Happy Hour

A day in the life of...after school edition.

3:15 - Pull into garage.

3:16 - Unbuckle, unbuckle Ellen, carry Michael in the house.

3:17 - Realize Ellen has boarded a bike and is riding to the neighbors.

3:18 - Door to the house remains open to every fly in our city as Clare and Jude walk in.

3:19 - Clare tosses her backpack/lunchbox on the island and heads upstairs to get changed out of her uniform.

3:21 - Jude comes in the house in his socks, which are wet from his lemonade that spilled in the car.  (Thank goodness for good car mats.)  His shoelaces were undone when he walked out of school, so he just took his shoes off in the car.  And left them there.  Along with his backpack, lunchbox, and drink thermos.

Jude asks for pumpkin bread for a snack.

I tell Jude to take his socks off and put them in the washer.

3:22 - 3:24 - Jude entertains Michael with his 2 wet socks for several minutes.

3:24 - Jude asks for pumpkin bread for a snack.  

I unload lunch boxes and disassemble drink thermoses and water bottles.

Remind Jude to put socks in washer.

Ellen strolls in with the flag from the yard being sprayed earlier in the day.

Wash Ellen's hands, throw flag away.

Load drink thermoses in dishwasher, remove straws to be hand-washed.

3:32 - Clare comes downstairs dressed and starts homework.

3:34 - Jude has retrieved backpack from car and shows me his new book from the library "The New Baby" by Mercer Meyer.

3:35 - Mix cereal up for Michael who is getting fussy.  I know he is hungry, but if I feed him cereal now in the high chair I can monitor homework in the kitchen.

3:38 - Jude asks for pumpkin bread for a snack.

Empty Jude's backpack.  He has already started on his "Family Homework" that is due Friday and requires one action a night.  He is drawing a rug as something at home that is the shape of a square.  He asks how to spell rug and writes "R-U-D."  I say it's a "g" not a "d."  He erases and corrects the paper to read "rug."

3:42 - Clare helps feed Michael.  Now she needs me to quiz her on the spelling portion of her phonics.

3:43 - Listen to Clare read and spell her phonics.

3:49 - Ellen is in the junk drawer.  She sees a Santa PEZ dispenser and wants the princess one.  I tell her it's in her room.  She settles on playing with princesses from a game in the coat closet.

3:52 - Continue feeding Michael.  Clare needs timer set for her nightly math facts drill.  Find phone, set stopwatch.    

3:53 - Find word list in Jude's folder that he needs to read for homework.  He reads 10 words!  I'm amazed!  I'm proud!  I glance over at Michael in the high chair and realize someone left his bowl of cereal on his tray and he has dumped! it! all! over!  Stop stopwatch for Clare.

3:57 - Get Michael out of high chair and wash him off.  Remove his pants that didn't survive the cereal dump.

3:59 - Review Clare's math fact sheet - 100% in 1 minute, 32 seconds.  Initial her paper.  Initial her phonics.  Initial her assignment book.  Initial Jude's calendar.  Make sure all papers have made it into correct folders.

4:03 - Nurse Michael.  Quiz Clare on her vocabulary for her Friday test.  Ellen is getting the full pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge.  Ask someone! to help her!

4:08 - Michael is done.  Pour Ellen lemonade in her specifically requested La La Loopsy cup.

Realize Ryan will be home in about an hour and thank the crock pot gods that dinner is 99% done and wonder if it's too early to pour a glass of wine...