Scheduling

I know that because I have three children that running around like a chicken with my head cut off is just going to be a fact of life, but it seems like here lately we're on the go constantly. Gymnastics, parent/teacher conferences, school meetings, Girl Scout meetings of both kid and grown-up variety, trips, dentist and eye doctor appointments, and yearly checkups are just a few of the things that have been on my calendar in the last week or are on it for the next few weeks to come. Plus add in the fact that I work 10 1/2 hour days, still have to find time to pay bills, buy groceries, cook meals and clean the house. Okay, wait....forget cleaning the house. I've abandoned that until further notice. There's only so much I can do. I'm kind of fond of the dust because sometimes it's the only way Mr. Diva and I communicate with each other. Who knew that little love notes written in the dust on the top of the TV would someday be romantic?

Last Sunday Mom, Tater and I gave a baby shower, yesterday evening was a Girl Scout Service Unit meeting, tonight is a meeting at Kady's Lab School, tomorrow is the previously many-times-postponed trip to Tulsa to the dentist for Abby, Thursday evening we have parent/teacher conferences and Friday the kids are out of school. You'd think that no school would mean I'd have the day off - nope. That will actually add four kids to my day. Then Saturday morning, bright and early, Tater and I take off for the City for the Okie Blogger Round-Up. (Time out here for a big WHOO HOO) Then of course, Sunday we'll basically just get up and drive 3 hours home so that we can pick up our kids and then start the week all over again.

When is it too much? When do we finally say enough?

Abby and Sam, because of their ages, can pick two activities to participate in. Abby has Girl Scouts and gymnastics. Sam has gymnastics now and then basketball will start in November. Kady, because she's only 4, can pick one - gymnastics. These are their choices and thank God they conspired on the gymnastics thing and thank God again that the gym was so kind as to fudge a little and let Kady in the bigger kid class so that I don't have to go down there for another class time. She's really too young and God bless those coaches for their patience with her. The gym is 30 minutes away. So on Saturday mornings we can forget the whole sleeping-in thing - instead I bounce outta bed (Okay, maybe bounce is too strong a word) at the usual time, get around and try to do some laundry and clean the kitchen before we have to fly out the door at 10:25. Class is from 11 to noon. Then by the time we grab a bite to eat and get home, it's close to 1:30. That's when Mommy puts a magical movie in the magical DVD player and takes a magical nap for a magical 139 minutes if we watch Mary Poppins or a magical 127 minutes if we watch Annie. No, there is nothing strange about me knowing, down to the minute, just how long those movies are.

We haven't started our Girl Scout meetings yet, but will in the next two weeks. That will take up Thursday night. Basketball practice will start in December and I have no clue how many nights a week he'll practice, but I'm guessing two to three. Then in January his games will start and I hear they have one to two a week, PLUS practices.

When will I find time to breathe? When will we sit down around the dining room table and eat a meal that isn't wrapped in paper or served in a cardboard box? When will I do laundry? When will I pay bills? When will I sleep? And more importantly to Mr. Diva - when will I sleep with him?

I figure I can work the breathing in there somewhere. The dining room table, we might actually visit on Sunday evenings. Laundry and bill-paying will be done in the wee hours of morning. The sleeping, though, is still up in the air. Sex will have to be scheduled and submitted to me in triplicate no less than 2 weeks in advance.