What I do all day

Well, I often get the question, "what do you do all day?" or "why do you have so many errands?". This question is mostly posed by my husband. So, by the urging of some equal errand running girlfriends, I've decided to type up a typical day.
6 am - Evan wakes, I fix bottle for Evan and coffee for me before getting him
6:15 am - get Evan out of bed
6:20-7:30 - in no particular order, dodge child clinging to my legs in order to unload dishwasher and reload. Wash all plastic things by hand b/c I am too paranoid to DW them because of chemicals they could give off. Clean counters with anti-bacterial natural cleaner. All the while, still dodging small child and trying to drink hot coffee while not spilling it on said child. Child's favorte pastime: unloading DW as I load it. Task takes twice as long. When finished, take a sweep of living room where i find numerous dishes that never made it into the kitchen to get loaded into dishwasher. Load dishwasher a second time. Clean stray plastics a second time. Now, you may ask - why don't i give the living room a perusal before loading for the first time - can't say that I'm all that sharp at 6:30 am. That's the short answer.
7:30 - Kiira wakes up. Make her milk. Repeat dodging of said small child. Whining begins of same small child because he wants breakfast. Kiira insists that she sits on my lap as she has warmed milk. I've figured out that this is the only way she can guarantee I'll sit for that long at this hour. To sit on me that is. Turn on TV for short show so I can now prepare breakfast for both kids. Whining continues in background as littlest one is still hungry.
7:45 - breakfast is served. Smallest child eats as fast as I can cut fruit so grunts intermingle with whining as clearly i am not fast enough. Biggest child eats like bird but still barking orders from couch while i try to cut fast enough to keep up with small grunting whining child
8:00 am - deposit both children on couch, fed and ready to continue TV program. Tell them I'll be taking a shower.
8:02 am - smallest child finds me while hot steamy water is just beginning to saturate greasy, tangled, there-could-be-a-bird-in-the-back-of-it-hair. Commence combination of pounding on shower glass and water muffled screaming. By both that is.
8:07 am - can't take banging anymore, decide no one sees my underarms or legs in winter, don't really need to shave. Lucky to get hair/body/teeth somewhat washed and brushed.
8:10 am - balance small speechless but loud child on lap so screaming will subside. Pull harmful things from him as fast as he can grab them. Commence "beauty treatment". Child takes interest in makeup. What the hell, if it keeps him occupied....the pink eyeshadow is a nice touch. And the eyeliner...well...brings out the tawny highlights in his hair.
8:15 am - wrestle brush through hair that clearly was not moisturized enough, dodge small child (still on lap) trying to grab brush. Try to interest him in makeup again. Clearly no luck - needs whatever mommy is interested in. Balance child while trying to blow dry hair. With some luck - no one gets burned.
8:20 am - more screaming while mom deposits smallest child on floor so dressing can begin. Mom clearly seeing this as a speed issue and not a fashion one. Child clinging to leg while pants are tryng to be slid on. Time check 20 minutes to get "healthy, sugar free" lunch made, oldest child dressed and both of said items into car for school.
8:21 am - oh crap - forgot to give the cat his pill. Find cat. Place pill in pill popper. Give cat pill. Cat spits pill out. Try #2 to give cat pill. Cat spits pick out again. Try #3 to give cat pill. Cat now looking with serious distaste at me - despite 15 pill-popping free years. Cat spits pill out again. All the while I am mumbling incoherently, "third time's a charm". Cat does NOT grasp thing. Try #4 - new resolve, by both cat and me - pill miraculously goes down.
8:25 pm - another time check. more mad dashing around house.
8:45 am - trying to dodge smallest child while looking for needed school items. Child seems to have developed herculean grasp on mom's legs. Child is once again picked up and mom finishes tasks with one hand while holding small child in other.
8:46 am - sigh of relief as 1/2 of chaos is left at home. Rush to school in order to make "rinca ronca"
9:00 am - success, oldest child dropped off after running from parking lot, whipping coat off, handing off lunch and catching tail end of train going through school door.
9:01 am - sigh of relief - most of chaos taken care of for time being.
9:05 am - back in car. See I've missed a phone call in the 2 minutes I've been away from damned thing. Check message. Pull out list of items to be done that day. And off I go to:
- Drop off the drycleaning, pick up the drycleaning
- Drop off the printer cartridges in order to be recycled like good citizens we are
- Go to grocery store in search of tasty organic produce and environmentally friendly beauty products (luckily in abundance in our area)
- catch cup of coffee on run
- Go to tailor to drop off pants to be hemmed. Pick up oldest child's blankie which seems to have been left there god only knows how long ago
- Go to store to get fitted single sheet since oldest child having nightmares and sleeping on "nest" in our room periodically. Trusty $5 off coupon in hand.
- Shop for baby present for husband's boss
- Shop for wrapping paper and card for above present
- Re-check list of items to do, realize not all will get done is small window of "school time". Re-prioritize.
- think about lunch. abandon real lunch in favor of something that i can pick up as oldest child now needs to be picked up from school
- think about how many emails I will have to answer/delete upon returning home since I didn't have time to check email this morning.
- make 2-4 phone calls regarding playdates, child's activities or just plain returned calls. In car of course. The only theoretical uninterrupted time. Calling takes two times as long as several dead spots are hit. It seems "my phone team" is not 100% behind me this particular day per the commercials.
- Oops - time to pick up oldest child from school.
Are you exhausted yet? It's now 1 pm.
Other items on MENTAL to-do list: pick up house, vaccuum dog/cat hair, put away laundry, schedule upcoming classes, order ballet costumes for upcoming production, finish christmas cards, resubscribe to kid's magazines (like I have time to read!!), divy foot high mail pile taking over kitchen counter, conquer leaning tower of magazines in living room, contemplate a date night with my husband (stealthily peruse Marin Civic Auditorium concerts and dog ear pages of concerts I'd like to see), dream of a weekend away with Alan to NYC (think about how I'd have an hour to sit down and plan this), think what kid birthdays are coming up ie. what needed presents i'll put on the list, weed out too-small clothes from kid's closets, surf the internet for the BEST deals on any needed household items/clothes/shoes etc, play with dog, cuddle with the cat, pay bills, and....well....then do some "work".
Also, hoping the dinner fairy will drop something onto the dining room table at, I'd say, around 6 pm. That would work for me. Anyone? Anyone?
So....that's what I do for my day. Unless of course it's Hannukah, Christmas or birthday time. A couple extra things to do in there.....
Good night all - this tired mama is hittin' the sack.