Hi readers! I hope you are all still doing well and reading as much as you can.

I have been asked by some friends of mine why I have not been posting anything lately. In checking my stats, I see that my views have dramatically dropped, so people have stopped checking in to see if a new post is up. Unfortunately, this month has been a bit rough, and my reading has all but come to a stop. I thought I had turned a corner and could begin reading again, but nope.

To give you an idea of why I have not been able to read, let’s take a look at a day in my life (patterned after true life events that occurred yesterday):

12am: It’s midnight! My kids are both asleep FINALLY. My husband is snoring away on the couch downstairs, and I am in the middle of watching a Hallmark movie that has been sitting in my DVR and is in danger of being erased.

12:35am: Fall asleep right before the movie ends.

2:45am: Daughter wakes up crying her eyes out. Run to her room and find her missing. She’s in the bathroom crying. She peed the bed. She’s 5 and I can’t remember the last time this happened. She’s scared because she is having an assessment for the first time. I’ve tried to tell her there is nothing to worry about, but she never listens to me.

3:15am: Bed stripped. Laundry started. Child cleaned and in my bed falling asleep in the middle of my pillow.

3:16am: Climb in next to her and balance my overweight body on 1 inch of space. And all the memes say that it’s dogs that leave no room? My daughter puts that to shame.

3:18am: I take an elbow to the eye and hear my son cry out.

3:26am: Climb back in and scoot her towards my now-in-the-bed husband. How nice that he’s upstairs with us all once the kids have settled back down again.

4:20-something am: Fall asleep.

8am: Oh no! I’ve overslept! I usually get up no later than 7am to wake the kids at 8 and get the day started to ensure daughter is in school on time.

8:30am: So begins the daily battle. Hey 5 yo – go wash your hands and face! Start brushing your teeth while I chase your brother around.

8:37am: Grab the 2yo and run to the bathroom while he screams at the top of his lungs and tries to go “limp noodle” hoping I will drop him so he can run away again. I’ve learned the hard way. I hold tight and run at top speed.

8:42am: Wash his hands and face while reminding my daughter to get ALL the soap off. Picture trying to wash a fish out of water that is flopping around everywhere with the added bonus of screaming at the top of his lungs right in my ear. Hubs is on a conference call. Remind myself that I used to be a career woman who never dealt with washing fish before and one day I can return to that. Blink back the tears as I towel him off and tickle his neck. The screams turn into shrieks and I’m lulled into a false sense that the worst of the morning is behind me.

8:55am: Remember that the sheets/blankets/clothes and FAVORITE TOY are still in the wash. Rush to get them into the dryer. Endure daughter’s relentless questioning of why I forgot and how her favorite toy couldn’t be ready for the start of her school day. Try to stop the tears from flowing from her eyes with a million toys thrown at her. 2yo realizes this could be a fun game and starts to throw toys too, only his are hard and large.

9am: Everyone is downstairs! Only 30 min late! Time to start breakfast because the dogs are circling and starting to eye each other. Start streaming my daughter’s homework assignments that involve videos to the TV while they eat. Man…some of these songs are the worst! And it is quite unappetizing to watch a video on the life cycle of a spider while eating breakfast, but it has to get done.

9:15am: Realize I forgot to have my son feed the dogs, only to find that we are out of food. Beg my working husband to watch the kids so I can get dog food (ohhhh I remember working…), only to discover that it’s been sitting in my husband’s trunk. Huzzah! Dogs can eat again!

9:45am: Ask my son for the 100th time to finish eating and to stop feeding the dogs his food. Help the kids clean up.

9:59am: Get my daughter set up at the kitchen table with everything she needs for the assessment and sign her into her computer.

10am: Hand over the “pad-pad” to my son to try and keep him quiet while my daughter works with her teacher.

10:01am: Remind him to use his whisper voice.

10:02am: Apologize when he begins to sing Blippi songs at the top of his voice. Daughter practically in tears, she is so nervous.

10:05am: Teacher calms her down, and their assessment is underway. My son breaks out into baby shark, all things “pad-pad” forgotten. The chase ensues. The snack appears and all things are quiet once again. I don’t mention that he just finished breakfast. I just need…it…quiet.

10:15am: Assessment is done! Son is attempting to do puzzles on the pad-pad, so it’s back to homework for daughter and I.

10:45am: Time for daughter to sign into her zoom class. Son has moved onto playing with his trains, and I sit down to do some work for my in-person book club.

11:05am: Poll posted! Begin trying to vote for the election.

11:06am: *sniff sniff* diaper change! The chase ensues.

11:10am: back to voting!

11:12am: Son realizes he wants to play school too. Set him up at the kitchen table with us and we start doing more puzzles on the pad-pad.

11:22am: Son realizes there are fun songs coming from daughter’s computer. Attempts to dance along. Daughter freaks out because it’s her school, so therefore her song and she DOES NOT WANT TO SHARE! Misses the song and dance in trying to keep it away from her brother. Brother danced anyways. Is it time for bed yet?

11:25am: Try to vote again. Son grabs hand and says “follow me mama!” How can you say no to that? I should have. He leads me to the pantry. I fake a sneeze and run for the back door. Look at that! The dogs need to be let out! Play time in the backyard!

11:45am: Try to vote again. *sniff sniff* ewww another diaper is needed.

11:47am: *sniff sniff* what the hell? The dogs just came back from being outside! Who went in the house?!

11:52: Try to vote again.

12pm: Daughter is done with school! Run through the house trying to find shoes and get everyone strapped into the car. Time to pick up school lunch!

12:15pm: Filter through each box we receive and try to put together an edible lunch for the kids. The fruit can sometimes be suspect and we have learned what we like and don’t like. Cobble it together and time to EAT!

12:52pm: Let the dogs out and chase them away from the fence in case it is a coyote.

1pm: NAP TIME! Son rubs eyes, looks at his hands, looks at me and realizes I have caught him in the act. The chase ensues. I grab him and swing him high. Limp noodle! Nooooo we are going down! Just kidding – up we go again! Now I’m dizzy.

*I will just summarize from 1pm – 2pm by saying it’s easier to watch a Super Nanny episode where the clueless parents need help. That’s me. He’s always been a great sleeper until a month ago. Now he fights it. Fights me. On this particular day I took an elbow to my throat and a finger poke in my eye. He finally passed out just from sheer exhaustion of crying.

2pm: Daughter pokes her head out of the room right when I am walking from his bedroom to ask when she can finish her homework. I have not yet printed the papers to do her last assignment. She asks where her favorite toy is. Still in the dryer of course. And the next load of laundry has been sitting in the washer. Go to put that in the dryer, only to discover it is dry. I forgot to turn it on.

2:01pm: Run towards the sounds of screaming. Her doll has a hole in her arm and stuffing is missing. Find it all in my dryer. Dry her eyes and pray my son sleeps through it all. Not a creature was stirring, so I grab my sewing kit, print her pages and head downstairs with visions of blog posting in my eyes.

2:07pm: Been notified that my poll for book club didn’t post correctly. That explains why no one is voting. Need to redo it all and realize my daughter is sitting there playing with her crayons NOT doing the homework she begged me to do.

2:10pm: Walked her through the assignment. Sit down to fix the poll. Realize I forgot to finish voting. Book club comes first, as I still have a couple of days to finish my voting.

3pm: Homework done and my daughter is rejoicing. She’s shutting everything down and my poll is done! She runs and asks for her favorite toy. Oops. Distract her with snack time, and she sets up the TV to watch while she eats.

3:05pm: I could sew, or I could get some of these bills paid. I enjoy keeping a roof over my head, so bills win! Sorry lamb-lamb. My Doc McStuffins stethoscope has to be on the backburner for now.

4pm: I hear strange sounds upstairs – my son must be awake. Realize I forgot to finish voting, as I had started reading emails after the bills were paid. Whoops.

4:15pm: A fight ensues over who enjoys Mickey Mouse dancing more. I end it all by declaring I am the winner of who enjoys it the most.

4:20pm: Run screaming “nooooooooo” after my kids, who have decided while I was going to the bathroom that they were going to go Christmas caroling to their dad, who just happens to be in a meeting with the C-Suite. Recreate the whole kids crashing dad’s live TV interview while mom chases them and tries to duck off camera while dragging them out of the room kicking and screaming. The struggle is real my friends.

4:50pm: Suggest we all go for a walk. Kids shout they want to go on bikes, they can’t use their feet to walk. Begin to get them ready regardless.

5:30pm: WE MADE IT DOWNSTAIRS! Let’s find our shoes and get some fresh air! Realize it’s so very cold out. Look at my t-shirt wearing kids with no socks and sandals in their hands and start to rethink everything.

5:31pm: Wait – did I ever start that load of laundry? Run upstairs. Nope. Still dry.

5:32pm: Daughter chases me upstairs shouting for her favorite toy. Whoops. That’s still on the table waiting for surgery.

5:33pm: Son is playing trains, daughter is crying for lamb-lamb, and the thoughts of taking a walk have vanished. Begin threading my needle when a stethoscope is choking me from behind. Can’t start without it.

5:45pm: Surgery is well underway when I hear a loud bang and wait to hear who is going to scream and if it is a “I’m hurt!” or a temporary owie. Hear the shrieks of my son and realize it’s the serious kind. Lamb-lamb is thrown to the side and I run to him. Blood. Everywhere.

6:15pm: Phew. That was a close one. He hit his chin wrestling his sister and bit his tongue. No stitches necessary. Laughed at the time this happened to my daughter and I panicked to the point of calling my mom on Facetime shouting I had to run her to the ER for stitches. I know better now.

6:30pm: After a great snuggle session with both kids (so rare these days to get them snuggling together!) time to start dinner! Hubs gets it on the table, and we eat.

7pm – 7:30pm: FAMILY TIME!

7:30pm: BED TIME EVERYONE! Wait…where is lamb-lamb?

7:45pm: OK NOW BED TIME EVERYONE! Wait…did I ever start that load of laundry?

7:46pm: LOAD OF LAUNDRY HAS NOW STARTED.

8:30pm: Daughter is asleep. Hubs is snoring away next to her. Put the book they were reading away, and tuck her in. All is not quiet, as the tornado known as my son comes tearing through shouting he will sleep in sissy’s bed. Grab the limp noodle and run to his room.

9:30pm: Still snuggling in my son’s bed. He’s so close to sleeping but just won’t stop fighting it. He wants daddy! He wants water! He wants the rocking chair! He wants to sleep in mommy’s bed! In sissy’s bed! Mommy wants super nanny because my daughter was always a great sleeper and I’m out of my mind here.

9:45pm: FREEDOM! His eyes are closed!

10pm: Snuggled in my bed – time to start the next TV show in danger of being deleted, as my brain cannot handle reading right now. Oh, hello Love Island.

10:35pm: Daughter shouts out – tangled in her blankets. Untangle her, and she’s right back to sleep.

10:36pm: Snuggle back in my bed, only to remember hubs is still snoring away on the rocking chair. Debate leaving him, but I have to take the dogs out anyways. He usually does it, and all 3 of them are crossing their little back legs. Wake him up and let everyone out.

10:47pm: All snuggled and start watching Love Island. Why are the men so afraid to tell the women how they really feel?

10:50pm: Realize I forgot to finish voting. Did I ever start that load of laundry?

10:51pm: Vow to do better tomorrow. Hear the hubs snoring away again on the rocking chair and drift off to sleep.

11:55pm: dogs barking. Hurtle myself confused out of bed to quiet them, as anyone who wakes up a child does not get the joy of sleeping on hubs side of the bed! Try to make sense of what is happening. Idiots outside set off fireworks. Grrrrrrr. Hubs has made his way to our bed and is snoring away. How does he do that?

11:59pm: Just begin drifting off when I hear little feet climbing the dog stairs, and feel little hands scrambling to get under my blanket. Tiny arms cling to my neck and I snuggle into my son who just wants to be near his mom. He falls asleep just as quick as his dad. We will figure this out tomorrow.

12:00am: Did I put that load of laundry in the dryer?