Today was just "one of those days". I had lots of curious little hands reaching for the camera, meaning I kept having to put it up, and I never seemed to have it when I wanted it. In the past, days like today have caused me to give up. But when I look back at weeks from prior years (even if they are unfinished or the pictures/words dwindle toward the end of the week) it is like pure gold. I don't notice that I missed Tuesday bedtime, or lunch on Thursday. It all comes together as a picture of our week. I try to remember that in today's "ugh, where's the camera!" moments.
The morning started off rough. I overslept by an hour and a half. I probably should have jumped directly in the shower, but I knew if I didn't take a few minutes for coffee and devotionals I would feel rushed and overwhelmed and ...well..grumpy. I was groggy and out of sorts and some how managed to lose the coffee basket. After searching the kitchen high and low and even checking the garbage to make sure I didn't throw it away with yesterday's grounds I realized I had already put it in the coffee maker. Like I've said in the past, just because I get up early does not mean I'm a morning person!
By 6:30 Sylvie is up and wanting me to turn on cartoons. "The mote right dere Mom". I turned on Mickey and jumped in the shower. At which time I grabbed the conditioner instead of the shampoo and dropped the body wash on my toes....twice. I started making the bed (a job Luke usually does when he's home) and told myself I was not going to let this day get the best of me!
I was distracted by Sylvie who wanted to get dressed. This morning she wanted a sweatshirt, but the one hanging on her closet door would not do. "No yellow sweatshirt in closet".
Back to making the bed (still nothing on the walls from when we painted weeks ago). This is typical of any morning chore. Start, stop, change direction, start again and a healthy amount of forgetting about it until later. I've gotten much better at going with the flow and just being ok with it.
The bed is made and laundry gathered so the light goes off. Lights are often my visual trigger in the mornings. When I'm interrupted and leave the room I'll leave the light on. When I'm done in the room the light goes off. It works because when I see a light on I think oh yeah I need to finish making the bed, grab the laundry, etc. It's not something I consciously do, but when Luke would wonder why the lights are left on (a pet peeve of his) or shut them off behind me (a pet peeve of mine) I realized it was because I wasn't DONE in there. In his defense there are many times throughout the day where lights just get left on, but in the mornings it's part of the system!
As my first daycare kiddos arrived I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that one of them sat down with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
My two missing kiddos were back today, much to the delight of Beau and Cora. These boys have become like family to us. They much closer resemble siblings to my kids than daycare kids. My heart hurts when I think about how they will be too old for daycare soon. Aside from the occasional rainy day, they are allowed to play "screens" until breakfast, and then they get put away for the rest of the daycare day. A rule they don't particularly love.
This morning Sylvie is very whiny and wants to eat breakfast. When I tell her she has to wait for the rest of the daycare kids to arrive she tries to take matters in to her own hands, finding the bread for toast.
Today's breakfast was cinnamon toast, bananas, and milk for the kids. That looks like 12 pieces of bread, 5 bananas, one fruit cup, and nine glasses of milk. The morning after groceries always makes me happy, mostly because the fruit is stocked and we have options! Right now our fridge is holding 6 gallons of milk, which will be gone by the time next Wednesday rolls around.
Now that everyone is here we have overflow at the table. The older kids take turns sitting up at the counter. This morning they chat about the boys' vacation and the movie Paddington.
I unload the dishwasher while the kids eat, and laugh at the fact that the color scheme between the kid drawers and our adult dishes don't differ all that much.
Since the older kids finish eating so much faster than the little ones I've found that the best way to avoid the constant Mooooooom and arguing while I'm trying to get cleaned up is to give them chores to do. Today it was setting up the pack and plays, picking grapes, and taking out the garbage.
Each week our fruit is pretty standard. Bananas, apples, grapes, and right now watermelon. This is our week's worth of grapes. It usually only lasts us the first half of the week.
After breakfast the kids went downstairs and played with the magic kit.
Always so much personality. Silly goofy and full of life.
The sun was shining today, but it was still chilly and so windy. I sent the older ones outside, and within minutes they were all back in getting sweatshirts.
Cora wanted a sweatshirt out of her room, but one of the babies was sleeping in there. She grabbed one of Beau's, but within minutes was back inside trading it in for her winter coat. She ended up head to toe pink sporting her winter puffer coat with pink shorts and flip flops.
With the grass still wet and the weather so cool I decided to wait a while before bringing the younger ones out. I also realized I forgot to eat breakfast.
The kids were excited at lunch when the "box man" stopped and dropped off a box. The little kids were even more excited when they saw I ordered them backpacks like the big kids, to take their things home from daycare. After lunch the little's went down for nap and and the older kids read. At 2:00 I sent them out to play, which meant lots of tag (and fighting over who's it, and whether they were actually tagged). Remember when I said they are more like siblings....that includes the fighting and arguing! Sylvie was up at 2 again, and I put her back to bed (again).
I get Sylvie back up at 3, and call the big kids in to wash up, clean up their rest stuff, and help with snack. Goldfish and grapes today.
Much like the after breakfast transition time, after nap causes the same challenges with the older kids waiting around after they get their stuff put away. It usually looks like a lot of roughhousing, running around the house, and up and down the stairs. My solution was the same, put them to work! When they get done putting away their rest blankets and books they come to me and get their jobs. Today it was helping take down the pack and plays, helping to carry shoes, water bottles, and snacks outside, and assisting the little ones with the folding of their blankets.
Having snack downstairs or out on the deck (vs. upstairs in the dining room) has been a nice change this week. It's nice to be able to get the kitchen and upstairs cleaned up at nap time and have it be done and ready for family time. We'll see how it works as the weather cools off.
Luke got home at 4:30. Sylvie was excited to show him her new backpack, which she was not letting out of her sight.
Sylvie and I spent the last few minutes of the daycare day trying out our new tire swing. Just a few more minutes until a long weekend. No work Friday so I can take the kids to their teacher appointments and I took Monday off for the first day of school. Yay for 4 day weekends!!
This was our entertainment. They were stretching, getting ready for a run. "You just have to pull until it hurts and then stay there"...ummm kind of.
Luke is coaching Beau's football team again this year, so it was a quick supper tonight so they could get to practice. Leftover chicken and cheese in a tortilla and watermelon.
Ice cream is a summer treat around here, so with this being the last week of summer it was ice cream cones for dessert. None for Sylvie again though. Even though it was chicken tonight she wasn't interested in eating. Not even for ice cream.
While the boys were at football the girls created a "swimming pool" again and jumped from the footstool to the couch. 7:30 was bath and jammies time. Beau and Luke got home just before 8, Luke finished up getting the kids to bed and I headed out for a run. I'm noticing how much shorter the evenings are already, it's getting harder to get out the door with enough time to get a run in before dark. Tonight it was 5 miles. I purposely didn't let myself sit down in the living room when I got home. I knew I needed to get to bed earlier, so it was a shower and in bed by 9:30.
Looks like a fun filled and packed day. I have struggled to keep my camera out of my toddler's reach too!
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