A typical day...

A typical day around here starts out full speed ahead. I don't get to ease into it so much anymore. Where I used to sleep in until anywhere from 9 am to 11 am, I now am up by seven at the latest. My sleeping in days ended when Little Man came to us last May. Even with him gone now, I still can't seem to sleep very late.

My eyes aren't even open yet when I whisper "good morning, Mama." She meows back at me and goes to the food bowl. Whether it's empty or not, she insists I at least touch it for her. She rarely meows in the middle of the night anymore, unless she's decided there is some need she has that we absolutely HAVE to attend to right then. Last night, she decided she didn't like litter box liners and kept me awake proving it for a good half hour. At 2 am.

I get up, tend to her food and water and glance at the box. I usually put that part off for a little while, but get her meds as soon as I get up.

I come out, and throw the two big dogs outside, if they aren't there already. I refresh my work screen just to see how much work there is. I cross my fingers and hope it's a nice, large amount that I can stretch long enough to make my hours. I drink a soda or two, smoke a cig, and start working.

While I'm working, I take a lot of little mini breaks, about five minutes in length. I make sure animals have food and water, which they rarely ever do. I clean Mama's box. The goop I have to put on her food gives her quite stinky diahrea poo, but at least she's going. I spend a bit of time with her, and check to make sure all the kittens are alive and well. She watches me closely the entire time as though she's afraid I'll hurt them. Though, she seems to be trusting me a bit more each day both with her, and her babies.

I come back in and flip some more ads through the system. By now, at least one other person is working, so I have to be careful with my set up and make sure they weren't cleared by someone else before I flip them.

I look around the house at all of the work that has to be done and sigh. I love my family dearly, but they all think that since I work at home, I have plenty of time to get all of the housework and chores done, all on my own. Even some of theirs as well!

I make the short list of things I want to get accomplished that day. For the most part, anything that can't be done during a fast five minute break probably won't be done. By the time I actually have time to do it, my body has realized it got up way too early and it just refuses to do much of anything. My mind is already exhausted by the mid point of the day. If it even lasted that long to begin with!

When I have more than one job to do, I do them all at the same time. While most people would get distracted too easily this way, it actually helps to keep me awake and focused. Plus, I get a full 24 hours worth of work in sometimes, but it's all in the same 8 to 12 hour time frame.

If I don't have more than one job to do, I turn the tv on. I'm one of those people that just can't focus on one thing and one thing only for hours on end. I get too bored and wind up unmotivated. Then, I get nothing accomplished and wind up feeling like crud.

Around 3 or so, I wind up being done with my paid work for the day. If I don't start as soon as I wake up, then I don't get started. So at this point, it's three p.m., and I still need to make breakfast, take a bath, and wonder if I have enough time for a quick nap. I usually don't.

At 3:40, phone calls start rolling in. A kid was tardy to class, another kid has soccer practice. Bus people are being asses, kid is being promoted to an honors class next year, etc etc etc. Naptime scnhaptime! It doesn't happen over here.

Honey and kids start getting home by about four. The dogs start going nuts at exactly four. They want their children! I contemplate what to make for dinner, but at this point, I'm so tired the idea of cooking is truly a turn off.

Honey gets home, and if I'm lucky, we get to go to the gym that day! I'm not lucky that often right now. He and I are both really leary of leaving the house with Mama and her babies in the bedroom, and kids coming home.

Dinner usually gets served between 5 and six sometime. If we're all lucky, I got off my lazy butt and actually cooked. That doesn't happen as often as I'd like it to.

Then, I sit around bored off my butt until around 10 at night. Sometimes, I wind up interested in something on television and I'm up until 2 or three a.m. Then, back up at 7 or so.

This is my typical week day. My days off. My weekends have more work squeezed into them than I do all week long. This week, I also had emergency vet appointments, (bye by paycheck for the next three weeks!) the septic guys to deal with, and today, pest control arrives. There is no way he's coming in here! The place is an all out wreck.

Before bed, I make sure the animals are all where they are supposed to be. Sonny and Cara are in their kennels, Charlie and Arlen are in Bear's bedroom. Hana is where ever Hana wants to be. Mama and the babies are tucked safely away in their kennel in the bedroom.

When all is well, I go lie down ready to pass out. Mama talks to me for a little bit then I hear her purring quietly to the babies. As I drift to sleep, I quietly wonder what need she will insist we tend to and at what time in the middle of the night. The day is done, and we're one day closer to the really hectic part of the week: the weekend.