Busy Fall Schedule ...

Just want to preface this by saying I am in no way complaining, I really do love my crazy chaotic busy life ... I realize that typing does not have the benefit of tone of voice ... if you could hear me speak these words instead of reading them, you would hear me giggle with exhaustion, but truly giggle about this crazy life I lead.

OK, that said ... We are in fall schedule full swing crazy mode over here!!!! I have 5 kids, so I know there is no way around it, but ... really!!! Wednesdays make me dizzy as I drive in circles so much :-) Don't believe me? Let me give you a small sample:

6:00am ... Try to wake up so I can read and pray for a little bit before the house gets hopping. Gus is usually up about this time too ... I guess a 13 year old needs lots of time to shower and prep before school (oh and he likes to watch some crazy cable reality show about an exterminator ... umm ... yuck!)

7:00am ... Try to wake up Z and O ... usually successful until about 7:15 or 7:20 ... encourage them to get appropriately dressed for the days weather and then check to see if they will be eating hot lunch or do they need to take a lunch. If they need to take a lunch ... well then ...Make it please!!!

7:45am ... Last call for breakfast ... I do not want to hear as we are all getting in the truck that you did not get anything to eat yet. About this time I also ask "does everyone have a snack and a water bottle in their back pack ... if not please come get them". Sometimes we rush around looking for library books or milk money at this time too.

7:55am ... I ask the boys to get coats and shoes on and get in my truck and I go upstairs to wake up Mikayla (she is homeschooled remember) ... if Mary (3 years old) is awake at this point she usually stays with Mikayla while I run boys to school, unless she is especially clingy or winey and then I need to get her coat and shoes on so she can come with.

8:00am ... Is our desired departure time ... we make that about half the time. Its a 1.8 mile drive to school and can take 5-8 minutes depending on traffic and stoplights. Doors open at 8:05 and kids have till 8:15 to be in their classrooms

8:07ish ... Arrive at school and let boys out at curb. If there is money to be dropped off for activities, book orders, lunches, or tuition I will park and then walk in. I also park and go in every Monday for the chapel service (but this is my wed example so never mind)

8:15am ... boys should be in classes and I am either in the school office chatting or on my way back home (possibly stopping at Caribou for coffee, but not too often anymore).

8:30AM - NOON could go in any possible direction ... sometimes Target shopping, sometimes grocery shopping, sometimes a playdate, laundry, dishes, vacuuming ... all that normal mom stuff (not that I am claiming to be anywhere near "normal", whatever that is)

Also, during this time Mikayla is usually studying her courses or taking tests on line through Alpha and Omega Academy. Be it Wednesday or any weekday she gets most of her schooling in before noon, with only a subject or two left to tackle in the afternoon

Noon ... I need to head back to the school to pick up Z, he is in half day kindergarten ... which includes staying for lunch ... he likes that because he feels big like his brothers. Some days when I pick him up he is still hungry, other days he is full. So some days he comes home and eats more lunch with Mary and Mikayla and I, other days he just tells us about his day while we eat ... or he runs off to build with legos.

12:40pm ... (and not a minute later according to Mikayla) we load up her saddle and head 3 miles south of our house to Golden Ridge Stables, so she can take her ridding lesson. Mary, Zeke and I drop her off and wave at the horses for a bit and then moooo at the cows we always pass as we drive back home. Mary still takes afternoon naps most days, but often on Wednesdays they are cut short. But if she is going to sleep this is probably the time she does

2:15pm ... head back to the stable (glad its so close) to pick up Mikayla and hear about her riding lesson as we drive back home, so she can shower and get cleaned up for Wednesday night church stuff.
2:40pm ... I drive to the school to pick up O ... Yes, just O, because G is running cross-country this fall and those practices and meets are M/W/F. Mary & Zeke usually just stay home with Mikayla at this time.

So I get O home and ask what homework he has and if he is hungry ... he is always hungry but does not always have homework. We make a snack and chat a little (homework if we need to) and then he usually wants to either watch a tv show or go find a neighborhood friend to play with.

4:00pm ... I head back to our school for the 4th time in eight hours to pick up G after cross-country practice and hear about his day as we drive the short drive home. He needs to snack and shower so he can be ready for Wednesday night church stuff. If Allen is working day shift he usually arrives home shortly after us. If he is on another shift well ... its just another monkey wrench in our system but we roll with the flow of things :-)

5:00pm ... We make sandwiches or warm up leftovers for those who do not like to eat the pizza served every Wednesday night at church. Also ask one more time about homework (just to make sure) and ask what they need to take with for church stuff

6:00pm ... Load up and head to church, once we get there some eat pizza and some just hang out with their friends

8:15ish ... Load up and drive tired kids home ... once we are home most of them want a quick bedtime snack and we discuss what needs to be in their back packs for school ... will they need a lunch or are they taking hot lunch ... and then please please please get into pajamas before 9pm ... doesn't always happen but we try.

This post is already way too long to add a whole bedtime routine to it, so I will quite now :-) As if there is even anyone still reading ... ha!

PS ... if I only drive to and from school, stable, church and home we figure I put on 44 miles every Wednesday... but if I add a play date or any shopping or other events its easily over 100 miles every Wednesday ... yes I love my life and my trusty big white bus (I mean Ford excursion)