NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY...BUT YOU DO YOUR BEST!

I get asked A LOT "how do you handle everything with 4 kids" Well, I am still asking the same questions to other Mom's....I can not seem to get this down! So get your popcorn ready:::::: Let's recap on my last couple of days, so I can evaluate:

THURSDAY....I woke up at 5:30 A.M. to hit a 6:00 swim, so do a hour swim then hurry home to get the kids out of bed for school....I pack lunches..get the cold gear gathered up...make breakfast and send them on there way..Then my husband did a 1 hour 45 min run...so I use that time to play with the 2 little ones a bit and get caught up on laundry...I go around make the beds and I try to maintain the house through out the day...My 4 and 2 year old are the messiest kids, they think they have to get EVERY toy out just so they can play with it for 1 minute...then to drag more out...so the picking up process is never ending.....So trying to keep up on the house keeping I notice I am out of paper towels ( I use a roll and half a day) so paper towels is a MUST have in my house..so I load the kids up to get some.....by the time I get back my 2 older kids will be getting home shortly...They get home we go straight to homework to get that out of the way...Then it is time for Konor's basketball practice for a hour,,,so I sit and waste time for a hour, then hurry home to make dinner before Todd has his every Thursday Racing for Recovery meeting...Clean up dinner...kids bath time...then bed at 8 for them, but of course they are up and down for the next hour...finally, I get to sit and have a tea...then right to cleaning my house...pick up all toys, run vacuum, mop kitchen floor, wipe of kitchen counters and bathroom sink....I check on all the kids to be sure they have covers on and turn T.V's down and make sure both cats are inside, before I hit the sack....so by 11:30 I am finally ready to go to bed.....awwwwww Bed finally..I LOVE BED!

FRIDAY: I get up at 7:00 A.M. get kids lunches packed, then wake them up..gather all cold gear...make them all breakfast. Get my 4 year old ready for preschool (she goes 3x a week) send the 2 older kids off to school.....drive Madison to school then straight to the running path to meet the girls for a hour run...straight home to jump in the shower...go get Madison from school, hit the grocery, come home do some more laundry...make the beds...maintain the house through out the day...kids get home from school.......do homework.......take Konor to a friends house to play.......Get my Basketball notes ready for game on Saturday.....go and get Konor from friends house.....make dinner...clean house...run vacuum..mop floor....get kids ready for bed, which we decided to do a camp out (we all sleep on the floor with our sleeping bags) and watch movies............so dealing with the kids fighting that someone was taking up too much space and Konor having a stuffy nose and making annoying noises...OH I forgot to check on the cats....so get up and they were sound to sleep...... I believe I finally fell a sleep around 5 or maybe never:)

SATURDAY: Get up at 7:30...VERY GRUMPY, bike a hour....jump in shower...get kids ready for there basketball games......Konor, Todd (my husband) Madison, Mason head off to KONOR's game....Skylar and I head to her game(I am there coach)...so I coached the game....get all stressed :) then try to make a mad dash to hit the end of Konor's basketball game.....go to lunch with family and my in-laws.... Head out to buy Birthday presents for coming up kid parties...Get home get Skylar ready to go to a friends house.....take Skylar to friends house...have 2 neighbor kids over to play...maintain the house...make beds...clean out kids drawers .....go get Skylar from friends house.....make dinner.....get kids in bath...get kids in bed after 45 minutes of hell......then YES clean house...run vacuum, mop floor..clean off counters...check on the kids...make sure both cats are inside...AWWWWWWW bed at 11:30

SUNDAY: get up at 8:00 do a 45 min run...get in the shower...get Skylar ready for a birthday party...take her to the mall (where the Birthday party was held) shopped for 2 hours (NO complaints there :) ) go into work for 2 hours.(I work at a doctor's office 2 x a week)...hit the grocery store...Dash home get ready for my 5:00 master swim class..go swim for a hour...go home get Skylar ready to go to friends house for a sleep over...take Skylar to friends..come home make dinner...get kids ready for bed...clean house..run vacuum...mop floor..dust....spends some time with my husband....read a little........awwwwww bed 12:00 A.M.

MONDAY: Sleep in until 8......Kids are out of school today......get Konor ready for a indoor water park Birthday party...that was 30 mins away.......so take him to the party...I sit there for 4 hours in this water park....sweating my butt off...I did see if there was any shopping near by...but NOPE...nothing other than gas stations...so I busted out my Total Immersion swimming book (VERY GOOD BOOK)...tried to do some reading...and listening to all these out of shape mothers talk like they are all that...seriously...they walk around like there shit does not stink...I am always like have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately...so I usually hide out in a corner somewhere..so I do not get wrapped up in there bullshit drama..... So here's to 4 hours wasted of my busy day.....Konor had a BLAST :) Head home stop at the grocery........go home make dinner...get kids in bath....help SKylar finish up her HUGE book report.....get all kids finally a sleep...check on cats....did a real quick clean up of the house...got into bed at 10:30...spent some time with my husband for he is leaving for Arizona until Thursday night for a speaking engagement at some schools...

TUESDAY: TODAY....I got up got kids lunch packed .....got cold gear ready.....Skylar was up already...but NO Konor...so I go to get him and he is sick :(.....not good as Today...was going to be my errand day.......I get Skylar on the bus...I do a 40 min run....Kiss Todd goodbye....he heads to the airport...so here I am stuck at home with a sick kid and NO paper Towels...I can not live with out paper towels........So I guess today will be kinda of a catching up/relaxing day...I will ride on the trainer for a hour and I am washing ALL bedding today!!

Also...this is not including..all the other house work I did not mention....and of course playing with the kids...This is a big one, as my husband does Ironman's( so his training is a everyday thing) and he travels a lot for work...so with his long hours of training and his days of traveling........I am a solo parent most of the time!!

So when people ask me how I do it all.......I look at all this and say WOW I really am holding it together :) I feel most of the time like I am running around without a head, but as you can see I am a routine type person...I stay up late....just to catch up on things...If I did not have training..I would NOT have any ME time (even though I do not get in as much training as I would like) I treasure the time I do get in!!!!! I do not want to sound like this perfect Mom, because I am not...I lose my temper at times and I get stressed a lot...I always feel like there are not enough hours in the day to accommodate my busy schedule, but I guess it all works out .....you just go with what you have and keep on chugging along!!! In a few years when I have ALL 4 kids in sports and school activities..then ask me these question...and I will either be in the nut house or in TEARS :(

When all my kids are grown and out of the house....I will miss and treasure all this craziness..and have all this free time in the world....THEN I would not know what to do with myself.....So I WILL take this challenging life and LOVE it, because you never know when your life will end!!!!
So here's to a HAPPY, STRESSFUL, BUSY life....BRING IT ON!!!!!