A Change for the Better

I am establishing a new schedule for myself. So far, most days go something like this:



06:30 Alarm goes off. Pretend it didn't OR play sudoku or solitaire until Jake's alarm goes off.

06:40 Jake's alarm goes off. Take deep breath in AND out to prepare for battle.

06:45 Try to remember method of coercion that worked before or come up with new way to get an obstinate, cranky, tired 5 yr old to get his effing clothes on and brush his gd teeth.

06:50 Ask Jake what he wants for breakfast. Eggs? Toast? Bagel? Cereal? None of these, then what?

06:55 Make sure Max is awake. Note to self, the cattle prod seems to work better than the bullhorn or the cold water trick. Thank God (again) that Carter is self sufficient in the morning.

07:00 Get self dressed. Preferably in the dark as random clothing/color choices just make the day more interesting. Besides, can always answer questioning looks from strangers with, "What are you looking at? I'm an artist."

07:10 Make whatever food Jake now wants that he swore he didn't at 06:50. Of course, now there really isn't time.

07:15 Remind Jake to go brush teeth. Admonish Max to pull up his pants, put on a belt, and (this one is my favorite--TIGHTEN the belt).

07:20 Chase Jake up the stairs to go actually BRUSH the teeth while reminding all three that we should really be leaving NOW!

07:25 Take kids to school

08:00 Go for a walk around Wildwood (a local wildlife sanctuary and nature center #WW on Twitter)

10:00 Bathroom break, snack (brunch is more like it), talk to the cat, waste time.

11:00 Write/post to blogs, check email, try to not get sucked into the black holes of Twitter, Ravelry, Etsy, or whatever other cool things I can find on line.

1:00 Knit/work on designs currently in the que.

2:30 Shower, change, ponder the issue of "doing my face", beauty in our culture/society, and the ideas of self-worth, ego, and where does L'Oreal fit into all of this? Seriously folks.

3:00 Pick up Jake from school. Begin the battle of wills and be amazed that he is so good at school and so NOT at home.

3:30 Look through Jake's school folder with him.

3:45 Attempt to find something new and exciting for Jake to do that preferably does not involve me or the cat.

5:00 Daddy's home! Think "Tag! You're it!" Realize I said that aloud.

5:01 Think about making dinner, wish for a personal chef or at least delivery of take-out food.

5:05 Realize that neither of the above is going to happen tonight and poll the family on dinner preferences

5:10 Check the fridge, freezer, basement freezer, and pantry for ingredients for the one and only meal they all agreed upon.

5:15 Poll the family again. This time give them specific choices as the open ended version yielded no usable results.

5:20 Wonder what it was about marriage and a family that seemed so charming and desirable at the time.

5:30 Make dinner. Chase Jake out of the kitchen as there is only room for one (if I am the one) or two in our tiny galley kitchen.

At this point in the day I shouldn't even bother calling it a 'schedule'. We have bedtime fights rituals with Jake but the end result is just wishing we could all just close our eyes and go to sleep with the hope of doing a better job of it all tomorrow.

It used to be that when I was working at night days would pass where I wouldn't go anywhere else besides work. I always took a shower and "did my face" before I walked out the door. Now, all I need to be ready to go is a ponytail holder. Is this a good change or a bad one?