Juggling

The life of a mom with three kids is all about juggling.  There are so many balls to keep in the air and you just do your best not to drop too many...or at least not too many on the same day.  Here's my day-in-the-life example from today.

10:00--I'm just about finished getting dressed and ready for the day.  It was a hectic morning as I helped get the boys dressed, fed, and on the bus; touched base with emails; fed and played with Madeline; added things on my to-do list; crossed things off my to-do list; worked on a project I'm doing for a friend; etc.  I hear Madeline start to wake up from her nap.  Ordinarily this would have been annoying because she hadn't slept all that long.  Today, it's fine.  We have to leave for a doctor's appointment anyways, so at least I don't feel guilty waking her up.
10:20--I feed Madeline.
10:30--I'm about to leave, but I realize the kitchen looks like a bomb went off in it.  I put Madeline down and decide to do a quick tidy so I don't come home to overwhelming chaos.
10:35--I'm on the road heading to West Lake to pick Riley up.  He has to come with me to Madeline's 6-month check up because I have scheduled a dentist check up for him immediately afterwards.  He's on x-ray number three (four? I can't remember) to check his two front teeth.  You see, he was hit in the mouth with a dog bone in the spring.  Ha!  Funny to actually write that out...
10:40--At school and waiting for Riley.  It takes a little while and we're officially running behind now.
10:50--Heading to the pediatrician's office.
11:00--I'm on automatic pilot and distractedly thinking about the project I've been working on.  I "come to" and suddenly voice aloud, "Where am I?  Where am I going to again?"  Thankfully, I realize I'm in the right general area, just the wrong set of buildings.
11:03--We're cutting this really close.  Madeline's appointment is at 11:05, and of course, there are NO parking spots anywhere.  We have to park in the back, walk to the building, and take the elevator up.  Madeline and her carseat must weigh 35 pounds, I swear.
11:05-ish--Checked in at our appointment.  Not too shabby, not too shabby.  We wait in the waiting area for quite some time.  But I actually play trains with Riley, which I'm feeling pretty good about.  Punching my mom card...yes indeed...
11:25--Called back for our appointment.  Riley is being Riley.  As I'm answering the normal questions about sleep, smoke detectors, pets, I look down and see that Riley has Madeline's ENTIRE foot in his mouth.  Really?  I tell him to go get a book to read.  He hops and skips over to the table and jumps up on it, kicking the nurse's mini computer in the process.  Her quick reflexes keep it from falling to the floor.  I think she's irritated with Riley...  Answer more questions about eating, pooping--speaking of pooping, I discover Madeline has done just that.  I change her, then she is weighed and measured.  She is indeed only 15 pounds, which means her and the carseat were probably not 35 pounds, but still.
11:45--Still waiting for the doctor.  I realize I really should have had a snack.  I am thirsty and starting to get shaky and light-headed because I'm really hungry.  I check the time and realize there is no way we're going to make it to Riley's 12:10 appointment on time.  It's important to me to be on time.  I hate being late.  But what are you going to do?  I sing songs with Riley, play little make-believe games, etc. I try to figure out if it will be possible to go back to the car for a snack before we go to the dentist.  I know it's not going to happen, but I'm getting desperate.
12:00--Doctor Lehrich comes and checks Madeline out.  Love her!  Madeline is evaluated head to toe.  She is doing great.  I get my questions answered.
12:25--Shot time.  Riley leaves the room.  He doesn't want to watch.  :)
12:35-ish--I lug the 45-pound carseat over to the next building and up the elevator to the third floor where we finally arrive at the dentist.  We are over 25 minutes late.  Ugh...feeling pretty bad.  They are beyond kind and understanding.  Thankfully this is just for a quick x-ray and not a full-on cleaning.  Riley goes back, has his x-ray, things are looking fine.
12:50--We check out and I carry the 55-pound carseat back to the elevators.  I swear, I might just pass out.  I'm so hungry and my blood sugar is shot.  We get to the ground floor, walk out the doors into the brisk fall air, and I realize we have left Riley's coat at the dentist.
12:55--I carry the 75-pound carseat back to the elevator, hide the lollipop I had let Riley have from Madeline's appointment (can't go to a dentist office with THAT!), and walk back to the office on the third floor.  The door is locked.  Sign says they're gone for lunch.  We meekly knock anyway.  A wonderful nurse who is just about to leave comes to the door and lets Riley back in to get his coat. 
1:00--Back on the elevator.  Riley asks for his lollipop back.  He says, "Good thing we didn't leave that!"  I carry the 100-pound carseat to the car.  I'm practically crawling.  My biceps are dead and I barely have the strength to even keep myself upright, much less me and a 150-pound careseat.  Surely NASA can come up with something better.  Stat.
1:05--Madeline falls asleep as soon as the car starts moving.  We go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.  I'm so hungry it barely fills me up.
1:10--Somehow I manage to go the wrong way back to Riley's school.  I am not all there today.  I swear--I even had coffee this morning!  I think it's due to the fact that Madeline has actually been sleeping mostly through the night the past few nights.  My body doesn't know how to handle that.  Or, it could be the loss of brain cells from all the nights she hasn't slept well.
1:20--We get to Riley's school.  I carry the 65-pound carseat back into the office.  I'm feeling slightly guilty that I'm even taking Riley back to school.  They will be packing up their things and loading up the buses in less than an hour.  But time is a precious commodity.  The bus doesn't drop them off at home until 2:45.  That's valuable quiet time that I desperately need!
1:30--Back in the car.  Of course, Madeline is now awake.  Chances of her going back to sleep at home are slim.  As I drive home I realize I have NO CLUE what I'm making for dinner tonight.  Whoops.  Better figure that out...
1:40--Home.  I unload my stuff and peak in to Madeline's seat.  Her sweet blue eyes are staring back at me.  I was secretly hoping they would be closed.  Okay, not so secretly hoping.  I put her in bed anyways.  You never know!
2:15--Yep...definitely not napping.  Boys will be home in 30 minutes at which time total chaos will ensue.  It'll be a quick 2-1/2 hours of homework time, chores, and eating dinner (oh yeah...still have to figure that out...) before we leave again to go to Noah's soccer practice.  Poor Madeline.  Wonder if she'll get any time to nap today???

2:35--I finally go in and rescue Madeline from her "un-nap" and feed her. When she sees me she grins this big toothless grin. Like she's proud of herself for winning. So stinkin' cute.