Bits of a Wednesday

So, I haven't done one of these in a long time... why, since Alysse was baking away. Right now some apple cinnamon muffins are the only things baking and they are filling the house with the most delicious smell, Joe is preparing a few feet away for class tomorrow, and I'm thinking back on our day. Writing really is such a stress reliever for me.

Wednesdays are a perfect day for this because, in typical hump day fashion, they are usually an around the house day for us unless something unexpected pops up on the radar. We are finally getting back into the swing of things this week after being gone and, hey, I've even gotten around to my resolutions. There are four:

1. Be kind to my body. It's had three babies in four years, most with big weight gains and losses-- all with pretty substantial recoveries. Now that Alysse is weaned, it's time to get back to a fitter me-- the old fashioned way with diet and exercise. At least a 20 minute work out a day, lots more water, and such. I'm ready!

2. Be in the Word each day. My Community Bible Study (which I love, love, love!) is good at keeping me accountable for that.

3. Stay on top of what I can when I can. This refers to namely one load of laundry a day in addition to one major cleaning feat. But no sweat if I don't get to them either because that is just the kind of Mama I am, and I don't like it when I'm otherwise.

4. My phrase for 2012 is tender faith. I want to show great tenderness toward the broken-hearted, toward my family and friends, toward strangers who need someone to listen. And I want to have more of the kind of faith that deeply believes God has it handled and doesn't sweat the unimportant.

Put all that together and here's a look for the future me on how we used to spend our days when my girls were freshly five, three, and one.

:: 7:40 am... Hope is up. The other girls usually don't stir until between 8-9. Thankfully Joe's new class schedule allows him to go in later sometimes on Wednesdays, which is a real blessing since my sleep deficit is at an all time high after the last few months.

:: 9:30 am... I'm downstairs with the night owl (teething?) culprit and grateful for the extra rest, even if I really just laid there for a bit. It's definitely a cereal, bananas and clementines kind of morning.

Daddy's already fed the big girls, excuse me Weather Woman and Captain Hammer, and they run around like crazy with their favorite Superhero Backyardigan's episode in the background.

Really this is also to show off my shabby bargain tv stand, which will soonish sport some cute curtains and thrifted knobs!

:: 10:15 am... Throw in that load of laundry and dump the pile from the dryer in the family room. Refill drinks including my first cup of coffee-- ahh-- and do our devotion together around the table. Get the girls in some day clothes, brush teeth and hair. Then fold that pile in the family room and, gasp, put it away!

:: 11:15 am... Crank up the jams upstairs so the girls can color with their granola bars and water. I get on that daily chore of the floors... sweeping, vacuuming, mopping. But not before I crank up some oldies on Panera as Hope calls it. {Pandora, that is.}

Stop to settle a disagreement or two over the very important matter of who has the right to color the Dora who is reading. As I finish upstairs I catch Hope deep in thought in the reading nook when she looks up and says with satisfied certainty, "Mom, I just don't wanna grow up!" Then Maddie reminds me how she's "a very best helper, you know" and takes a dance with the mop.

Such gusto. She is good.

:: 12:45... Call the messy artists to reign in the crayons and other stuff. Remind them to make their beds if they haven't already. Give Maddie a hand, then she helps me make mine. Mark their charts and then we all go down for lunch. Alysse immediately makes it known about my Pandora selection, "No want it! Wiggle Dance, Mama!" I oblige for a turn around the room.

Finish up their leftover apple and carrot slices, make a turkey and veggie wrap for myself to have after Jillian whoops up on me.

:: 1:10 Whooping commences. Then I get some lunch.

Hold up, Mommy! Let me get on my exercise pants.

:: 2:00... Clean up peanut butter apple, macaroni-n-pea covered Leesie and put her down for a nap. Call to check on my Mom while I throw some ingredients in the breadmaker and the girls play their daily dose of Little People. Return a couple of quick e-mail/FB messages after uploading some info on animal homes to use later for homeschool. I love good mail days-- invites to Friday dinner and Saturday brunch, some adoption information, a thankful cousin. Finish some more laundry and pick up the toy trail leading to my girls.

:: 3:00... Jump in the shower while I ask the girls to play in the room next door so I can keep a check on them. Finish up my 64 ounces of water and celebrate by, sad but true, reheating my coffee from the morning. This is totally normal; in fact, I'm not sure I ever remember getting an entire hot cup down. Feed the girls some fruit leather and we all head to the "school room." On the way I realize a stone is missing from my treasured Christmas necklace. Maddie Girl's done the deed, but I whisper some breathe and laugh until it's found. When I reach the room sweet Madds has now knocked over my reheated goodness all over some school books. I don't breathe and laugh so much. There are towels, hugs, apologies; we happily move on.

I love how Maddie says littlecase instead of lowercase. And I'm going to love when that steal ($5) old-fashioned chalkboard is hung right side up in there!

:: 4:15... Wake snuggly Alysse up from her nap. Head downstairs and, while she snacks, finish up our animal habitat sketches.

:: 4:40... Sunshine! We go for a walk but not before stopping to talk to our next door neighbor, who got the girls started on this whole Backyardigan business with his Christmas gift. Then we trek on to some more neighbors who I happily, sadly give some of Alysse's most special 18 month casts offs. Many of the girls' clothes I consign or give away to strangers, but the really special ones-- I don't know-- I just have to know the homes they go to if I don't keep them. We are invited in and I see their new family pics... the recipient of our donations wearing an old dress of Alysse's front and center. See? More memories in the fabric. That just made my day.

Another talk with the neighbors who live on the other side of us and we are back home to take out the bread and throw some defrosted leftover homemade veggie soup in the stock pot.

:: 6:20... Daddy's home (!!) and we all sit down to eat together. I love for our family to sit and eat with one another, but Joe is really adamant about it and always wants to know all about our day. As usual, when asked, the girls give him a wild description of a non-existent day that included going to ballet and knocking on the door of every house in Lynchburg. We pray for a family out of our Christmas card basket and the girls eat a Kashi oatmeal dark chocolate cookie for dessert (yum!). They take their plates to the sink and head upstairs to put away toys while Joe does the dishes and I sweep the floor and do a final pick-up. This reminds me of my Mamaw who always said your mornings start fresher if you do nothing else but pick up the junk before bed.

:: 7:15... After helping finish the upstairs pick up with some rough housing and silliness, including baking oneself, we help girls get on jammies. No baths needed tonight so Joe takes teeth duty and I'm on clipping nails, washing up, and chapsticking. Bedtime stories include a choice from each girl and a chapter of "Heidi." Family prayers and then tucking jammied girls into their beds. Joe takes the big ones while I rock Alysse through "Here I am to Worship," "How Great is our God," and a couple more while I pray peace over her to sleep well this night. Shut her door only to find the big girls still a little restless so I lay with them for a bit, stroke hair, and gently-- then firmly-- remind them that tomorrow is an early morning. Maddie is soon out like a light and Hope is soon to follow.

:: 8:20ish... Throw in those apple muffins for a quick breakfast tomorrow and sit down to catching up on my Bible Study, blogging, returning a few more messages, and maybe even some reading while waiting on Joe to finish his planning.

If you hung with this, gold star to you-- a virtual muffin, even! I know someday I will read this perhaps tedious account and do just about anything to get it back.

That, I'm afraid, will be something no resolution can even help.
~Katrina