Just another Manic Monday

Confession? I used to love Mondays. I could see Joe off to work, get the kids to school, come home and have the house to myself to do all the things I can't do over the weekend when everyone is home; I could clean, and I mean really, really clean. I could sit on the computer and download pictures, and blog and catch up with my online friends. I could make all the necessary phone calls I needed to make, pay the bills and update our family calendar. For someone who thrives on organization it was pure bliss.

Last fall a series of events caused this all to come crashing down. Jake's teacher really needed someone to volunteer in the classroom on Monday mornings so I stepped up and Jadyn got moved up to pre-ballet which is on Monday afternoons. It seems ever since then, I loathe Mondays. There is never enough time to get anything done.

We do the usual morning scramble, drop Jake off at school, drop Jadyn off at school and then head back to volunteer in the classroom. Once I finish up my work there, I sometimes have to do the weekly grocery shopping (if our Sundays were busy with other commitments), run home and put the groceries away, clean up the dog (see * below), and go back out to pick up Jadyn. When we get back home, I make Jadyn and I lunch, finish whatever of my magic minimums are still undone (see ** below) and then get Jadyn ready for ballet, pick up Jake and rush to ballet, which starts 5 minutes after Jake gets out of school. After ballet, it's home so I can make dinner and before you know it, we are doing the bedtime routine. Where did my day go?

* So we all love Kuma and I don't regret getting a puppy by any means but let's be honest. It isn't always easy or fun. Mondays are hard on Kuma as well. He is still getting used to being in his crate and especially after having us home for the majority of the weekend, if he is going to have an accident while we are gone, it usually happens on Mondays. He is by himself for 3 hours in the morning and then another hour in the afternoon. It is something we are working very hard to rectify.

** I have a list of what are called magic minimums. They are the minimum amount of chore-type tasks that need to be done on a daily basis in order for the house to remain fairly clean and orderly. They include things like emptying the dishwasher and reloading it with the breakfast dishes, taking out the trash, making the bed, cleaning out the litter box, making sure the pets are fed and watered, etc. etc. Many of these are being slowly transitioned as chores for the kids, but even then, they still have to be reminded and supervised.

There are several bright sides to all of this. For one, not every day is this hectic, so even though it drives me crazy, I am usually able to catch up on things by midday Tuesday. Secondly, it is almost April and school will get out in June. With that will be the end of manic Mondays. Although Jadyn will still be in the same ballet class for the next year, I am really hoping neither of the kids teachers ask me to volunteer on Mondays next year. I will be avoiding that at all costs. Thirdly, Kuma will only be a cute, adorable but sometimes pain-in-the-butt puppy for so long and I would rather be putting in the work now then dealing with an untrained adult dog.

They may be manic, but at the end of each Monday, after the kids (and usually Joe) are in bed, I usually partake in dessert, watch one of my guilty pleasure shows and relax. I don't know who named the calling stay-at-home mom because I am anything but that; however, I wouldn't trade the chance to be Mama Taxi for anything in the world.