Ta Da Before Ten

With the kids being out of school for the summer, I'm way behind on everything. I start a lot of tasks, but I can't finish any of them because my kids need me. I'll be trying to load the dishwasher, balancing Pyrex on my head and whatnot while my hands are covered in rotten mystery substances, and one kid will be screaming from the bathroom for me to wipe her butt while another is pulling on my legs asking for milk. All of this happens as if the existence of the world depends solely on me accomplishing butt wiping and milk pouring simultaneously. Unfortunately, I'm not able to do both at once - try as I might - and the kid I attend to second usually tries to tear my face off with her teeth.

I've started asking Scotty to occasionally take the kids somewhere after work. I realized it's not super helpful for me to leave to get a break, I need them to leave. I need to be in my living space without them so I can be productive. Earlier this week, Scotty took all the kids to Nickelmania, and I stayed home and worked on laundry. When they came home, I felt like I'd accomplished very little. I had big dreams of getting a lot more stuff done, but there just isn't enough time to get caught up during one Nickelmania trip.

Remember how I want my super power to be having my crap together? Part of that super power would include being caught up on stuff. What does it feel like to be all caught up? To be on top of things? I want that! Gimme some of that!

Anyway, sorry about the whine fest. Here's what I'm getting to: Last night my kids slept over at my in-laws. I was there with them until about 9:30. I got home around 10:00 and went to bed. My goal was to wake up at 6:00 and go to breakfast with Scotty for about an hour, then come home and be super productive until I had to pick my kids up at 10:00.

The breakfast thing didn't work out. I ended up waking up at 1:00, and I didn't go back to sleep until 4:00. Then from 4:00-6:00, I woke up around every 20 minutes. When I saw that it was 6:00-ish, I thought, "To heck with breakfast," and I went back to sleep until 6:30. It was too late to go before Scotty had to leave for work unless we went to somewhere like McDonald's... which, nah! I can go to McDonald's with my kids any time. This was supposed to be a chance to go somewhere I don't get to go.

After Scotty left for work, I set out to accomplish as much as possible before 10:00 a.m. A couple months ago, I wrote about how I sometimes make "Ta Da" lists to help me recognize that I actually do get some stuff done during the day - it just never feels or looks like it.

Here is what I did before 10:00 today:

• Made bed
• Started load of laundry
• 15 minute kitchen blitz*
• 5 minute bathroom blitz
• Flat ironed hair
• Cleaned out van
• Took out garbage
• Watered garden
• 10 more minutes in kitchen
• Changed laundry
• Read scriptures
• Worked on singing time for next three weeks
• Went to Walmart
• Went to Dollar Tree

It feels like nothing, yet it is something. It just wasn't enough to get caught up. One thing remains true: I still don't have super powers. 

When my kids got home, they were acting like a bunch of angry wildebeests so I made them all go to bed. They slept for about three hours. It was wonderful! What did I accomplish during this time?

• Nap

*I really do set a timer.