Started dinner tonight at 3:15. Made some salad dressing.

Paused at 3:30 when kids came home. Mia wanted to show me all of the beautiful projects she had made in art class this year! Paused to help Josie play with a sink full of bubbles, and to help Jake practice for his soon to be piano lesson (as we hadn't practiced sufficiently during the week, of course).

Back to the kitchen to put soaked beans on the stove to boil.

Paused to welcome in the piano teacher. Chatted for a while, then locked the dog in the laundry room (he kept licking the piano teachers sandaled feet).

Back to the kitchen to find said pot of beans boiling over and to clean up mess.

Paused to help Jake find an occupation, a diversion from his "I have nothing to doooo!" rut, and he pulled out a box of Bob books.

Back to kitchen to check on beans, then took off to pick Thys up from soccer.

Back to kitchen. Salad not close to being finished, so fed the J's with cheese/chips intended for salad.

Paused to take Josie to 6:00 doctor appointment. Cast off! Doc said that the bone had healed nicely. SO GRATEFUL. Called Ry on our way home, never to have heard him so stressed (now it's 10 pm...Ry still not home from work).

Home & back to kitchen. Cooked up chicken, cut up lettuce & finished throwing taco salad together. Dinner finally ready at 8:15. Fed kids, bathed littles, let dog out (forgot he'd been locked up for 4 hours), put kids to bed and ignored the slew of Bob books scattered across the house.


Pausing to reflect:

Does it take most people 5 hours to start/finish dinner?
How did my mother do it?

Conclusions:

I must have been a sloth in a former life.
I need a super power! But I'd settle for a cook!

Gratitude can be Found:

Tonight after dinner I looked outside to see my olders sitting side by side in the garden reading. I smiled, happy to know they might actually enjoy each others company on occasion (!). Was also grateful to bathe a Josie that wasn't wearing a cast, and to see her enjoying her new found freedom as she "swam" all over the tubbie. And finally, hearing my Jake singing in the tubbie, "We're a million children strong, around the world today. Each one a special child of God, unique in every way..." (which reminds me, Josie wanted me to sing "I am a Child of God" the whole time we were together in the car this evening). Just another day in the life? Yes! Would I change it? No way!