multi-tasking.

Cows are not my favorite right now.

Corey leaves for work at 4:30 am.
I wake up enough to tell him goodbye... that I love him... and to please drive safe.
Then he texts me around 6:00 am to tell me he got there.
He usually gets home at 5:30.
Tonight it was 6:00, because he stopped at Wal-Mart for a few things. (We miss Wal-Mart being 3 minutes away).
Then he left again at 6:15 to go feed cows. (and look at the progress on the house.)

While he was gone, I stuck Gretchen in the bathtub and started on supper.
Usually the other two argue over who gets to play with her while she's in the tub.
Tonight they argued over who HAD to stay in there with her. Super helpful.
They must have each come downstairs 4 times during her 20 minute bath to complain about the other.

Finished up Gretchen's bath and got her all jammied up before supper.
Everyone ate all their supper (Without complaining even. Amazing!)
Well, everyone but Gretchen. She ate her green beans, 1/2 her piece of bread and some applesauce. No goulash. She hopped away from the table, telling me, "I'll have dessert tomorrow."

10 minutes later, the scene was just so chaotic... it made me laugh.
I was literally...
* washing dishes
* listening to Lawson read his take home book
* helping Sophie with math homework
* signing permission slips for field trips and special activies
* writing down field trips and activities on the calendar
* writing myself notes on the calendar about when each kid needs a sack lunch
* commenting on each article of clothing that Gretchen was dragging out from the stack in the living room (I went through a Rubbermaid tub of summer clothes and pulled out some that I thought would fit her.)

It was when Gretchen was literally grabbing my face in her little hands... asking me if she could wear a sweet striped sundress to Sadie's house tomorrow... Lawson and Sophie are both talking to me at the same time and I swear it sounded like 6 kids all saying, "Mom? Mom. Mom! Mommy. Momma! Mommy!!" Maybe not 6 kids... but more than 3.

Corey finally got home at 7:45.
I took a couple containers of goulash to the neighbors. (I am a horrible judge of pasta. Pretty sure I made enough to feed 12 people.) Loved on our little porch kitty, Olive. (Who lives on the Meneley's porch now, since their tiny dog doesn't sound like it is going to eat her.)
Let Corey brush teeth and read books and get everyone in bed while I sorted out Gretchen's entire book of little removable stickers. 5 different scenes... 175 stickers... now all sorted back into their original spots.
Did it really need done? No.
But it provided me with a little bit of order and calm and organization.
Just what I needed to counter act the crazy.