Monday, Monday

Mondays are long days for me right now.  They start out as usual, feeding the kids breakfast, Jordan leaving for work, coffee.  But then.  Oh boy.

I have to get the kids ready for our homeschool co-op while Robert runs around being a little wild man, making messes and going through cabinets he's not allowed to touch.  Today I changed his diaper and got him dressed just a few minutes before time to leave, and it was in those few minutes that he decided to poop.  I discovered this as I was buckling him into his car seat.  I was already running late and still had to take Jordan's ID card that he forgot by his office.

Today I brought a craft for everyone to do--cute little felt acorns out of wool roving and acorn caps I found in the churchyard.  It was fun.  In Mrs. Megan's class, the girls painted with pine tree branches and decorated a little Christmas tree.  The kids and I love the homeschool co-op.  It's just getting there and then getting back home that's hard.

Then I fix lunch and wrangle the kids down for a nap.  Thank God for naptime!  It's a small but welcome break from having to constantly chase, stop, redirect, and clean up after Robert.  This is when I get to do laundry and watch Days of Our Lives, very quietly.

Now, just before 3:00, Robert is awake.  I will pretty much be holding/nursing him or chasing him until dinnertime.  Jordan gets home an hour late because he has a class.

Finally, I have roller derby practice, and I should be leaving before Jordan even gets home.  It's 30 minutes away so I have to get myself ready while trying to keep Robert out of trouble.  Sometimes I just can't do this one more enormous thing at the end of my day.  I feel awful when I stay home, both for missing out on the exercise and practice and for flaking out on the team.  But it's not like going to book club or something.  It's lots of fun, but it's freaking hard.  It is absolutely the last thing I get to do all day because by the time I get home it is 10:00 and I will be asleep within five minutes.

Things will be better soon.  In a couple of weeks we'll be having practice twice a week for only two hours each time.  Jordan is almost done with his class, too, and next semester his class is during the day.  I am so spoiled by his dependable, early arrival home from work.  How do military moms with deployed husbands do it?  How?

I am going to roller derby practice today.  I'm getting over a cold and it's been a Thanksgiving break withdrawal kind of Monday, but I'm going to power through.  I know I'll feel so much better when I finally do get to go to bed tonight if I make it to roller derby first.

I'm really looking forward to putting my skates on tonight.  It's been too long.