2nd day of snow delays, and I am DONE.....

What a horrible morning. Terrible night too. Olivia went to bed past midnight (concert). Lilliana fussed and cried and woke me at 1:00 am and 2:00 am. Boys woke at 3:15 am, wanting to talk, drink milk, eat cookies and watch a movie. Enzo woke again at 4:30 am, having a nightmare. Lilliana woke at 6:00 am, having wet her bed. Boys descend stairs at 7:40 am, wondering if school is cancelled. No - two hour delay. We knew last night. The morning is planned - wake teen at 8:20 am - do breakfast, clothes and bus. Dress and feed kindergartner immediately following (while making his lunch, packing his back pack, etc.), send out door with Daddy. Hopefully, two little ones will steer clear and watch Noggin on 3rd floor. Sit with coffee and finish editing on one document. Order just one more Christmas present online. No such luck. On any of it.

The boys went nuts immediately when they got up - running about - jumping on furniture - literally screaming and laughing so loud, I could not hear my own voice over theirs. Teen wakes, cranky, telling me that no one is returning texts - her friends must be skipping school (with parental permission). I tell her she is going. She asks what there is to eat for breakfast. Waffles, french toast, whole wheat toast, eggs, cereal, fruit. "Yech. :-( I want non-breakfast food." OK - deli turkey, salami and cheese, challah bread, hummus and pita, leftover pasta and pizza, salad. "Nah. Do we have any treats?" Um... chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, fudge, fruitcake, chocolate pretzels, holiday bread, chips, candy canes. What do you want?!?! We settle, begrudgingly, on the Whole Foods version of "cocoa puffs". She eats the whole damn bowl. She is still not dressed. The bus arrives in 15 min. So... you can guess what comes next... "Who is driving me to school?" Daddy. "What?!?!?!" (insert exaggerated teen eye roll here) "But I'll be late. I'll get a demerit. Why can't we leave now?" Um... you're not dressed - Enzo hasn't eaten - I'm still making his lunch - He is in his underwear for some reason - Until 5 min ago, you were still begging not to go to school. Do you want me to stop?

Yelling, yelling, yelling. High drama, high drama, high drama. Everything from "I'll be in trouble." to "Nooooooo... don't write a note. That will look soooooo suspicious." OK, then - we're screwed. Or... more to the point... YOU are screwed. Oh well. At the same time, hubby is telling me that this is all my fault because I don't make her do her chores (for the record, I DO make her do chores - just not in front of him on Sunday, while he watches football and tries to get everyone to fetch him food and drink). Also at the same time, the three other wild ones have broken out the Play-doh (which still lies drying on the floor in my front hall - and... I don't really care) AND brought down some very loud Transformer toys AND a couple of dolls, complete with a portion of their respective doll wardrobes - now strewn all over the tv room. During this, as I make lunches, dress kids, wipe slippery snow from the floor, locate everyone's coats, dodge running and screaming kids, hubby is furiously emailing at his laptop, parked at the dining room room table, drinking coffee, smiling at notes from his friends and notifications from his webby, Addy and other area "creative" awards (I am getting irritated, obviously ;-), AND I am obviously reading over his shoulder). ALSO AT THE SAME TIME (yeah - I'm not done), I have client emails coming into my own computer - new edits - a new project - a list of questions - all good, but... all work, right? Anyway.....

So I get everyone out the door with lunches or lunch money, requisite forms and teacher gift contributions (which I happily send in every year - God bless'em), coats, boots, school shoes, snacks, mittens, etc. I am left with a kitchen in total disarray (WHO put juice glasses, egg plates and dirty napkins on the counter - lined up like I am the busboy at a diner???) - halfway emptied dishwasher - lettuce, peanut butter, bread, etc. strewn about the counter (WHO spilled coffee ON the loaf of bread? Gimme a break). Two little ones dressed as Luigi and Princess Peach who are eating gogurt and jumping from couch to chair to stool to couch while I try to make a lunchtime deadline on a 24+ page document. Good times. No wonder I have had muscle aches, headaches and an upset stomach for days.

Done. Ranting. With snow delays.