Don't Hate Me Because I'm Perfect

I woke up in my clothes again this morning. My husband says I'm leading the life of a drunk. That could be true, except I don't get the fun and satisfaction of being liquored up first. It's the first sign that my day isn't getting off to a great start.

After stumbling out of bed, I get my coffee started and sit down to check email. It is early, so I'm catching Hubby just before he leaves for work and thinking I can have some quiet time before the whole house is up. Soon after, Brother comes in and starts talking to me, chattering away like he's just had chocolate and esspresso shot into his veins. I look at him through half-closed eyes, still trying to adjust to the light, put my finger to my lips and whisper, "Ssssssssshhhhhhhhh. Please be quiet for a few minutes." I'm just beginning to enjoy a little quiet when Sister joins the party, rubbing her eyes. So much for quiet. The coffee maker sings sweetly to me from the kitchen, signaling rescue for my sluggish, slothful state. I substituted Splenda for sugar about two weeks ago and have finally gotten used to the taste. I drink it in, eyes closed, lips smiling...just like a hokey Maxwell House commercial. Aaaaaahhh. We have a love affair, my coffee and I. It's a good thing Hubby is so...well, never mind. I get a shower, put on fresh clothes, and even (hold on to your hats) makeup. Not a full, fancy face. But enough to make me feel a bit prettier. And my pants didn't cut off oxygen flow to my brain, as they did last week. Could it be that cutting out the sugar is working? Seriously...have I lost weight? Wow. So far, so good.

I break out the new schedule I've been working on and go over it with the kids while they eat breakfast. I'm also working on a list of rules and a reward system for good behavior. Their little ears perk up at the word "reward". Especially Brother's. Sister is not easily bribed, but Brother can be won over every time. It's still a little rough, but the only way to tweak it is to try it out, so we jump in with both feet. I'm expecting a lot of negative feedback. I'm ready to push, pull, scream, yell, cry...whatever it takes to get the ball rolling and get us into some new, better habits. I am pleasantly surprised to see my kids kick it into high gear, happily...dare I say, gleefully?...mentally checking things off and coming back to me for the next job. Not one - no, not even one - complaint or whine. This is what we got done by 9:00 a.m.

• clothes on, teeth brushed, faces washed
• Beds made (changed sheets on one)
• Bathroom cleaned
• Living Room vacuumed
• 2 loads of laundry folded and put away
• dishwasher unloaded
• cat fed and watered
• started dinner in the crock pot

We started school promptly at 9:00. Though my new schedule is to work Sister into some school work, she was playing happily with her Disney Princess puppet theatre, so I let her continue. Brother was trying to stall, but he wasn't complaining, and I managed to get him focused and started. It was difficult. His heart wasn't in it. It looked like another challenging day ahead. I knew it was too good to last. Ten spelling words that should take us about ten minutes looked like it could stretch into thirty. The first two were slow going. But then something magical happened. The wheels started to move and he was speeding through the list like greased lightning! Then we learned a new phonetical sound. This always takes a while. But no, not today. His little mind snapped it up and took off running, reading off the words as if he'd been doing it all his life. I could hardly believe what I was seeing! We whizzed through all our lessons in about an hour. It was a dream day in the land of homeschool.

I went back to the computer to check the status of our tax refund, which is huge this year. We e-filed a few weeks ago and got the state refund quickly. But the federal return was delayed. They made a mistake somewhere and put a hold on it. I called last week and they said it would take 4 - 6 weeks to do the paperwork to release the hold. Depressing. So, today I wanted to follow up, just to make sure the ball was rolling. I got the number off the computer and called. The man said it was scheduled to be direct deposited today. Huh? I hung up and checked our account online. Lo and behold, we were much, much richer! I was stunned. It only took a week!

I have to tell you, today has been as near perfect as any day could be. I'm not sure how many wonderful things one day can hold. I'm a little worried. If things keep going this great, what will I blog about?

I AM SUPERMOM!!! HEAR ME ROAR!!!