Too much of a good thing?

I'm beat. It's been one of those days when I ask myself what I was thinking.

To begin with, someone forgot to notify my fluffy knitting companion about the time change. So she's waking me at 3:00 am now, instead of 4:00. No matter how hard I try to go back to sleep after her attempts nuzzle, lick and paw my face, I just can't seem to doze back off. So this tired mama, knowing she had more things on her agenda today than were humanly possible to achieve anyway, pulled her sorry self out of bed and started her day at 3:30 am.

First on the list, Awana preparations. After 5 years as secretary, this stuff is pretty routine, so I downloaded Lime & Violet's latest podcast and enjoyed a hearty chuckle or two at their "Till Bill" Spoof while doing my data entry and clerical magic. Hey, I finished early and even visited a few favorite blogs (something I've had far too little time for lately) before heading out for my weekly Bible Study at 6 am. So far, so good.

Home after study to help DS#1 finish her "oops, I procrastinated too long" homework for some co-op classes she takes on Wednesdays. A frantic rush to finish several things before sending her out the door to catch her ride and I was flustered and winded but, whew, back to a semi-regular schedule. But, what's this!?! DD#2 is nearly done with her math book! Did I order the next one? Blast! Got to go online and get it ordered. This company takes a few weeks to get things out and I'm not willing to pay through the nose for faster shipping.

Well, this is a problem. Unfortunately, DH is sick. Really sick. But being the obsessive compulsive, er, I mean diligent, hard-working kinda guy he is, he will still work from home. So I needed to approach my poor, suffering husband to ask him to vacate the desk for awhile so I can use the computer. Now, ordinarily, this wouldn't be too big a problem. After all, he does have his work lap top and he doesn't use the home computer for work, except to listen to talk radio. But, as some of you may have experienced in your own lives, husbands don't make good sick people. They get a little cranky. So I had to be the good nurse and check his throat and make some hot tea and get him some ice cream for his raging sore throat to kind of smooth the way before asking to use the computer. Worked like a charm but took up extra time I really didn't have today.

So, I go online to order the books. I am literally on the computer for under 3 minutes and get up to find my purse and my DH makes a move to take back the desk. "Excuse me, I'm just getting my purse. I'm not done yet." DH replies with a growl, "How long you going to be?" "I don't know. I still have to pay for it. And, oh, by the way, when you told me you were working from home today, I did remind you that I needed the computer today. A lot!!!! Please bear with me when I ask for it, okay?" "GRRRRR!" Time for more ice cream, I guess. Or a tranquilizer.

Well, back to school with the kids. Math for the little girls, Argument homework for DS. Now, one of the challenges of homeschooling is the fact that you have multiple students in different grades on different subjects at the same time at any given moment. "Mom, I need help! How do you spell 'anticipate'?" "Mom, do I plus or minus?" "Mom, is my '5' backwards?" (This from my left-handed DS#3 who mirror writes and needs to be reminded to move out of Da Vinci mode from time to time.) I feel like I need a split personality some days to deal with the very disparate questions that gets thrown at me. I have to switch from single digit subtraction to the reasons why a rating system for children's comics would be impractical in a free market to what the four major bones of the skull are in a split second. Oh my, is my mind beginning to reel now. Okay, maybe it's time for lunch. I think my blood sugar is low.

Of course, in the midst of the school day, the phone rings and it's people calling with questions about DD#3's b-day party on Friday and the sports shop finally getting back to me with answers about DS's hockey team sweatshirts and my girlfriend calling back with the answer to a question about spelling programs. Then the doorbell rings and the groceries I expected to be delivered at 9 am arrive at lunch time. Before I get the groceries half put away, everyone is trying to eat things. "NO! I'm going to make lunch. Stop! Put the chips back! Don't open that!" I am eyeing that bottle of wine on the counter. No, it's too early for that. Then the keys by the back door start beckoning me. "Come, run away with me." No, I'm a responsible adult. I can do this. Just make lunch.

After lunch, it's time for the little girls' read aloud. We're halfway through Little House on the Prairie. But something starts to go horribly wrong before the end of the 2nd chapter of the day. I can't seem to keep my eyes open. I am slurring words, nodding off and garbling things up horribly. My DS, who wandered in to listen for a few minutes is looking at me with a very quizzical look in his eye. He starts correcting my speech. This is bad, real bad. I definitely need a nap. So I send the girls off to play and send Chris back to his argument class homework with a few instructions on how to structure his rebuttal. I head upstairs to rest for a little while but my DH hollers, "The e-mail you were waiting for just arrived."

Blast again! I have to go finish the hockey sweatshirt forms now. If they'd come a little later, I would have been justified in letting them wait until tomorrow. But now I had to finish them for practice tonight. So down I trudge, to the computer, which my DH seems more than willing to give up this time. Hockey is the magic key to opening doors in the heart of my DH. So a 30 minutes and the hockey form is done. I head back upstairs. But the nap is not destined to be.

I get another call, one I have to take. So I sit and fold laundry and talk on the phone for 45 minutes. The good news is I folded all the clean laundry, something that wasn't really on my list. The bad news, no nap. It was now time to finish getting ready for Awana. A few more finishing chores, feed the kids, get DS to hockey for practice, pick up the girls for Awana and spend the evening ministering to the greatest bunch of kids in the world. Come home and look at my list of accomplishments and go, "Wow!" And then wonder, what was I thinking?

Unfortunately, tomorrow looks even worse, with prep for our Academy classes on Friday, as well as shopping for DD#3's b-day party on Friday. And orthodontic appointments, DD#1's Bible study and Hockey pictures and practice and a kickboxing class I'd really like to go to, if I'm insane enough to actually think that I can do that, too. What am I thinking?

As far as knitting - I cast on for a third pair of slippers (the second pair were made yesterday) and knitted exactly 2 rows while I was at Bible study. Not much progress but better than nothing. At least Socktoberfest is officially over. I don't know how many socks I finished. I haven't counted. I still have 6 on the needles, so they'll keep moving forward. Now there is a new Hockey KAL that livnletlrn just told me about. How I'd love to join that one but charity knitting is just not in the picture right now. Or else I'd be really asking myself - WHAT WAS I THINKING!

I need some sleep. Good night!!!