I need to leave promptly at 9:00 AM for a play date.
7:30 AM : I am laying in bed. James kisses me goodbye. I rationalize in my head that I can lay there for 15 more minutes. (That 15 minutes would later come back to get me!)
7:45 AM : Get up and let the dogs out.
7:46 : Check email. Realize tomorrow is December 1st and I have not paid several of my bills due around the first part of the month. As I am paying my bills on-line notice a weird charge on my credit card. Decide to call the credit card company (even though I hear Nolan singing in his room). It is now 7:51 AM.
7:56 AM : Quickly read a few of my favorite blogs. I couldn’t help myself!
7:59 AM: Get Nolan up. Pull of his sheets to be washed. Prepare his breakfast. Fix the dogs their breakfast. Put in a load of wash.
8:12 AM: Into my bathroom to start to getting ready. I am interrupted several times by guess "who". He needs more orange juice. Decides he wants to watch a different episode of "Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks, etc."
8:16 AM: Pick out Nolan’s clothes. Pick up the kitchen.
8:22 AM: Back to the bathroom to once again start getting ready.
8:40AM: Final touches on getting ready. (Getting ready in the mornings is down to a science these days!) This includes two more minor interruptions by Nolan.
8:41: Start the battle with Nolan of getting dressed. Tell him we will NOT get to the puppet show on time if he does not cooperate.
8:46: Decide to get creative on getting him back to the bathroom to comb his hair. I announce we will have a race to the bathroom. Nolan’s ears perk up and he stops thinking about being irritated that he is no longer wearing his tye-dye shirt. Nolan tells me that I need to put one hand on the ground, the other one behind our back, and say "On your mark, get set….". He does not kid around when I say we are racing.
8:47 AM: Wet, comb, and then blow dry his hair.
8:50 AM: Let the dogs out again. Get Nolan a snack for later, fill up his cup with water, and go on a search for Nolan’s shoes. There is a certain pair he wants of course.
8:54 AM: Let the dogs in. One last potty break for Nolan.
8:59 AM: Hear that the washing machine has stopped. I put clothes into the dryer and start a fresh load. Hear the local news come on and I think "Darn it! It must be 9:00."
9:03 AM: Announce to Nolan we are leaving. This must be repeated several times.
9:07 AM: We pull away from the garage. I determine that I have time and must have this.
9:09 AM: Notice I have approximately 83 miles until empty. Go back and forth in my head…"Starbucks. Gas., Which one do I choose? Maybe I have time for both. I should have enough gas to get to the Galleria…"
9:15 AM: Get to Starbucks and notice the line of cars is too long. Darn it!
9:22 AM: Pull into the Race Track gas station to get gas. Contemplate going inside to get a cup of tea, but that means getting Nolan out of his car seat…. Decide I really need some caffeine. In we go, but first Nolan needs to find a certain Matchbox car. "Don’t leave without ‘em" is Nolan’s motto.
9:25 AM: Back outside, hot cup of tea in hand, and Nolan notices a Brinks armored truck parked right out front. This was a first! We spend several seconds "oohing and ahhing" before I convince him we really need to go.
9:27 AM: Pull away from the gas station and think to myself that we really needed to be at the Galleria by 9:45 AM. I plead in my head that for once, please no traffic.
9:29: Pull on to the highway and it is STAND STILL. Great! Luckily we began moving before too long. Why do they close entire lanes of a highway only to NOT be doing any roadwork? Maddening!
9:50 AM: Pull into the parking lot at Nordstrom. Not bad!
9:57 AM: I am sitting at the playground at the Galleria, sipping my cup of tea, and watching Nolan locate the highest jump off points in the playground.
For the next two and 1/2 hours ,with our friends Ms. Liz and Bella, we play at the playground, see a puppet show, eat lunch, watch ice skaters, see Santa (which by the way Nolan hid behind my legs for. The actual picture taking with Santa next Friday looks like it will be an experience once again!), and shop at Nordstrom before parting ways.
1:15 PM: Stop to get a birthday present.
2:02: Back home again.
This is a typical days my friends! Moms….sound familiar?