"What time is it?" and Other Small Annoyances
2005-01-28
8:40 a.m.

The baby woke up at 7:00 this morning and it's now 8:30 and she's back to sleep. I'd like to go back to sleep too, but it's almost impossible for me to do that anymore. The old body's programmed to get up and go, go, go. However, I may try it. It's our off day. The kids are all still asleep and it's supposed to be cold and rainy and then snowy out. But still no real accumulating snow, the kind that closes things down and gives you a reason to not have to get out and do anything. I still don't know what I'd like to do. I'm not quite so tired today, so perhaps (if I feel like getting ready) J and I will leave the kids for a while this afternoon and slip out to a movie. It think I'd like that. Tonight is 17yoE's opening night for "The Wizard of Oz" and J and 15yoS are using the free tickets and going. Afterwards they'll go out to dinner downtown. I'd like to go, but leaving the baby for 4 hours isn't an option right now, and taking a 5mo, a 4yo, a7yo, a 10yo, and a 12yo along would be more of a stress than it's worth. I'll take the ones who would actually enjoy sitting through the entire production and go see it later. Maybe J and I can go together once as well. Or maybe we'll just go downtown to eat. Hmmm, I love to see E perform but I think I'd like some time *alone* with J for a change. He'd probably faint if he read that, which he won't because I don't think he knows I'm on here. Maybe he does, but I don't think taking the time to read this stuff would probably be high priority. I like it that way. With demands from so many upon me it's nice to have my own little space here. With seven children and a homeschooling lifestyle there is very little solitude. I love it more than anything else I could ever do, but it's nice to have an escape for a few minutes each day. And it's interesting to read about other people's lives. Mine is very nondramatic compared to most, and that's fine by me. I like my life. I like my husband and my kids and my friends. I wouldn't trade it for anyone else's life in the world, seriously. But it's fun to read about other people's lives, especially when they tend to find the humor in things. I have a really warped sense of humor and there is nothing more gratifying to me than to hit upon a witty, well-crafted entry in someone's blog. It's an added bonus if it can make me laugh myself to tears. Well, I think that my plan for going back to sleep with the baby has to be aborted. She's lying here grinning at me. The 4yo and 7yo have both been in to use the bathroom. Why must they use the master bathroom when there is one across from their bedroom? Why must they come into my bedroom at night and wake me up just to go pee? They don't need my help, and it would be easier for them to just walk across the hall than to come staggering into a completely dark room and trying to find the bathroom door. I think I'll discuss this with them at breakfast. Perhaps if I suggest that they use the other bathroom they will. Why hasn't this occurred to me before? Maybe it's because of my constant state of sleep deprivation. What kills me more than the kids traipsing through all night long is when I wake up to feed the baby and J asks me something like, "What time is it?" My eyes aren't even open. I am quite skilled at being able to suckle babies in a state of unconsciousness. However, a question that requires not only an exact answer (an "umpf" won't suffice) but an opening of the eyes as well...that really torques me! For that, one must rouse ones self out of a comfortable slumber and into near consciousness. Then one must will the opening of one eye to a slit, turn the head in the direction of the clock, rub the eye into focus, determine what the glowing numbers mean, and then formulate a coherent verbal response. Then one must speak. Generally the response is so weak it requires repeating several times before the other party is satisfied he has heard it sufficiently. I pointed this out to him a few months ago when 5moL was still quite small and I was up with her every few hours. It got annoying telling him, "It's 1:00," "It's 3:30," "It's 5:00." Did I look like Big Ben or what? Perhaps with my weight gain I did, but that's a story for another day. Finally I called to his attention the fact that I didn't like having to play 20 Questions in the night and he pretty much stopped. Last night however, when I was desperate for sleep, he asked me what time it was. I wanted to say, "Roll over and open your eyes up and look for yourself." But I was nice and just told him it was 4:00. It wasn't worth being nasty over. Daughter #4, 10yoM, is now in here on my bed talking to the babe. I suppose I've had enough "solitude" for the time being. Now it's time to get my butt out of bed and make cherry turnovers. J has a fire going downstairs and since it's so cold out today I imagine that he'll play another round of Resident Evil with the kids. He likes to say that he does it because the kids really enjoy it, which is true, but I know that he'd be doing the same thing even if we had no kids. It's just a win/win for them all. I had my fill during the last round. Today (if we don't go to a movie) I'll watch "Pride and Prejudice" with the older daughters who have also had their fill of RE. Time to roll.

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