Wednesday: A Good Day

Yesterday was a good day.  I had a long night with kids who woke me up 5 times in the night.  And I had slept on the couch.  (Matt has been sick this week and I DO NOT WANT TO GET SICK.  So I have slept on the couch the last few nights.  It was actually pretty nice since there were tons of pillows surrounding me and my aching back.)

Everyday is a good day, but yesterday was unusually productive considering how slow moving I currently am and so I am recording it in case it never happens again. 

Woke up just before 7am.  Woke up the kids.  While they got dressed, I got breakfast ready and over breakfast we had our little Easter devotional.  While they finished eating, I signed homework and found socks, etc.  We had family prayer and they headed out the door.  Matt worked on letters with Austin and Sydney while I ate breakfast and checked email.  Then the kids watched Letter Factory while I started cleaning up breakfast and Matt got ready for work. 

Around 9 I put the kids in the tub, filled to the tippy top and with bubbles.  They were very excited.  They splashed around while I listened to the Mormon Channel and cleaned out some cupboards.  Once everyone was dressed, we cleaned up Sydney's room (she had pulled all of the clothes off the shelves looking for something and it has taken me a couple of days to pick it all up.)  The kids played while I continued to pick the house and wash some sheets that didn't stay dry all night.  At 11:30 I made lunch and then put Sydney down for her nap. 

Austin was picked up for preschool just before 12 and then I hurried to hop in the shower.  As soon as I was ready, I put some stew in the crockpot for dinner and then made some muffins for an after school snack (see?  Dinner prep and a snack....not a normal day :)

I woke Sydney up at 1:45 and we headed out to pick up Austin from preschool.  All of the preschoolers came out of class wearing bunny masks.  It was REALLY  cute.  We drop off the other kids and head home.  It is a beautiful day so we stay outside and draw with chalk until the boys get home, about 15 minutes.  I chat with my neighbor and then the bus comes.  I get all the kids a muffin and herd them straight to the car because today is the last day to check the lost and found at the elementary before it is donated.  Derek lost his coat (NEW coat) about a month ago on the playground.  I have checked the lost and found 3 separate times in that month hoping to find it.  It was a great coat and I was planning on him wearing it next year as well.  And then passing it down to Austin, of course.   Derek has also checked the lost and found several times.  I knew if we didn't find it today it was time to give it up.  I said a quick prayer as I drove to the school, saying, "It is okay if we don't find the coat, but it would be really, really nice if we did."  Zack and the little kids stayed in the car while Derek and I ran into the school.  He started searching the buckets full of clothes while I started searching the coat rack.  I was checking very carefully to make sure there wasn't a coat stuck between two others or falling off the hangar.  Two coats from the end, THERE IT WAS!!  Gloves in the pocket and all.  Derek and I were jumping up and down, we were so excited!  We said a little prayer of thanks together and then ran to the car.  Everyone was really excited for him. 

Then, we hurried to the gas station to get the car washed and then off to the dollar store to pick up something Matt needed for Scouts that night. 

We got home and the little kids played outside while I cleaned out the car.  Derek was supposed to be reading to me while I did that but he kept getting distracted because he wanted to vacuum.  He vacuumed, we read a little more and Zack worked on his book report.  Then Zack freaked out because he couldn't remember some things that had happened in the book.  We had a talk about how if you read your book 4 weeks before the report is due, you should write your rough draft while it is still fresh on your mind.  I helped him finish the rough draft and the kids all went back out to play while I dished up dinner. 

Matt walked in right then and we all ate together.  Matt and Zack hurried to get ready for their respective Scout meetings and I hurried to do the dishes.  Fifteen minutes after they left, the babysitter showed up and I headed to Young Women.  (Only about once a month do I attend YW and so once a month, a babysitter comes for about 45 minutes until Matt and Zack get home.  Who babysits for me when all the girls in the ward are at YW and all the boys at YM or Scouts?  My neighbor who is only about 6 months older than Zack.  She is adorable and responsible and we live 30 seconds from our church building.  Obviously, this won't work once I have the baby.  Baby will have to come with me to YW.

I head out and soon after we start, I see Matt leave for home.  About 15 minutes later, I see Zack and realize he got out late or Matt forgot him.  I watch him walk across the street to our house and then go back to the activity. 
I get home at 8:20 and we have our evening devotional.  We watched a short video about the life of Jesus, had prayer and then I took Sydney to bed while the boys ate a little snack.  Matt headed to bed right after, trying to heal up as fast as possible and I sent the boys up to bed.  I fell asleep on the couch shortly after 9 and then woke up at 1 realizing I had sent the kids up to bed, but never gone back to turn off lights, etc.  The little boy's light was still on and so was Sydney's.  I turned them off and went back to sleep with only one interruption in the night.  It was a great day. 

Just keepin' it real:  That was yesterday.  Today it is almost 11am and we are all still in our pjs.  Austin is playing Life on the Nexus, Sydney is destroying Derek and Austin's room and trying to wear her dress intended for her Aunt's wedding and I am sitting here on the computer.  :)  Balance in all things, right?   Everyday is great for some reason.  Today is great because I have no where I need to go, plenty of groceries and my second load of wash nearly done.