Matthew's unnaturally loud alarm goes off exactly one minute before my own. Wake up, get moving time to start the school day. Shower followed by the uncomfortable task of figuring out what to wear, fashion always fighting comfort; fashion rarely winning.
"Morning, Ben!" I cheerfully call, all the while praying to hear the 'Morning mom!" which means I don't have to go in and roust him out of bed.
Most mornings he is up and feeding the animals before I get downstairs. Hannah is sitting at the table eating breakfast and begging me to help her fix her hair, though usually it is up in her signature slightly-to-the-side ponytail with the top crispy from an abundance of aqua-net. I make a turkey sandwich-half for breakfast, half for lunch; kids lunches have been made the night before (a responsibility we added to their chore list this year.)
Caitlin stumbles to the kitchen, grabs the box of smart start and eats breakfast while shaking the cobwebs left over from her 6 hours of sleep-she remains the child that needs very minimal sleep. Matthew, who is the opposite, usually heads straight for the coffeepot-which we exclusively share since Matt replaced coffee with a healthy caffeine alternative.
Matt comes down and peels a hardboiled egg and cuts up an apple-we all chat about the day ahead and usually someone will remind us that the weekend is only x number of days away. This is a great comfort. Quick check of the clock and then "Ten minutes, Matthew". My timeline is strict...being on time is my obsession-being early is my drug. Matthew understands and is in the car and ready to leave at 6:40. Mugs of coffee in hand we roll out of the driveway and pray a bit on the way to school-for safety in the day, for the people we love, and for ourselves.
6:45-2:45-school and work for all of us. After school the big kids do intense cross country practice under a coach who is known for having trained an olympian. Yes, they are tired when 5:30 rolls around. They come home, and the littles are ready for their cross country practice (for Hannah this only applies when there is no volleyball practice.) Matt heads to cross country with the littles to get his run in; I've got dinner going and everyone ends up eating in shifts. Breakfast as a family is a blessing; dinner is just grab when you can.
7-8pm means enforced study time for Matthew; Hannah and Ben settle in with drawing pads and images to copy from pinterest-their new obsession. I must remember to find frames for their works of art. Caitlin studies and watches The Office.
Family prayers, tuck ins for the littles (the bigs tuck us in these days) and then its lights out...and off to bed before another day begins.
Snapshots of our days. I can feel the change coming-Caitlin has college on her mind-she has friends in college and she will be driving soon. I can't hold these moments with them.... I just want to be able to remember them as authentically as possible. No frills...just the memory of the peace that every day with my people brings.
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