Live Blogging My Day

7:00 Wake up, shower, get dressed.

7:30 Answer a few emails, tidy up the computer desk, put away a half dozen items.

7:50 Grab overflowing laundry basket and head downstairs. Tom's already emptied the dishwasher and made the coffee: woo-hoo!

7:55 Throw a load of laundry in the washer.

8:00 Youngest is already up, watching Curious George. Get 10 yo son up; make breakfast for him and 8 yo daughter. (Yesterday was French Toast; today is just bagels.) Consider making a smoothie, but there's no juice and no fresh fruit in the house. Realization: Need to go to the grocery store before lunch.

8:10 Have a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal while catching up on a few blogs.

8:30 Gather "Mapping the World by Heart" materials to run to the copy shop.

8:35 Remember that I didn't pray this morning; try to pray even with very distracted mind. (Question for self: What is wrong with me that I would actually forget to say my morning prayers, other than a few thoughts directed toward God while waking up?? Muslims pray formally five times a day; shouldn't I aspire to that??)

8:40 Remind little kids to put their breakfast dishes in the sink and get ready for the day.

8:45 Start little kids on piano practice and school assignments.

8:46 Start dusting the family room, tidying up. Friends are coming today at 1:00 p.m. for the Jeff Cavins "Great Adventure" Bible Study.

8:50 Remember about grocery store; add items to the list. Polish the fingerprints off the end tables. Pick up afghans, pillows, and books from the floor. Make sure teens are up and getting ready for the day upstairs. (They are.)

9:00 Reply to an email from Mom about when I would visit Dad in the hospital. Help 1o yo son with piano. Get the idea for this silly blog post and start on it. Organize a few more school materials for the day. Get everyone on-task; write assignment lists.

9:10 Answer phone when the screening seems to indicate it's a legitimate call for Tom; alas, it's not. Spend a minute trying to politely disengage. Back to other tasks.

9:29 Make sure everyone is on-task with their stuff; leave for the copy shop and grocery store while all four kids get busy with their assignments.

10:30 Return from copy shop with 54 copies of maps and handouts (Note: these are NOT copyrighted materials! The program specifically allow for copies, just so ya know!), and a huge cart of groceries. Saved almost $50 on a net total of $132 -- another woo hoo for the day!

10:35 Get the kids to bring the 10 bags of groceries in from the car; unpack groceries, load fridge and basement freezer. Deal with one particular child who is being uncooperative and, shall we say, mouthy to me. Clean out fridge a bit. Finish putting away groceries.

10:50 Check on progress made on assignments while I was gone.

11:00 Everyone's hungry (note: this could explain attitude problem noted above!); start lunch prep while kids get out milk, chocolate syrup, cups, water, etc.

11:02 Wipe up coffee spill on counter (my fault; I left my half-full mug out on the counter next to the fridge).

11:05 Say grace together; have lunch together.

11:30 Start lunch cleanup; get kids to sweep and wash counters.

11:35 Reboot the laundry with another load.

11:38 Answer doorbell; it's the lawn mower guys. We're done for the year; "see you in spring!"

11:40 Get kids to sweep kitchen floor, put away food, wash counters.

11:41 Take phone call from friend about plans for tomorrow night; a double date, woo hoo!

11:45 Make sure kitchen table is clean and dry (check!); set up colored pencils and maps and globes and atlas for "Mapping the World by Heart" exercise (United States borders, states, rivers, mountains, lakes).

11:50 Settle outbreak of squabbles. Discuss charity, forgiveness, the power of good and bad examples.

12:10 Everybody's quietly working on the maps, absorbed in their work.

12:11 But this doesn't last long... "Mom, where is the Pee Dee River?" Golly, how should I know? I never heard of the Pee Dee River! Let's look it up Google it. Wikipedia to the rescue.

12:14 Moderate lively discussion of Thanksgiving plans. Discuss how you don't choose your family; they are God's gift to you, for better or for worse. Discuss humility, charity, patience. Tell kids they can offer up missing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

12:22 Son discovers I'm live-blogging our day!! Much hilarity. "Mom, you're such a dork!" Said with a smile and affection. Yep. I can accept that. Dorkiness R Us.

12:23 Kids start singing "Oh wee O, O weeee O", from Wizard of Oz. OK then.

12:24 Answer questions about the Great Lakes. Explain meaning of "Adios". ("Dios means God, so it's like saying, "Go with or toward God". "Really? Cool!")

12:26 Tell little kids to wrap up the map exercise for today. The teens keep working, quietly talking and laughing together. (May I say again, "Woo-hoo!")

12:30 Google a question about the OK Corral during on-going map work and various conversations. "Was it in Oklahoma?" Nope, Arizona. 1881. Cool historical tidbit.

12:40 Go finish the tidying / dusting / vacuuming of the first floor.

12:55 Take call from friend; they'll be a little late for Bible study. Whew! Not quite ready here.

1:00 Finish tidying up from map exercise with older girls. Get a big glass of water for everyone. (Hydration is the key to domestic tranquility, husband believes. He's right.)

1:05 Give the powder room a quick once-over. Check on the laundry; toss clothes into dryer.

1:15 Friends arrive; the younger ones all play basketball outside while the teen girls and moms watch the Jeff Cavins DVD. Today's lesson: Exodus, the 10 Commandments, the Golden Calf ("Aaron, what were you thinking?!"), the Levites. Have a discussion about the lessons and then chat about Thanksgiving plans.

2:45 Friends leave. Teen girls scoot upstairs to get ready for Tae Kwon Do. I cut up an apple for the youngest. Me: Coffee break. Heat up a mug of coffee from this morning and sit doing this and catching up on some blogs for a few minutes. Email Mom about the plans for bringing Dad home from rehab tomorrow, after 25 days in the hospital. Whew.

3:00 15 yo daughter practices guitar; 17 yo practices piano. It's like music to my ears. Wait! Duh! It is music to my ears!

3:00 Make a list of what needs to be done yet today:

• Clean dining room (tidy up, dust, dry mop).
• Call to find out about drivers' ed for 15 yo.
• Call piano tuner; set up a date.
• Research steam cleaners for carpet.
• Make up a chore list for the kids for tomorrow, including bathrooms, bedrooms, and basement lodge.
• Figure out who needs to go where tomorrow: 15 yo has Demo Team practice; I need to be there when Dad and Mom arrive home from the hospital; date night with friends.
• Clean our bathroom
• Dust / vac our bedroom.
• Tackle the last of the laundry for today. Put away the approximately five loads that are folded and in a basket upstairs.
• Get after youngest ones to clean up their stuff this afternoon.
• Call sister-in-law to confirm what I'm bringing for Thanksgiving dinner.
• Make a run to Goodwill on the way to visit Dad.
• Visit Dad with the little kids for the dinner hour; make him a tuna fish sandwich for dinner as he said he was only going to order soup off the hospital menu.
• Add 10 yo's basketball schedule to my planner calendar.

Yeah, right. Like all that's going to happen.

3:17 Teens are picked up by their friend for a ride to Tae Kwon Do. "Bye! Love you! Do you have your key?? Run get it! Bye! See you later!"

3:18 Play dolls with 8 yo. Sweet! She got out my old Francie and Skipper dolls; we have a lot of fun playing with them together.

3:40 Play time's over for me. Back to work on that daunting list. First a little prayer break: Divine Mercy Chaplet.

So, that's my day so far.

Woo.

Hoo.