A day in the life - long

UUMPH!  Our eyes fly open as 3 littles catapult on top of and between us.  Good Morning!!  This is often our daily wake up call, with 1, 2, or 3 littles jumping into bed to start the day. Today was a special treat - all 3 at once.  Charity, the quickest of the three, solidified her spot next to and close to Mommy; a coveted locale.  Trinity, the cautious one, sat at our feet waiting for a gesture to climb on top of mommy.  Lip pouting, Selah grumbled that she "didn't have room".  She too prefers the special spot by mama.  A little wiggling, snuggling, pushing, pulling and they all settled in.  Moments later, "Will you get us breakfast and turn on the heat?"  So it begins.

Fumbling out of bed and into my warm fleece shirt and slipper boots, I meander out to start coffee.  Doug, who was a bit quicker getting up today, (he wasn't encased w/little girls) had already turned up the furnace and started the log- in process for work.  All three girls huddled around the wall furnace in the kitchen clamoring, "you have more than me."  How one measures the amount of "heat" another is getting from the vent, I've yet to figure out.  As I passed the fridge, I glanced at the "menu" for the week.  Oh yeah, I planned to make an oatmeal bake this morning.  First things first -- COFFEE!  Then - assemble the bake and stick it in the oven.  Sounds good; oatmeal, brown sugar, chinese five spice, milk, eggs, strawberries, chocolate chips, bananas, and orange zest. As it baked, the kids started their morning chores - WOW - the schedule is working; and Bethany and Elijah walked the dog.  Meanwhile, Doug helped me set up pictures for my blog while we drank our coffee; that techno-genius thing comes in handy - OFTEN!

BEEP, BEEP, the bake is done.  I serve it up in cute little bowls and walk into the "office/bedroom" to give Doug his, quite proudly, I might add. {Mind you, I didn't know if it was supposed to have milk and sugar added before serving; recipe said nothing of that.} As I sit upon the bed and watch him take his first bite, I almost choke, even before MY first bite. That good huh?  A picture is worth a thousand words was an understatement.  Now I know where the girls get "that look" when they don't like something I'm serving.  "That bad?" I utter, quite humbled.  Silence and a little smirk.  "Does it need milk and sugar?  I wasn't sure."  With his mouth still semi-full, he nods, chews, then swallows.  "Yeah, it might help.  It's a bit bitter."  Ah, the orange zest - guess I went a little overboard.  Back to the kitchen to add milk and sweetener to everyone's bowl.  Better, maybe next time I'll nix the zest.

Breakfast out of the way, school begins.  Everyone knows the drill and heads to their appropriate seats and learning begins.  Gotta love the well oiled machine we have running on this front.

On cue - 10am - the little hobbit, I mean 'Sweetheart' asks for her "snack".  Today's choice, an apple and half a banana. Everyone else gets 1/2 a banana.  Snacks were not part of our normal routine before our mountain home; not sure why the change, but it works. Everyone is happy and well fueled for their day of school.

Laundry is swapped around, something that happens routinely in the Williams household.  Guess that means I should also hang the clothes soon.  Why or why is that chore such a burden some days?  Wish I could figure that one out.  But... it is what it is.

Wow, time is flying, need to start lunch.  Hmmmm... the menu says melts... Six Shootin' Mama says -- leftovers.  Clear out the fridge and put it all on the counter, containers opened so it's "buffet" style.  Heat the chicken and risotto for the girls along w/some yogurt and let the big kids "fend for themselves".  But... before calling them in, heat the spaghetti up for Techno-genius; I know it's one of his favorites.

Memory flashes to the menu; I realize I need to get apples in the crockpot for our dinner apple sauce.  Geesh - this country cooking thing can be exhausting.  I like it though.  The cooking, not the exhaustion.  Did you know your hand gets mighty tired from peeling and coring 15 or so small apples? Well, mine does.  That eating thing?  It's over-rated. My lunch is sitting in a bowl next to the crockpot waiting to be heated.  Kids are done, Techno is done, I'm still peeling apples.  Bethany starts dishes, I'm still peeling.  She decides to "do other chores" while I finish. Finally, the apples are done.  Toss in a peel of lemon, a couple cinnamon sticks, and several teaspoons of brown sugar and -- VOILA -- applesauce is in process.

Did I mention how well the schedule is working?  As I sit down to actually eat my lunch, I hear Jacob cleaning the main bathroom.  Did I tell him to do that?  Nope, he read the schedule posted on the wall. Ahhhh, music to a mama's ears.  Screech!   A bit of a hiccup in that music when the ceramic toothbrush holder is broken.  But... life rolls on.  It's only "stuff" and we are simplifying our stuff.  One less thing to worry about.

Kindergarten and first grade are out for the day in the Williams' school.  The girls are happily playing together.  Elijah interrupts their play to teach them how to dust the baseboards and windowsills throughout the house.  Huh?  I don't recall reminding him to do that.  Again, the schedule on the wall, not mama led them to this task.  Did I mention how much I like this schedule and smaller house?

So the day goes -- it's not over yet.  I'm sure there's more fun to be had.  Doug and I will take our afternoon walk with the dog; the older kids will complete their schoolwork; the littles will nap/play/nap; screen time will be earned... or lost; dinner will be made; Bible reading will be completed.  This is just a glimpse of what our days often consist of.  How we spend our time in our new simple abode.  No rushing around to every activity imaginable, no "I forgot the milk" trips to the grocery.  Just simple livin', learnin', growin' together.  Lovin' it.