55 Strawberries, 9 Years, Gratitude Check
5:00 am - I arise and start melting chocolate in a double boiler.
5:10 am - I finish my coffee.
5:15 am - I am done with my coffee and begin dipping 55 ripe, crimson red, luscious local, coastal strawberries into dark chocolate (a little heavy cream added for gloss).
6:00 am - I walk into my son's room with a card, singing "Happy Birthday."
6:01 am - Not morning person son screams "STOP SINGING!".
6:02 am - I depart son's room after gently placing the card on his nightstand.
6:30 am - Present dressed son with scrambled eggs, bacon and maple & brown sugar Cream of Wheat he requested for his birthday morning breakfast. He eats Cream of Wheat only.
7:30 am - Drop son and older daughter off at school.
7:45 am - Make deposit at bank.
8:30 - 9:30 am - Spinning class in which I simultaneously try to calm and balance my physical and inner self while planning out the rest of my (son's birth)day while listening to "I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT" over the gym class speakers.
10:45 am - In shower while toddler watches Caillou on Sprout, neighbor calls from work and asks if I can get her daughter from school because she is cold and just finished STAR testing and wants to come home.
10:45 - 10:55 am - Before leaving the house, sweep up crushed Goldfish crackers and an unmentionable ...thing... my toddler decided to crush into the carpet.
11:09 am - Leave junior high school with neighbor's daughter, on my way to son's classroom.
11:14 am - Pick older daughter up from Kindergarten classroom and ask teacher if she can join us in my son's classroom for the chocolate covered strawberries I made at 5:00 am.
11:17 am - Arrive in son's classroom, sing Happy Birthday without getting yelled at, take pictures, hand out strawberries to students, get coaxed into making white chocolate covered strawberries on the last day of school.
11:30 am - School dismissal.
11:35 am - Son gives left over strawberries to his "bro's" in the next class.
11:45 am - Back home. Too tired to make even chicken dinos. Order pizza for son since it's his birthday. Get older daughter ready for her friend's birthday party at 1:30. Leave voice mail for husband "PLEASE GET HOME EARLY I NEED YOU HERE!"
12:13 pm - Decide to plan the rest of my day - including one baseball practice, one t-ball game, a celebratory dinner at my son's favorite restaurant and hopefully a drive thru stop at Starbucks for a doppio - while blogging.
12:15 pm - Pizza delivered by a young kid with a KORN belt buckle. Tell kids to clean up rooms or they get no pizza.
12:17 pm - Son dictates what is watched on tv. It's his birthday, no one argues (for once). Husband calls and says he's held up at work. Go to Plan B, I usually have one.
12:21 pm - Emotional, physical and mental status check: Gee, my day is pretty charmed. My life is pretty good. I am exhausted - everyday seems to get busier as I squeeze more things into it - but is that my biggest complaint? Definitely not. But I know enough to know even the happiest people wage silent wars in the background and inside. But they are still happy, I note. Follow Plato's advice. Be kind to everyone, including myself, and emphatically to my son. He gets a pass on everything except beating up his 6 year old sister. Nine years ago I was gifted with this little guy, and began my parenting journey. I remind myself that it is exhausting. I say a quick prayer that it never, ever ends. I did all that in one minute? No wonder I'm tired.
12:29 pm - Concede to my sensible self, wrap up my blog and start on the dishes. At least I got to write a little today, even if it was just my blog. As I fall asleep tonight (can that be right now?), I will map out my writing schedule for tomorrow, my day off from the gym, no practices, no games, older kids at school, just me, my laptop, the laundry, my toddler, and Caillou. Make myself a note to send out bills.
5:10 am - I finish my coffee.
5:15 am - I am done with my coffee and begin dipping 55 ripe, crimson red, luscious local, coastal strawberries into dark chocolate (a little heavy cream added for gloss).
6:00 am - I walk into my son's room with a card, singing "Happy Birthday."
6:01 am - Not morning person son screams "STOP SINGING!".
6:02 am - I depart son's room after gently placing the card on his nightstand.
6:30 am - Present dressed son with scrambled eggs, bacon and maple & brown sugar Cream of Wheat he requested for his birthday morning breakfast. He eats Cream of Wheat only.
7:30 am - Drop son and older daughter off at school.
7:45 am - Make deposit at bank.
8:30 - 9:30 am - Spinning class in which I simultaneously try to calm and balance my physical and inner self while planning out the rest of my (son's birth)day while listening to "I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT" over the gym class speakers.
10:45 am - In shower while toddler watches Caillou on Sprout, neighbor calls from work and asks if I can get her daughter from school because she is cold and just finished STAR testing and wants to come home.
10:45 - 10:55 am - Before leaving the house, sweep up crushed Goldfish crackers and an unmentionable ...thing... my toddler decided to crush into the carpet.
11:09 am - Leave junior high school with neighbor's daughter, on my way to son's classroom.
11:14 am - Pick older daughter up from Kindergarten classroom and ask teacher if she can join us in my son's classroom for the chocolate covered strawberries I made at 5:00 am.
11:17 am - Arrive in son's classroom, sing Happy Birthday without getting yelled at, take pictures, hand out strawberries to students, get coaxed into making white chocolate covered strawberries on the last day of school.
11:30 am - School dismissal.
11:35 am - Son gives left over strawberries to his "bro's" in the next class.
11:45 am - Back home. Too tired to make even chicken dinos. Order pizza for son since it's his birthday. Get older daughter ready for her friend's birthday party at 1:30. Leave voice mail for husband "PLEASE GET HOME EARLY I NEED YOU HERE!"
12:13 pm - Decide to plan the rest of my day - including one baseball practice, one t-ball game, a celebratory dinner at my son's favorite restaurant and hopefully a drive thru stop at Starbucks for a doppio - while blogging.
12:15 pm - Pizza delivered by a young kid with a KORN belt buckle. Tell kids to clean up rooms or they get no pizza.
12:17 pm - Son dictates what is watched on tv. It's his birthday, no one argues (for once). Husband calls and says he's held up at work. Go to Plan B, I usually have one.
12:21 pm - Emotional, physical and mental status check: Gee, my day is pretty charmed. My life is pretty good. I am exhausted - everyday seems to get busier as I squeeze more things into it - but is that my biggest complaint? Definitely not. But I know enough to know even the happiest people wage silent wars in the background and inside. But they are still happy, I note. Follow Plato's advice. Be kind to everyone, including myself, and emphatically to my son. He gets a pass on everything except beating up his 6 year old sister. Nine years ago I was gifted with this little guy, and began my parenting journey. I remind myself that it is exhausting. I say a quick prayer that it never, ever ends. I did all that in one minute? No wonder I'm tired.
12:29 pm - Concede to my sensible self, wrap up my blog and start on the dishes. At least I got to write a little today, even if it was just my blog. As I fall asleep tonight (can that be right now?), I will map out my writing schedule for tomorrow, my day off from the gym, no practices, no games, older kids at school, just me, my laptop, the laundry, my toddler, and Caillou. Make myself a note to send out bills.
But today, what is left of it, Happy Birthday to My Son, Happy Every Day, to me.
