brain dead ramblings of a mother at the end of a very long day

I have decided that as I get older I am less successful at multi-tasking. I remember a few years ago, I could make dinner while talking on the phone, juggle a baby on my hip, answer a math question, tell Ry he hit a wrong note on the piano, make a solar system out of salt dough and still have a smile on my face (ok, forget the smile, this isn't a fairy tale). Now I find myself wandering through rooms trying to remember why I needed to go there in the first place. Drifting off into space while my children repeatedly try to get my attention. I used to be able to get their names right by at least the second try, now I'm throwing out names no one has ever heard of. I tell you, kids destroy brain cells. How did my mom do 8?

We are in the throws of homework again. Did I say awhile ago I couldn't wait to send the kids back to school? I am now thinking a little less structure would be good. I know, the grass is always greener on the other side.

Today I have spend over 3+ hours supervising, helping, motivating, and in some cases threatening my children to accomplish their homework. Mark had to write his first book report. Considering he has just mastered spelling Christensen, that is a big project in itself. He is just supposed to phonetically spell words, but he is my perfection child. He wants to know if it's spelled right. I tell him, just write down all the sounds you hear in the word. " But mom, is it right?" I tell him, that his words are fine, and that spelling will come later. He insists that he wants the "bestest grade" so everything has to be just right. After diligently persuading, arguing and not getting satisfied, he decided I was the one who didn't know how to spell and went off to find a sibling!

Tonight after dinner, as it's getting dark I asked Ry if his homework was done. He said, "yeah mom, I'm good......all I have to do is my driver's ed assignment" That turned out to be mother involved since he had to drive and park near several intersections and write down the mistakes drivers make and spend at least an hour doing so. He had to list the color and type of the car as well as the error. Did I mention it was dark so we had to have the interior light on to write? Here we are looking like some stalker people in a minivan, staring at cars going through intersections and writing things down. I was afraid someone was going to call the police on us for suspicious activity. We kept arguing over color of cars because it was dark, "it was blue" I'd say, "no, dark green" Ry would argue. Finally I'd say something like "who the heck cares what color the car is just write something down!" Memories of conversations with Mark earlier were starting to resurface. We did finally accomplish the homework and are back safe and sound with no black marks on our records. Whew!

Needless to say, I'm ready for a bubble bath and something that doesn't involve spelling or stalking. I think I earned an A today. Do I get credit in heaven for that? There has to be some big degree we can earn in the life after this one.