Daisypath Anniversary tickers

August 23, 2013

Shhh! It's A Secret!

I relished the thought of my children returning to school this year...

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, and I enjoy being the at-home parent, instilling in them the desire to read for hours, build crazy things out of Legos that don't require an instruction booklet, letting them blow bubbles just because it's a Bubbly kind of day, or that we turn on the sprinkler and run through it in our regular clothes...or that we can build a fort with 2 quilts, 3 mini rocking chairs and camp out for HOURS while we nibble on goldfish crackers and sip our drinks - because we don't know when rescue will actually occur...I love that we can go to the library and spend hours perusing to find just the right book, and that we can team up and tackle things like stripping and remaking 4 beds, dusting all the furniture, cleaning the knobs and switches, and vacuuming carpets in under 2 hours just so we can spend the rest of the day cutting out paper hearts and making cookies.

What I realized this morning, however, is that while all those things are awesome and, in my opinion, the BEST part of being a parent thus far, is that I thrive in routine and semi-solitude.

Our District schools started last Thursday.  My kids were sad, because our neighbor boy (our newest best bud) started 4th grade last week and hasn't been around to run through the backyard with makeshift firearms screaming "WATCH OUT FOR THE ALIEN ZOMBIEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!"

We ran errands last week.  To the bank, the grocery, and 2 other stores to return an item at each.  We left at 9:30 and returned home at 2:30...seriously...I was cranky...

Due to a staggered start for Kindergartners, only Capt went to school yesterday and the girls and I spent a relaxed day hanging out.

This morning, I was up at 5am, ready for my day by 5:40, I sneaked downstairs to clean my kitchen and tidy my family room before I woke anyone else up...

BB, Capt and Princess left at 7:25, and Littlest One and I were finished with our breakfast, so I cleaned up the breakfast dishes, fed the pets, tidied the family room, and headed off to tackle my list.  And here it is, 10am at the typing I'm doing, and I'm DONE with cleaning the ENTIRE house.  Everything is picked up, put where it belongs, furniture is dusted (and yes, all I think of when I dust is Amelia Bedelia "undusting" the furniture), floors are not only swept and vacuumed, but I had time to thoroughly clean out the dog's crate, do 3 loads of laundry, and sit here and type this!

In less than 2 hours people!!!!!

Each time this happens I realized my Mom was right...things are better when you just get up and get going and get them done.

It doesn't matter if you're a morning person or not - when you get a routine going of getting up and being ready for your day, things HAPPEN, lists get checked off...progress is made!

I'm looking forward to my 3 days at home, though they'll be broken up by picking up kids at different times, and I'm truly looking forward to my 2 hours once a week with NO kids...

But don't tell - apparently, I'm supposed to be a miserable heap of tears this morning that my kids are in school...

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