Roll with the Punches

Mike is out of town, so I’m temporarily a single mom. Michaela and I are used to it, and we do a pretty good job of rolling with the punches. Today is a great example.

6:25 a.m. – my alarm goes off. I browse the news, check emails, look at Facebook.

6:50 a.m. – I wake up Michaela.

6:55 a.m. – I wake her up again.

7 a.m. – It’s late! Michaela eats a bowl of cereal while I get dressed and put on my makeup.

7:20 a.m. – I start making Michaela’s snack (I’m off the hook for making lunch today, because Michaela likes to buy school lunch on Wednesdays).

7:25 a.m. – I fix Michaela’s hair.

7:30 a.m. – I nag Michaela about putting on her shoes and getting her backpack packed.

7:35 a.m. – I gather my things, Michaela gathers her things, and we hustle out the door.

7:40 a.m. – We arrive at school, just in time for the first bell. I get Michaela off to her classroom and head back to my car.

7:45 a.m. – The 5th graders at school are selling Valentine’s Day treats that will be delivered to classrooms next week. I pony up a dollar to send one to Michaela from Mom and Dad.

8:10 a.m. – I get to work.

8:15 a.m. – I get a call that my 9 a.m. meeting is canceled, so I’m meeting-free for several hours. A rare treat!

11 a.m. – I’m hungry! I put off eating for a while longer.

11:30 a.m. – Walk down to the onsite cafeteria and grab some lunch. Yum!

12:45 p.m. – I have to leave work to get Michaela from school. Wednesdays are half days, so she’s done at 12:15, then has Spanish until 1:15. Because I have to attend a board meeting tonight at work and Mike is out of town, my parents were nice enough to agree to watch Michaela for me. My dad had plans this afternoon, though, so I had to grab Michaela from school and run her to my parents’ house.

1:15 p.m. – I get Michaela from school and we head to my parents’.

2 p.m. – I’m back at work. Finally! My calendar is clear until 4:30, so I get some work done at my desk.

4:30 p.m. – Meeting.

5:35 p.m. – Meeting ends. I have 25 minutes until the board meeting, so I sneak in some dinner.

6 p.m. – Board meeting kicks off.

9:30 p.m. – Board meeting ends. Finally!

9:35 p.m. – I’m in my car, heading to my parents’.

9:50 p.m. – I grab Michaela, who had been asleep, and we drive home. Poor thing is bushed! She falls asleep in her carseat clutching Dieciocho, her bear.

10:05 p.m. – Michaela asks if she can sleep in my bed. I tell her sure and once she disappears into my room, I check the mail, unpack her backpack, load the dishwasher, etc.

10:30 p.m. – Settle in for a quick blog post.

10:45 p.m. – Bedtime! The alarm will go off again in just a few hours!