The Last 24 Hours

I've never seen the show "24," so this isn't exactly an homage. Just info about my life the last 24 hours.

Monday, 1/1/07

17:00 Making dinner (leftovers plus a salad) and cranberry rolls for breakfast the next day. Kids are upstairs playing with neighbors but I'm about to enforce mandatory piano practice.
17:30 Neighbors leave and meltdowns begin. Kendra has a splinter that's been there all afternoon but she just now realizes hurts. Caelyn and David are fighting over a coloring book. Discipline Caelyn, who actually shows contrition. Listen to Kendra play piano song. Get dinner on the table.
18:00 Eat dinner with kids. (Kevin is still at the office, where he has been all day even though it's a national holiday.) Kendra wolfs down dinner as usual. Caelyn slowly eats but does it without complaining. She even remembers to eat her least-favorite item first. David refuses to eat and is told he will see the plate again at breakfast.
18:45 Send the girls to empty out all the wastebaskets, which results in them getting into a fight.
19:00 Usher kids upstairs and tackle the craft closet and table. Kendra wants to use the label maker to organize her craft cubby drawers. It takes forever and too much frustration, but manage to clear off craft table, set out necessary supplies, clean up closet, and throw away a load of junk.
20:00 Jammies on, teeth brushed, kids in bed. No stories tonight because the kids were dawdlers. Kevin arrives home milliseconds after the kids go to bed, so he sneaks in for kisses and hugs.
20:01 Laundry, dishes, the typical stuff. Also check current postings on eBay (I'm selling stuff this week.) Waste several hours playing computer games and watching the Rose Parade on Tivo.
22:00 Caelyn starts crying. She's still not feeling well. Kevin goes upstairs and takes care of her. He ends up falling asleep on the floor. I can hear his snoring over my TV.
23:45 Stumble into bed. Decide not to wake up Kevin.

Tuesday 1/2/07
03:00 or thereabouts Awakened by one of the girls. This is becoming a frequent occurrence. Either someone has had a bad dream or someone isn't feeling well or someone is just plain lonely. Kevin (who must have come to bed at some point) escorts her upstairs and returns to bed.
07:18 Awakened by David climbing into my bed, sucking his thumb and carrying his Bear Bear. The girls quickly follow and we have a snuggle fest. Demands for breakfast ensue, so I get out of bed and check the status. Kevin already put the cranberry rolls in the oven, so I whip up some eggs and wait for the rolls to brown.
07:30 Heat up David's dinner from last night. Remind him that he agreed to eat it today. Listen to him squawk and complain and try to negotiate. He eventually eats enough to earn eggs and rolls.
08:00 Take a shower, which is fabulous since I never got a chance to shower yesterday. Gross, I know, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. David visits me while I'm in the shower and babbles incoherently about something. I smile and nod; he runs off in his footed jammies. Use up all the hot water.
09:00 Discover that Kendra has been "helpful" and unloaded the dishwasher. Problem: The dishes weren't clean. Kendra feels bad but helps me locate the dirty dishes and reload the racks.
10:00 Finally head out the door and head toward Fantastic Sam's for Caelyn's haircut. Entertain David while waiting. Inform the stylist that one side is two inches shorter than the other. Give up and head home with a wet head. Fix Caelyn's hair, cursing the so-called professional as I lop off several uneven chunks.
11:30 Heat up bean and cheese tacos that Kendra has assembled. Eat something else while the kids eat the tacos.
12:30 Head to the library. David immediately befriends another boy named Sean, who convinces David that they should play monster. Repeatedly hush the boys as they roar at each other. Try to located Sean's mother but she's MIA. Pack up and check out.
13:00 Go to the playground across the parking lot. (Love that library!) Freeze my tush on a bench while the kids play. The kids want snacks, which I remembered (for once) to pack this morning. Dole out snacks and water and sit in car while kids play for a few more minutes. Head home.
13;30 Change a stinky diaper. Inform David that he's going to wear underwear for the rest of the day. Mentally calculate that I've changed more than 13,000 diapers over the last seven years at a cost of more than $3,000. Pray that David will decide to "get on the potty train," as he calls it.
14:00 Resume the tedious job of listing more junk on eBay. David and Caelyn get into yet another fight, so David is sent to his bed. He quickly falls asleep.
14:15 Make the girls write thank-you notes for their Christmas presents. Spell every other word.
14:30 The UPS man comes with a surprise package. I had bought a defective batch of diecut letters for the kids last month. I emailed the company and asked for a replacement. Today's shipment contained two more batches of letters plus three pairs of decorative scissors and 8 bottles of glitter. Quickly stash the glitter and get the girls started on making a poster for their bedroom door. Kendra makes the poster and Caelyn spends the time in the bathroom.
15:30 Thank-you notes and poster finished, the girls have earned some TV time. Turn on Noggin.
16:00 Wake up David and thank God that he didn't have an accident during his nap. Watch Franklin with everybody. Put dinner in the oven.
16:30 David begs for Blues Clues. Force him to visit the bathroom first. Praise him for his success. Reward him with Blue.
17:30 Dinner still isn't quite heated through. Drag kids away from TV and have them help in kitchen. Eat a happy, peaceful dinner. Even David eats all his spinach lasagna.
18:00 Bath time. Caelyn gets a shower. Kendra and David take a bath together. Smooth runnings.
18:45 Let the kids watch AFV because I need to cut layers into Caelyn's hair and this is the best way to get her to hold still.
19:15 Dry girls' hair. Lay out uniforms. Clean upstairs. Vacuum.
20:00 Kevin arrives home and tucks kids into bed. I head downstairs for -- you guessed it -- laundry, dishes, etc.
21:00 Hop on computer and tackle emails and other paperwork. Try to make a plan for tomorrow. Become stressed and decide to vent via blogging. And there you have it.

You know, as a kid I thought my life would be more glamorous than this.