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Today was one of those days. Not bad in any way, but a day I never really understood until I became a SAHM. A day I used to read about from other women who were Stay At Home Moms, and then silently acknowledged that days like that are why I couldn’t be a SAHM. A day that went non-stop from the second I woke up until now…when it is still currently going on. When I worked in an office my days were long, but they were broken up between OFFICE and HOME. Not a solid day of ONE JOB. Because the suckiest part about this job? No one tells you when the day is over. No one sends you home. No one tells you to clock out because there is NO WAY they’re paying you overtime this week…GOT THAT?

I woke up about 5:30am, glad the kids were still asleep so I could get in some me time. I did some reading, some laundry, and some dishes. I woke up the kids at 6:30am and started getting all three ready to go out the door. I did carpool with LilZ and dropped the teens off at the high school, then backtracked to drop NikkiZ off at preschool where she bloodied her nose by falling as I left the classroom. AndyZ and I then ran to the doctor’s office that we went to yesterday because LilZ had left a textbook there in the chaos of helping me wrangle his brother and sister. I got the textbook and ran it by the high school to leave in the office for him. Then we went to AndyZ’s pediatrician to pick up an updated blue card that we needed for his daycare for the periodic day I need to drop him off. Then finally back home around 9:30am.

AndyZ had fallen asleep so I laid him in the crib and got to work on Wednesday’s dinner. I roasted vegetables for about an hour-and-a-half while doing odds and ends around the house. I woke up AndyZ from his nap early about 11:15 so we could go get his sister from school. She, he and I went on a picnic lunch to the park to play for awhile. Then we ran to the dance store to trade out jazz shoes for LilZ as I had bought the wrong size. That took a bit as they don’t stock shoes that big. Then we ran to the baseball store to buy oil for NikkiZ’s glove as her coach has been harassing us about oiling her glove. (They take t-ball seriously in this league, you know.) Then we ran over the the YMCA to pick up an annual statement MrZ needs to get partial reimbursement at work. Finally? Back home by 2:15pm.

I got the rest of Wednesday’s dinner ready (I’m making Vegetarian Lasagna for Wednesday night, I’ll share the recipe later in the week) and put it in the fridge so I don’t have to think about it at all tomorrow. Then, I loaded up the kids in the car to head back to the high school. We had to park across the street and walk over so we didn’t fight the exiting high school traffic. We found LilZ to give him his Jazz shoes and his orange soccer socks. (Don’t ask.) I promised him when his yellow tennis shoes arrived I’d bring those over. (SERIOUSLY. DON’T ASK. Just wait for the pictures.) We grabbed the other teenager we take home and walked back to the car. I took her home and brought the kids into the house where I ordered them to play in their room for 45 minutes while I had some quiet time. I watched Castle from last night. I (heart) Nathan Fillion.

Around 5:00pm MrZ came home as I was getting the very simple dinner going. (Veggie burgers and a few sides.) I fixed all of the kids plates and left to go get some groceries while MrZ sat with the kids to eat and waited for his burgers to cook. I got a few groceries and came home in time to play a little outside with the kids. We did some Frisbee and some softball. I gave AndyZ his bath while NikkiZ worked on softball drills with MrZ. I cleaned up dinner dishes. I traded out some laundry. Then LilZ’s shoes arrived so I put AndyZ in the car to run the shoes to the high school. I came home, put AndyZ to bed and sat down to write this entry. MrZ gave NikkiZ her bath and I’m waiting to go get LilZ from rehearsal, probably some time after 10pm. Which will officially make this a 18-hour day. Assuming he gets out at 10pm. It might be later.

It’s not that today was bad, it wasn’t. It was actually quite nice as I got a lot of stuff accomplished and even got a bit of fun time in with the kids. It has actually been GREAT, now that I think about it. But it is also a perfect example of what I kinda hate about this job. There is no end. And that would be much easier to handle if any one of my bosses gave me bonuses or certificates of appreciation once in awhile. If someone periodically thanked me for working my ass off instead of just making me wash their dirty underwear and wipe their boogers on my shirt. It’s almost a hostile work environment some days, with the animal vomit and urine-soaked bedding. (That was yesterday.) Maybe I could at least get a lunch once in awhile on the company’s dime? Except that is my dime. And my dimes are currently being used to buy really ugly Jazz shoes for my teenage son. (Do I need to remind you not to ask and just wait for pictures in a few weeks?)

I guess I’ll just settle for the slobbery kisses and snot-soaked hugs. And while they may sound kinda gross, they’re actually one of my favorite parts of the job.