If I Could Save Time in a Bottle...I don't think I would

Am I the only one in this big, big world (shout out to PBS) that feels controlled, ruled by time? Every moment of every day is occupied with time, time, time. Try and keep up with me...

3:00 a.m. Tess fusses, I hear her over the monitor I look at the clock and think, "Yeah! I can get in 3 hrs. and 40 more min. of sleep!

6:40 a.m. Alarm goes off, I hit snooze and think, "10 min. 10 min. 10 min. 10 min."

6:50 a.m. Get Olivia up. OK! Bus gets here in in 25 min.

7:00 a.m. Olivia finish up breakfast. The bus will be here in 15 min.

7:05 a.m. Olivia get your teeth and face washed...bus 10 min. Boys! Go back to bed for another hour! Please!

7:10 Olivia are your shoes on? Bus in 5 min! Oi! Tess is awake and ready to eat. I'll have to delay excercise by 15 min. Eat breakfast and wonder, "When can I eat again?" The 'just need to loose 5 lbs diet' dictates 10:00.

7:15 Bus coming down the road. See ya at 4:00! Love ya!

7:20 Get Tess. Take mental note of wake up time so she can go down 2 1/2 hrs. from now. Feed Tess. Mentally note meal and diaper change so that when she gets fussy I can determine what 'type' of fussy it is.

7:30 Hop onto elliptical. Tortuously count down every last, miserable minute, second...30 min. 29 min. 28 min......Should I strength train today? Nah that would take an extra 45 min. Vow to do it the next day.

8:00 Feed boys and hope a 15 min. Scooby Doo will keep them occupado while I shower. Oh yeah! I need to check e-mail and blog and Drudge. Just a 5 min. peek!

9:00 Ready to Go! Check clock and ponder all of the things I can accomplish in 30 min. before I should start doing my typing for Dr. Hopkins. Dress kids, clean breakfast, make beds, pick up already played with and grown weary of toys.

9:30 Sit down to type and wonder as Mark and Nate fight how long it is until Mark leaves for school... 2 hrs. Yikes! Check mental clock and wonder when Tess needs to go to bed again. Type for 20 min. and then lay Tess down and cross fingers that she will stay asleep for at least 2 hrs.

10:00 Focus Mark on at least 10 min. of piano. When does he leave for school again? 1 1/2 hrs. I've got time to type for another 1 hr. before I need to feed him. Oh yeah! What's for dinner? What time do I need to start it so we are eating at 5:00...more mental math. Get back to typing with string cheese dangling from my mouth to complete 10 min. intervals of Dr. Hopkins' oral surgery speak, which translates to about 30 min. of actually typing on my end.

11:00 Tess awake. Take mental note so next nap can be planned and justified. Change diaper. Hmmm. Not too wet. Hooray for not letting a diaper go too long! Feed Mark and Nate lunch, make sure homework is done, brush teeth, bundle up. How long to load 3 kids into the car?

11:40 Out the door, all along the way knowing it takes us 10 min. to get to school, giving Mark 10 min. to play outside before the bell rings. OK! Kids home in 4 hrs.

12:00 Nate down for nap. Crossing fingers he'll be out of commission for at least 2 hrs. Feed Tess. Take mental note about meal to determine when afternoon nursing will take place. Eat lunch and again wonder, "When can I eat again?"...3:00.

12:30 Sit down to type. Attempting to get it done so I can watch ALL of the t.v. I want that night, guilt free. What time are my shows on? Check schedule. Determine to record one channel while I watch the other. Vow to get TiVo when I'm independently wealthy. Kids will be home...3 1/2 hrs.

1:30 Ya Hoo! Done with typing for the day...what to do....serf the computer.

2:00 Tess fussy...recalculate wake up time and determine an afternoon nap is justified.

2:10 Start chicken and cut broccoli for dinner so it can be ready to go into the oven by 4:00.

2:30 Greet Nate with a kiss and a smile and wonder how long until bedtime. I love my babies, but this is an innate thought that cannot be controlled. Any mother knows what I mean.

3:00 Check in with Ellen while I fold clothes. Feel happy and zen for 1 hr. Sneak in a pudding pop and calculate 2 hrs. until dinner.

4:00 Greet kids and give them 30 min. 'down time' until homework needs to be done. Put dinner in oven. Will cook for 60 min. When should I start the rice...mental math...30 min.

4:30 Olivia working on homework with the hopes of watching AI that night. Start rice.

4:45 Set table. Dinner in 15 min! Hurry up!

5:00 Eat, laugh, clean spills...

5:30 Clean dinner while mentally calculating bath time and bedtime. Note that in order for us to fit in 1 chapter in the BofM we will need at least 30 min (we have early readers). Gotta start by 6:30 so we can be done by the time idol starts. Let's get going!

6:30 Read from BofM, checking ahead to see how long Mark's verse is going to be. Give a sigh of relief it is only 4 lines long.

7:00 Sit down for some idol, noting that boys' and Tess' bedtime is in 30 min.

7:30 Boys in bed, Tess in bed. Cross fingers Tess will sleep all night. Go back to idol.

8:00 Olivia in bed and reading for 30 min. Mentally note that if I'm in bed by 10:30 I could get atleast 8 hrs. sleep. Decide between computer, reading, movie or t.v. Opt for computer.

8:30 Send Olivia to bed.

10:00 Note clock time and gear self up for bed.

10:30 Not done doing nothing.

11:00 Hit sack mentally calculating the 7 1/2 hrs. of potential sleep.

3:00 a.m. Tess fusses, I hear her over the monitor and I look at the clock and think, "Yeah! I cant get in 3 hrs. and 40 more min. of sleep!

Disclaimer: After editing this, this looks like a pretty smooth day. Rarely do my days go this smoothly. Most days there is a reason to jump in the shagin' wagon (the van) and run somewhere, school, visiting teaching, grocery store, post office, piano lessons, blah, blah, blah. I'm usually finishing up my typing about 3-4:00. I can't tell you quick fast what gets me delayed on days I don't go anywhere, but I'm sure it's one of my darlings and I'm sure more mental math is done as I try and decided just how delayed I am going to be.