September 27: Solo with the children and myself

Today is Chocolate Tuesday! Whew. This will make the morning easier!

Highlights of the Morning and Commute:

• I wake up to Red asking me if it is not wake up time since it is not 8 AM. I explain that yes, it is wake up time, 8 AM is only for the “home days” or weekends. So then she says, “OK so GET UP mommy!!!” She asks for a pony-tail and looks soooooooooooooooo sweet.
• Twin Husky is clingy today. Needing Hubby. I also think he may be going through a growth spurt because it seems like he is hungry non-stop. Cereal. Oatmeal. Bread. MORE, MORE, MORE….
• Twin Crazy is sweet. She squeals when I pick her up. We talk about what she wants for breakfast and I talk about cereal, bread, oatmeal…. this piqued her interest. Oatmeal it is. She loves it.
• Big Bro is busy eating is bagel and chocolate.
• I bring clothes down but Red already brought some down too. She wants to wear a yellow shirt. So now she has a choice between two sets of clothes. She is laughing at this.
• Big Bro and Red finish their breakfasts – TIME TO GET DRESSED! Big Bro likes for me to help him even though he can do it all himself. I think it’s his way and manipulating more “mommy time”. I always give in since we have fun together.
• Twins get diaper changes and are ready to go.
• Hubby and I do split drop offs again today since it is past 8 AM. He drops of Red, I take the Twins and Big Bro.
• Hubby drives in to work today and asks if I will join him. I opt for the Ferry instead.

I am feeling so down today. For personal reasons I feel frustrated, patronized, and am just flat out mad.

I will be busy at work today. I think if today goes well, I’ll feel much better about the upcoming conferences. Once the agendas are finalized and the guest speakers are all confirmed, I will feel less anxiety. And then I’ll be able to focus on the content part of the work, which is more interesting for me.

Highlights of My Working Day:

• I thankfully secured one of two open speaker slots for the two conferences (whew).
• I found out this morning that one speaker I thought was unconfirmed is actually about 90% confirmed; the problem is that we already have a replacement so if she actually winds up coming, the Agenda will be PACKED.
• I started to read/review presentations and worked with our admin for final logistics.

I’m on the ferry now alone, Hubby is going out for dinner/drinks after work. I’m looking forward to the kids, but I’m also so emotionally drained. I’d like to go to sleep tonight right after the kids do and after I get these posts out.

Dinner and Bedtime:

• I pick up Big Bro first and then we get Red. Then the Twins and we are all together.
• I bring in an “activity” to keep the kids entertained while I make dinner.  Hubby is out with friends so I am solo.   The activity for this evening is “stamping”.    Big Bro and Red quickly get organized and start stamping away.  The Twins don’t know what the hell is going on and they have ink all over the place and they don’t know what to do with the stamps.   So they of course get frustrated.  And then Twin Crazy steps in a big pile of old oatmeal that was left on the floor from this morning’s breakfast.  I quickly bring out the markers for them.  Note to readership:  what other quick “activities” do you do with your kids to keep them occupied when you are preparing dinner?
• Dinner prep is easy and fast; but the Twins are having issues.   Twin Husky wants to be held up high so he could look at things and point and ask questions about what these things are.   Twin Crazy is very particular about the cup she is drinking from.   I’m on the 3rd cup with her when I quit.
• Kids settle down when they are at the table.  There is laughing and eating.   Twin Husky needs to see the pepper-mill so I give it to him.   I think he wants it because he sees Hubby with it all the time.

Twin Husky needs that pepper-mill

• After dinner we start to clean up the kids.   Twin Husky has mysteriously found the pretend make up and put it all over his face — I don’t know HOW he did it so quickly from table to kitchen, but he did it.   Trying to get the stamp ink and marker ink off the Twins was a challenge and we didn’t do a good job at it.
• Then they have a good time playing – Big Bro sets out the “car mat” for Twin Husky.  I pull out cars for him.
• There is still more crankiness and tears so I decide to start PJs.   Big Bro and Red are so cute since they are trying hard to clean up Twin Crazy from the marker on her face and hands.   Big Bro just started doing this on his own, and Twin Crazy looked up at him and let him.   Then Red joined in.   She had two older siblings working on her at the same time.   How sweet.  Twins are in bed at 7 PM which is much earlier than usual.
• Big Bro and Red just walk right into their rooms so we go through with bedtime routine with them too — earlier than normal, but honestly poor Big Bro is so exhausted all the time that I think he needs an early rest.