So Much For House Cleaning.

I hate to miss a day of typing because if it's anything like how I keep my journal you can be expecting another entry in about 9-12 months. By then I would probably be typing about the child I just had. I'm really tired and nodding off as I'm typing so if you find any typos (especially you, honey) please let me know in the comment section so I can fix them. Anyhow, I will jump back to the morning and share some of it's highlights.

I decide to follow my child's advice from yesterday about the peanut butter and honey sandwiches since it is 8:54 a.m. when I get out of the shower and one of my children has preschool at 9:30. I throw on my clothes as fast as I can, dig in the piles of laundry (still on my to do list) for clothes that my children need, distribute them, ask one of them to make sure and put on their shoes, and they whine because they don't know where they are and I suggest looking in their closet, toy box, or the shoe bench downstairs. They come back still whining that they cant find them. I go in their room and look, but no shoes. Ah ha, church shoes. I help my child put them on and remind my child to play only on the grass with them while they're at preschool. I head down stairs.

The baby is upset now. Back up stairs I go and then back down. I sit on our black couch to feed her. Okay, she's burped and fed. It is now 9:24. Darn! I herd the older children out the door to the van. It's locked. I reach in my pocket for the keys. Where are my keys? As I run back into the house I ask the children to stay right by the van, ha ha. Now I'm in the house looking around and trying to remember where I had my keys last. I spy my jacket on the coat rack. Could they be in the pocket? Bingo! Back outside I unlock the van, gather the children back up, and make sure the children buckle up. Now I can throw a peanut butter and honey sandwich together so that the one child can eat on the way over. (Nice breakfast!)

As I pass by the stairs, I see a streak of skin out of the corner of my eye and realize that my child that is still in the house has only a diaper on. SIGH! Back up the stairs I go to the laundry pile on the bed. (I really need a pedometer to see how far I walk everyday.) On the way to my room, I pass by their bedroom and stop in there first to see if there is anything in the dresser for them to wear. JACKPOT! Back downstairs to clothe them. I show them what mommy found and they give me a mischievous smile and turn to run away. Too late, I catch them by the arm, hurry and put a shirt on over their head and pull their arm through the hole before they can retaliate. I throw a pair of shorts on them and hustle them out to the car in record time.

One of the children decides that they would like to go to preschool too and I see that they aren't dressed for it. They need a different shirt so back upstairs for a suitable one. I'll put it on them when I go back outside. Downstairs again I put the shirt on the couch by the front door so I don't forget it. As I put it down, I notice the shoes that my child couldn't find earlier sitting right there on the shoebench. After a head shake, I grab those too and put them by the shirt. Now for that sandwich

Back in the kitchen I grab out the makings for the sandwich. Uh oh, I'm low on bread I hope there will be enough for the children when I get back from dropping the one off. I throw two sandwiches together (one for the other child now too) put the makings away, grab some napkins, grab the baby in her car seat by the door, balance the sandwiches on the car seat, and tuck the shirt and shoes under my free arm so I can open the door. Here we go outside again.

As I sit in the driver's seat I happen to look at the clock in the van and see it is 9:34. So much for being on time. I drive to preschool at my friend's house and unload the two preschoolers. I ask if the one can stay but this is not a good day for an extra child. I inform my friend that I understand and break the news to the hopeful child. The smile fades quickly from my child's face as the implication of what I tell them sinks in and they start a heart wrenching cry. I pick up my wailing child and put them back in the van. I help them feel better by letting them ride in the absent child's car seat. Time to drive back home.

Back at home we all unload and I ask the children to go and sit at the kitchen table as they pass by me. I grab the makings for the sandwiches and sit down at the table too. I start to make the sandwiches and I know that I'm going to run out of thawed bread. I decide to use what I have first and hope that the children don't want anymore. With their sandwiches made, we say a blessing on the food and they start to eat. There is a heel left and as I make myself half a sandwich I mentally make a plan of action for getting the house straightened up.(The mess is really starting to get to me.) I bite into the soft bread and get a shooting pain in a side tooth. OUCH! The tooth had been bothering me a little the last couple of days but nothing like this. Where is the phonebook? It's time to call a dentist. Maybe I can I get a free consultation.

There are a zillion pages for dentists but I call the first one in my town. They can get me in if I can come in the next ten minutes for a free consultation. Of course I can. (So much for house cleaning!) I hope one of my neighbors can watch some children for me. I call one neighbor, no go. I call another. They can take the children! (Thanks Jana!) I send two children over as I load up the baby and the other child. I drive around the corner and let my child out that is with me and make sure the other two are there. Off to the dentist. Thank goodness it is only a few blocks from my house.

At the dentist they get me right in and sit me in the dentist chair. They ask me some questions and fill out some paper work. The dentist comes in looks at my tooth with his little mirror thing and informs me I have a large cavity and that the enamel is breaking off my tooth around it. He orders an exray to get more info and I don't even have to wait for him to come back and tell me that something is definately wrong. They have the picture the just took displayed on a computer screen on the wall and I can see that something is really wrong with one of the teeth because it is way different than the others. He walks in and starts talking to me about a root canal and crown. HUH? I'm only 27! I thought root canals were for older people. How did my teeth get so bad? And how am I going to break the news to my hubby? They bring in a itemized price sheet. YIKES! $1500. I'm done here.

In shock, I gather up the baby and other stuff and head home. It's almost time to pick up my preschooler. I drive to my neighbor's house and she shows me some coupon shopping stuff that I had asked her to before. (Thanks again Jana) While we are doing that, one of my children has a little mess accident and I stop and clean it up. Drats, it's all over their unders, pants, socks, and legs. Time to go home.

I pull in the driveway, run inside to grab some more clothes for my one child, and decide to grab the phone and break the news to my hubby while I'm searching. He is very silent on the phone. I hope he's going to be ok. BEEP. Call waiting and it's the preschool teacher. I notice the time and I'm late picking up my child. I click over and apologize for being late. She is actually calling to see if I want her drop off my child because she is on her way to the store. ABSOLUTELY! (Thanks Chrissy) I can unload the kids now.

I check the clock. I have 15 minutes until I'm supposed to go visiting teaching and I haven't read the lesson yet. Where is my Ensign? What am I going to do about the children? I call another neighbor. They can take the three older ones. Phew. 5 minutes now to read my lesson. One child comes over and wants to read it with me. Teaching moment. I have them read the first paragraph. They are doing very well at reading I tell them so. We talk a little about some things that they didn't understand. They decide to move onto something else now. DING! My companion is here but not my preschooler. I send two children over to the neighbor's house and read the lesson with my companion. Where is my preschooler? KNOCK! KNOCK! DING! There they are. I send them to the neighbor too, thank her teacher for bringing her, and grab the baby, the last child, and stroller. Out the door we go. Something tells me I'm not going to get a nap today. (I can still dream!)