A Day In The Life. . . .

Some random glimpses of my normal right now:

5AM Coffee with Hus-B. A treasured time of uninterrupted conversation as we ease into our day. We try to wrap up by 6, but often end up chatting ‘til 6:30 or 6:45, knowing that the longer we’ll sit there, the more hurried the morning will be, but enjoying each other’s company so much that the looming chaos just seems worth it.

Big girls sleeping peacefully in our bed: My goal is to have myself pretty much ready to go before I wake up the girls, so that I can focus on getting them ready and all I have to do once I send them off is put on my work clothes. Some days I'm more successful than others. Either way, at 6:45, our crazy begins!

Kisses, hugs and morning prayer before Mr. B and the girls head out. Just a few more days of school! Miss M is finishing up first grade and Miss A is finishing up her 3-day-a-week preschool (she’ll be off to kindergarten in the fall!). Mamatoo, Gabby and S care for Miss K and our big girls when they're not in school. Mamatoo and Gabby are my and Mr. B's moms. We are so blessed to live close to our girls' energetic, creative, loving and involved grandmothers! S is our beloved nanny, who pinch hits in the summer, when the grandmas are traveling, and on days I work from home. She's in college studying missions, has a love of Africa (she's spent two previous summers volunteering in Swaziland), and is just wonderful with our girls. So thankful for Team MAK!!

In the office. More coffee and my breakfast of champions.

Thai for lunch! With JG, a sweet girlfriend and colleague! Discuss work stuff, mommy stuff, and our efforts to strike a balance between the two. She helps keep me sane!

Screen saver is an accurate reflection of my workday. Diet Mountain Dew for an afternoon energy boost.

HOME! Take off my suit. Put on some lounge pants, a sweatshirt and slippers. Put up my hair. Light some candles. Put a load of laundry in the washing machine. Turn on some music—look for something relaxing and mellow. Choose a great 70s station I’ve created on Pandora. Seals & Crofts, Captain & Tenille, Bread, the Bee Gees, James Taylor, Anne Murray. Music that takes me back to our years in New Mexico. Mama and Daddy were were young and in love and I didn’t have a care in the world. Comfort music. Ahhhh.

Start putting together a salad and some side dishes for dinner. Mr. B and the girls get home. Mr. B fires up his grill. The girls bring their backpacks in, help me set the table and run back outside to play.

I decide to pour some wine. His and hers. Haha.

What’s for dinner? Quick, easy and healthy is my goal. Tonight it's grilled salmon (marinated in Makoto Ginger Orange salad dressing with a bit of warmed dressing poured over it), asparagus (tossed in olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and broiled on high until toasty), rice (cooked in chicken broth, with a little butter and rosemary stirred in), sweet corn (straight from the can, warmed in the microwave), French bread ($1.79 Publix special) with dipping oil, and a Fresh Express strawberry almond bagged salad (Publix BOGO! So I also grabbed a pear gorgonzola blend to serve with shrimp and grits later this week). Salmon is my big girls’ favorite dinner, so some variation of this meal is on the menu about once a week.

Prayer.

This Little Lottle will try everything BUT the salmon. Will not let any kind of meat, poultry or fish touch her lips! Not even Chick-fil-a nuggets!!! I put it on her plate anyway and she says "Take it away!"

The inevitabe spill.

One of my favorite things--the gas flame lantern on our front porch. I love turning it on in the evenings.

Violin Practice (While Mr. B cleans the kitchen and washes dishes. I've got a very good man indeed!)

Bathtime. Bible story and prayers. And rocking my baby to sleep. By 9:30, the children are sleeping. Mr. B gets on the computer to do some work and I take a hot shower and snuggle up to Miss A. Night night!