deleted due to connectivity issues...will continue thoughts in a later post...