There was a time when I thought sending all the boys off to school meant I would have some free time. The school year is about two-thirds over, and I am finally realizing that it will probably never happen. There are moments, and even sometimes a few days in a row, where I don't have a lot going on. But most of the time, it's go, go, go ... and then go some more.
I also happen to be a single parent every third day, what with Daddy's job at the fire department and all. And that rotating shift can make it hard to find a consistent schedule for me or for the kids. Plus he's still building on the side, so his other two days are usually pretty full, too.
Take this week, for example. Baseball is back in full swing, which means we're at the ball field four different times every week. We practice for an hour on Saturday and Sunday, then we practice for two hours on two different weeknights. Those weeknights also rotate. And guess how they rotated this week. Both of them were on nights when Josh was working. The twins were less than pleased, I assure you.
It makes for a long day.
Up at 7 to get ready for school. Running errands or doing some work around the house until it's time to pick up the boys at 3. Rushing home to get a snack, start (and hopefully finish homework), and make sure everyone goes potty (because the restrooms aren't open yet) before you load up at 4:30. You pack all the stuff it takes (not only for baseball, but also to pacify two unhappy little brothers being forced along for the ride) and then drive through rush hour traffic across town to get to practice. We won't even talk about keeping two unhappy little boys occupied and relatively quiet for two hours during practice. And then you rush back across town to get home, fix dinner (or give in and get fast food), then hurry into baths and bed (or finish homework if you didn't manage to do that before practice). Oh, and don't forget to feed the puppy and let him outside for a few minutes (but not too long, or he'll bark his head off and annoy the neighbors). And be sure to rinse his paws off before he comes inside, because the back yard is still a mud pit from the recent driveway expansion and landscaping project. We've seen our share of muddy footprints all over the house lately, and that would add something else to be done.
It makes me tired just thinking about it.
And I've done it twice this week. And will do it several more times over the course of the season. It's the nature of the beast. I cannot imagine how other people do it. We only have one child involved in extra-curricular activities. The twins do have speech once a week, but that's consistent and routine at this point. I cannot imagine having events for all three boys. I would never manage on nights like tonight.
It's 9:15 and I just got everyone into bed. Late for a school night, but what are you going to do? And as much as I would like to enjoy the quiet time to myself, I will probably follow them into bed soon. Because tomorrow it all begins again ...
