The Mama

We get up with the kids at the ass-crack of dawn, even though we'd like 12 extra minutes of sleep.  We put on our happy-morning face, sing a happy-morning song and change a not-so-happy-morning diaper.  We turn down the request for pancakes and waffles and bacon and eggs and pull out cereal instead.  We will the coffee maker to brew faster.  We kiss the baby and ask nicely if he'll feed himself this morning without making too much of a mess.  Pretty please?  We make sure teeth are brushed and back-packs are ready and laptops are charged.  We straighten ties and kiss good-byes.  We drink 6 cups of coffee before 9 am.  We sweep bits of cereal off of the floor and decide that it must be time to face the day, so we all get dressed and beds get made and laundry gets taken to the washing machine and the toys on the bedroom floor get picked up.  We corrall the baby behind the baby gate for 5 minutes so that we can go to the bathroom in peace - and that usually only lasts for about 2 minutes.  We remind about sunscreen - extra, extra sunscreen.  We take a break for play time and we read 400 books.  We walk to the park.  We think about what to make for dinner while pulling out something for lunch.  We rock babies for morning naps and afternoon naps and pray that both will last the sum total of more than 1 hour.  We straighten pillows and vaccum the floor and pick up the toys for the 100th time and do the dishes and make a gorcery list.  We water flowers and weed the garden and listen to incessant chatter.  We make the dinner while doing a dance around little fingers and little toes that are suddenly constantly underneath our feet.  We put tupperware back into the cupboard.  Again.  And again.  And again.  We give the okay for 20 minutes of video games just to be able to finish making dinner in peace.  We kiss hellos and how was your day and could you please move the baby out of the way?  We soothe pinched fingers and give out goldfish snacks all while we dice and chop and saute.  We listen to the daily thankfuls and and all about the daily fun.  We clear the table and do the dishes and sweep the floor again.  We scrub pink little bellies and sweet little toes.  We brush hair and faces and teeth and snuggle into the world of bedtime stories.  We sway and smell baby hair for those sweet moments before the dreams take over.  And then we stare until we remember there are still dishes to put away and laundry to fold and counters to wipe down.  We tiptoe down the hall and tuck blankets into beds and turn on nightlights and say our prayers and lights out for safety. 

And then we enjoy a big glass of wine and fall into bed...because tomorrow, we will do it all again.