Morning comes way too soon in my world. Every morning I awaken by the bedroom door slamming open and someone screaming, one of the following,

“Mom, so and so stole the kitty away from me and she won’t give it back!”

“Mom, so and so won’t make me breakfast!”

“Mom, can I have a snack?”

My answers aren’t as patient as they should be at this time of day, “What? No! Whose day is it for breakfast? Leave my room, all of you!” Mornings are not my favorite time of day. Nights, now that is the time of day I’m at my best! Is it night yet?

I usually am wide awake by the third interruption, but before leaving my bed I visualize my day, especially if I plan to run that morning. Saying a quick prayer I drag myself out of bed to get dressed. I sleep in without guilt or regrets. I’m up on an average day about 9:30am. The bathroom floor is slightly sticky even though it was mopped two days ago thanks to a little sneaky someone who dumped half a bottle of hand soap on the floor. I try to take a mental note to assign that out as a cleanup chore to someone.

Never do I leave my room undressed or without perfume and depending on the day, without make-up. I always brush my teeth and floss, especially now that I’m avoiding a root canal. My hair is brushed…wait! Where’s the hairbrush? “Chloris and Maia, I need you to help find the hairbrush!” It never shows up until I’m downstairs checking emails and calling the kids to remind them of it. Rule #1: always look for missing items in the unusual places first at my house: the next door neighbor’s porch, the garage, the car, the refrigerator drawer. I quit asking the question, “Why?” because I’m never satisfied with the answers.

Upon leaving my room, every morning I see four laundry baskets overflowing with dirty clothes lined up in the hall next to the laundry closet and I ask someone to start a “big” load. I hug and kiss the little people who are waist high and below as I pass them in the hall. Taking a quick peek in each bedroom, I’m never disappointed to see messes- they’re always there, they happen. I call the kids from all corners of the house and assign clean up bedroom duties and make sure they’re all dressed. Most of the time, half of them aren’t.

Checking emails to see what I missed from the night before is a must especially when I have them all cleaning. Is your thyroid making you fat? Foggy morning brain makes me think about it a minute “Oh man! Is it? No, I don’t think so.” While checking emails I remind the kids about morning devotional in five minutes, which really isn’t until ten minutes but they don’t know that. Everyone must be dressed, fed, rooms cleaned; fur brushed off the teeth, and arrive with their scriptures. “Put the cat down, she’s meowing!” Usually we have a few things to fix before we start like: the baby doesn’t have “unnies” on, Athena is poopie and is stinking up the room, Mercury is trying to get away with wearing a pajama t-shirt instead of real clothing. Inevitably someone forgot their scriptures. No problem, everyone sits and waits until we are all ready. Two more minutes remaining- hurry up, move it, move it, move it!! I’m married to a soldier; I have a military mentor here, can you tell? {smile}

Morning devotional consists of the basics: opening and closing songs and prayer with scripture reading sandwiched in between. Our family’s finished reading Esther two weeks ago and we are now reading Psalms. Reading a book at this time together is completely determined by behavior, much of the time by our six year old autistic daughter. Her only focus is on when she can get back to nature by going outside. We are currently working on the book “Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends by Sarah, Stephan and Grace Mally. The kids love this book and we often stop and discuss each situation.

Following devotional it’s time to- READY-SET -BREAK! – and the younger ones are off and the older ones report what schooling and reading they’ve done for the day so far. All three older children get up at 6:30am so they can get their schooling done during the quiet hours. When the younger ones wake up they help tutor them. We have been very focused on memorization of all math facts right now depending on the level of the child. We have flash cards galore and notebooks for writing them as often as they feel they need to during this process.

Chore time! I would say it’s my favorite time because some days they are busy bees working hard and getting things done. I would say it’s the worse time some days because I have to stay right on them to get their chores done. While chores are being done, mommy goes to work or makes some phone calls, depending on the day. I have a lot of girlfriends who need to talk and I love to talk, complain and laugh with them! If I plan to run that day, this is the time I go running for an hour. I always come home sweaty and gross and every time I get a loving compliment from one of the middle girls, “Mom, you stink!” I always tell them “Thank you.” Manners are manners, may we always use them. Since I am reminded, this is shower time for me too if I do a morning workout.

After a little bit of website editing or other online business is done, and a fair amount of twitter-ing and facebook-ing, I sit down with the middle kids to do reading, Latin, or anything else that needs help.

Most of the meals are made by my older three children with a few that I literally kick the older girls out of the kitchen for so that I can cook too. They enjoy cooking so much that I end up being a chef for guests more than the family. Now, that, girls is a Mom Promotion! I’m still in charge of the menus, grocery shopping and am “Head Chef” who approves and inspects meals regularly.

After lunch, we’ll read a book or the younger ones sit on mommy’s lap for some little kid books to be read to them. Then it’s time to nap! YEEHAW!

We have the Charge system implemented in our home. Each of the older children is given a younger child as their charge. They are to help with the care of that child from helping them get dressed, bathed, messes cleaned up, and to help keep track of that child when we leave the house. At any given time of the day you may hear, “Athena is poopie again, where is her charge?” or “The baby changed clothes again, wait, now she’s naked. Maia, she’s your charge, get her dressed, please!”
The late afternoon is for finishing school assignments, getting my work done, crafting, playing outside or running errands. It depends on the day and what we have planned.

On an average day I have to know where seven kids are at any given moment. I supervise the schooling and the chores, kiss boo-boos, listen to a million and one tattle tales, listen to any problem or story a child needs to tell me, play “friend” with my toddler, be sure the animals are alive and fed, messes are cleaned, the errands are run, phone calls have been made, and then…give attention to the man of the house.

The man of my life…I am totally and completely in love with him even though he’ll fall asleep folding socks, stirring spaghetti, during scripture study and while we’re talking. Wait a second that ticks me off! Knowing that my husband works hard all day and that he gets sleepy early into the night, I make sure he is number one when he walks through that door. When I hear his footsteps on the porch and I’ve made it my goal to rush to meet him at the door and kiss him like we were just married. I once neglected to do that when I was mad at him and he was so upset by it, so I’ve tried to keep it up mad or not. Time with my husband happens when he gets home no matter if it’s 4:30pm or 8pm. No matter what I have planned or what I have going on. I love him so much and want to spend time with him when I have the chance.

After dinner, we have another “pick up the house” session, everyone gets in pajamas and we meet in the office for scriptures and prayer with daddy. “Maia, wake daddy up nicely, please!” “Quit fighting and be quiet!” “Mercury, don’t shove your sister. I don’t care that she started it first. Be a gentleman!” We are currently beginning Alma. After scriptures and family prayer it is bedtime for the kids and time alone for the adults. Sometimes we’ll let the older kids stay up and read in their rooms or watch an occasional movie.

Before I pass out asleep at night, I read. I also take notes on what I want to accomplish or write about. I always keep a notebook on the bedside table.

I’m not sure if you noticed that I watch VERY little television. That is my secret to getting things done. I will upon occasion watch movies in the evening with my family or husband, but I just find it’s something I gave up like a caffeine addict gives up coffee, so that I could reap the benefits- more time.

*All children’s names are pseudonyms.