Normally, when I get out of my bed in the morning, I make it.
It's a habit from my childhood that I never outgrew -- you get out of bed, you make the bed....
There are days, though, where the chaos of the morning doesn't allow me to make my bed, and I have to go back up after everyone is gone.
Like this morning, for example.
My husband went back to work after 15 days off.
Thank God for small favors....
But 5a.m. came awfully early for him.
I must have heard the alarm go off 4 times as he kept hitting the snooze button over and over again until finally i rolled over and said, 'are you getting up or am I?'
I pulled my pillow over my head and tried to get back where i was ....
once that seal is broken off of my sleep, i can never get back...grrrr
The puppy must have heard my husband leaving, and woke up too.
There was alot of sqawking...crying...and general yapping going on.
I kept peeking out of my pillow at the clock ....
I noted that the 13 yr old got up at 5:20 and added walking him to her morning routine.
I heard her shut the front door and go out, and when she came back in, i heard her yell up to her older sister that she 'better move her butt if she didn't want to be late'.
Then I heard the shower in her bathroom go on. The bathroom door down there slam...
That was followed by more barking, crying, yapping as the puppy realized he was back in his crate and not going to get to play..
About 5:45 I hear middle daughter in the bathroom up here. More yelling to her sister,
'aren't you up YET??? you're going to be late for sure'
And then her reply,
'can you plug in the hair straightener for me. i have to get in the shower...i only have a few minutes, because i promised Toby I'd be in early.'
Not 10 minutes later, she comes running into my room -- 'mom! mom! i have 5 minutes to get to school....do you think you can drive me?'
I begrudgingly pulled my head out from under the pillow at this point.
'Now???
Do you think you might consider going to bed earlier so that you can get to school without us both having to face crisis mode every morning?'
'ohhhhhhhhhhh mom!'
(That's her way of saying i'm being unreasonable and hey, what else was i doing but trying to sleep anyway??)
I jumped up, took a look in the mirror, grabbed for a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt, brushed my teeth and got myself downstairs.
Puppy was still squawking so I let him out of the crate.
He promptly peed on the rug.
SHIT!!
I barely cleaned that up, stuck him BACK in the crate, and oldest was standing behind me,
'i'm ready to go'...
I grab my coat, remind her to take her lunch, point out the yogurts in the fridge....pull a banana and toss it over to her, and we take off.
I note that it takes longer to drive there than it would take to walk...
Upon returning, my middle one says,
'i'm starving, can you make me some oatmeal?'
I throw my coat over a chair, grab a bowl, some instant oatmeal, and milk, and in a minute, there is hot piping oatmeal which she grabs from my hands and scoffs down in less time than it took to make..
I yell upstairs to my son,
'Wake up! it's almost 7!'
Then I walk with middle daughter to the bus stop with the puppy.....he needed the walk, and i thought she'd like to have him there today...
My son was in front of the TV when I got back....Avitar: the Last Airbender...Nickelodeon morning fare was on. He wanted waffles with syrup and chocolate milk....
While he ate, I logged into my computer and started downloading email. It's been a whole week since I've logged into my work mail....
The phone rang.
It was Colin down the street wanting to know if I was picking him up for band.
Band? Oh shit again...it's Tuesday!
I rushed out the door again with my son and his stuff, picked Colin up on the way, and dropped both boys at the school a few minutes late for band practice.
'oh well, better late than never', I tell them as they run toward the front door...
Finally finally I walk back inside my house and it's Q U I E T.
Not even the puppy is yapping....
Ok, so the start wasn't exactly smooth.
But they all got off.
It was then I remembered that I hadn't made the bed.
That made me smile.
I looked at my watch.
I had 30 minutes til my first call....
Sometimes you get the opportunity to start your day over....
I ran up the steps and jumped back under the covers!
