Daily Doldrums Of A Stay-At-Home Mom

Every day I get up and look at the face of my youngest who yet again finagled his way into my bed.  He smiles then smacks me (sometimes in my face) and then laughs hysterically.  I then proceed to wake up the two oldest.  After some fighting, saying five more minutes, then me telling them that if they don't get up they will go to bed an hour earlier tonight, they get up.  As they get dressed and can't find this or that, I go downstairs to try and get one cup of coffee in.  I pour my cup and my third comes down all sleepy eyed and grumpy and tells me her sister woke her up.  I tell her to go watch TV as I get her breakfast.  As I get her breakfast, my fourth comes down and tells me his brother woke him up.  I tell him the same as the last... go watch TV and I will get you breakfast.  He then goes on this story of how I have to make him pancakes (every day he wants pancakes).  I get them both cereal.  As I sip my coffee feeding the baby his cereal, my husband says that he will feed the baby if I make his lunch for work (in other words he just wants me to make his lunch and won't take anything if I don't make it).  As I am finishing up his lunch he yells at me that it's time for the kids to go to the bus stop.  I make sure my oldest took his medicine and my second has her glasses on and go to the bus.  I talk with the other moms while waiting for the bus.  I then proceed to walk back across the street and go in the house so my husband can leave for work.  He leaves and the kids tell me they are still hungry and they want yogurt.  So I get them yogurt.  After that my third and fourth tell me they want pickles, because they are still hungry.  I say no they can have pickles with lunch.  While I go to the bathroom I hear them in the kitchen helping themselves to the pickles.  I take the pickles away and tell them that they can have them with lunch.  As I am putting the first load into the washer I hear them again.  Again I put the pickles away.  I get the load into the wash.  I then go into the kitchen and start some of the dishes.  Get them knocked out (not all just some).  I pick up the dining room and the living room.  By this time it's almost time for lunch and I switch the clothes and put another load in the wash.  I get lunch started.  Since they want pickles I make sandwiches.  As they eat lunch I again pick up the living room and vacuum.  They are finished with lunch.  My third is off to school on the bus.  Trying to get the baby down for a nap and my fourth down is near impossible.  I give up.  I get the clothes out the dryer, put what is in the washer in the dryer, and put another load in the wash.  Time to get the two oldest off their bus and walk them across the street.  If they have homework I help them with that, if they don't then I have them start on their chores.  My second reminds me of a Winter Sing tomorrow and tells me that I have to sign a permission slip so she can go from her school to the high school to practice during school hours.  I sign the paper and help pick up the playroom.  I tell her to put it in her backpack.  I get my fourth off the bus and off to the kitchen I go to start supper.  I look at the menu board and see that I am cooking spaghetti and meatballs.  Dinner is done and we sit down to eat.  I get the three youngest bathed (separately), get them dressed and get the older two to get in the shower.  Everyone is bathed and off to bed they go.  As I sit on the couch (drifting in and out of sleep), I wonder where the day has gone.  My husband wakes me up like every couple of minutes and says that I should go to bed.  I tell him that if I wanted to be in bed I would be there.  I finally decide that it was time to venture upstairs and go to bed.  The baby wakes up about seven times during the night to eat.  Here comes 6 am.  Another day like the last, but I wouldn't change it for anything!