Soooo... do you know what I did today?
I woke up about six o'clock this morning from a dream filled with hope. When I woke up, I could hear rain on the window beside my bed, tapping gently, sweet rain from nature's heart. I found that I felt awake and refreshed and I went ahead and got up because I felt like it. I got first shower with hot water and clean towels and a I finished getting dressed, the alarm went off and Craig got up, gave me a hug and said he loved me. Then he got dressed and woke the kids up before he went into the bathroom. When he came out of the bathroom, the kids got out of bed one at a time and did their thing in the bathroom, got dressed, and brought down their laundry.
I remembered everything that needed to be done that morning, got the baby fed and the dishes done, all before got everyone to school on time. The kids didn't fight, whine, stall, lose their things are suddenly remember items that needed to be turned in that day which had mysteriously escaped their memory until the moment we prepared to walk out the door.
When we gt back from dropping off the second load of kids, I laid Baby down for her nap and I went downstairs. I realized that what I wanted to to do was get the house cleaned up! I cleaned off the table, ran all the laundry that was downstairs (including folding it and putting it away), cleaned the family room and organized all my papers and books in my corner. I cleaned the kitchen and reorganized the bills and calendar papers. And I cleaned up the front hall, sorting the shoes and coats as I went along. As I put away the last of the downstairs laundry, I brought down the rest of the upstairs laundry. Throughout the day, I washed, dried, folded and put it away as well.
Before Baby woke up, I sat down at the computer, caught up on all my emails (sending appropriate replies where needed), paid the bills (with enough money to pay them all), finished a prompt response for my writing group, and downloaded the rest of the psych course lecture mp3s.
Then I started to work on my novel for NaNoWriMo. I immediately got "into the zone" where the words were flying from my fingers in prolific waves of stunning and memorable prose. I had just finished the chapter when Baby woke up from her nap. She got up cheerful and smiling. And those two teeth had finally broken through! She ate lunch wonderfully, without spitting it at me or sneezing in the middle of a bite of peas. After she ate, she played on the floor cheerfully with her toys while I played Mozart and Beethoven to enhance her little mind. I continued to work on my novel which, while I didn't hit "the zone" like earlier, still flowed out freely. I took frequent breaks to go play with her and she finally learned to crawl!
Come that time of day, Baby and I went to go the kids and got there on time. The kids had a great day at school and chatted happily about what they learned and how much fun they had. We got home and they took turns showing me their papers and the highlights from their day. As the each had their turn with me, the others got their healthy snacks and got started on their chores without being told. They did not fight or yell or cry or insult or anything. Everyone finished their homework peacefully at the table while I prepared a wonderful, nutritious, home-cooked meal.
Baby-Mommy picked up Baby on time and took a few minutes to go over Baby's day and our upcoming schedules and little bits of girlfriend gossip. She was thrilled to hear how well my novel is progressing and told me that if I needed her to watch my kids for a little bit next week during the time between when she would get to the house (directly from work) and when Craig would come home, that she would be thrilled to support me that way. Baby was glad to see Baby-Mommy but fussed a tiny bit just before she left because I hadn't given her an extra good-night hug.
Right after Baby-Mommy and Baby left, each part of dinner got ready just slightly staggered so I had just enough time to get each part on the table before the next piece was ready. The meal came together smoothly.
Just then, Craig came home early. He was thrilled to see the house and he was in a great mood. We all sat down together at the table and ate dinner together, talking about our day, sharing fun facts and laughing, talking and enjoying each other's company. Everyone commented on how delicious the meal was and ate everything on their plates.
After dinner, everyone took in their own dishes. Craig remembered it's Tuesday and told me I needed to get going out to Starbucks to write. He asked me if I had enough money and nearly shoved me out the door, encouraging me that I can still do good and have fun with my NaNoWriMo project. As I left, I gave everyone hugs and kisses. Kid-1 had settled in to read a book to Kid-4 and Kid-2 and Kid-3 were taking turns reading a book together. They all wished me good luck.
At Starbucks, my favorite table was open, my coffee was made just right, and my computer remembered what it was doing. I had my notebooks spread out and my headphones on and was just about to start writing when this very hot guy pointed at my notebook and asked what NaNoWriMo means. I explained to him about 50K words in 30 days and he was very impressed and commented on what a remarkable thing to attempt. We chatted for just a minute about writing and he said he'd let me get back to my work and went to another table where he sat with his back to me so I could stare at him without him seeing me. He just happened to be the exact character I was searching for to put in my novel.
I started writing and got into the zone immediately. Before I knew it, my computer said it was 5 til 10 so I closed up shop and headed over to IHOP to keep writing. There happened to be a booth with a power outlet by a window out of the way and I explained to the waitress that I just needed a place to write and wouldn't be any trouble. She said that was fine, brought me my coffee and snack and let me be. I went ahead and paid my bill and left a huge tip then I dived back into my writing. I got back in the zone and kept writing.
Before I knew it, it was almost 2 o'clock. I had written just over 5100 words and was starting to feel tired. I packed up my things and headed for home. As I drove home, I reviewed everything I had accomplished today and I felt incredibly proud of myself and optimistic that I could do it again and again and again... I slid into bed feeling good and fell right to sleep where I slept all night with no bad dreams.
And that's what I did today...
"Don't give up. It's just the weight of the world." (Josh Groban, "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)")
