Today I...

• Got up and got Miriam to preschool only five minutes late.
• Went to the post office and mailed some international letters.
• Told everyone (yes, everyone) in the post office how old Benjamin is. And when he said, "Pick me up, Mommy!" and I said, "Not right now," they reminded me that they're only small once. I didn't tell them that I have two children bigger than him or that I have another one in my belly because sometimes sharing those things in public is like walking around with two heads. When I said that I couldn't hold him because he's too heavy he said, "Me not heavy. Me teeny tiny boy!" He squeaked out the last part. And everyone almost died of cute. And I squatted beside him in line because that's almost the same as holding him.
• Went home and didn't shower like I was planning to because showering requires standing and I just stood in line at the post office. Standing can be exhausting. 
• Read Benjamin a bunch of stories. He says, "Eat me dis book," and it always takes me a minute to remember that he's really saying "read" and not "eat."
• Started going through my grandparents' biographies to find Christmas stories while Benjamin brought me more books to "eat" and I kept telling him to look at the pictures on his own.
• Picked Miriam up for preschool...on time! Though I may have barked at Benjamin to "Step outside the house!" because he wanted me to carry him again but I was holding the storm door open, carting the diaper bag (which I guess is mostly my purse at this point—gee, it's a big purse), juggling keys, and trying to close and lock the front door. Even if I had a spare hand I'm not supposed to lift him, so... "Walk out the door. Just take a step. Benjamin. Move your feet. Fine I will carry you to the car just step outside the house. Go out of the door. Benjamin."
• Came home, made, lunch, fed the children. 
• Discovered Benjamin knows what N-A-P spells. Miriam spells everything now. Everything. In the car on the way home she said, "I-S B-E-N-J-A-M-I-N G-O-I-N-G T-O H-A-V-E A N-A-P T-O-D-A-Y?" That's code for "Can I selflessly volunteer to watch a highly educational show so that you, also, can take a nap?" I told her that what she spelled happened most every day. Benjamin said, "No. Me not M-I-N. Me not I-N-G. Me not N-A-P," the whole time she was spelling. So I'm not positive he knows what N-A-P means, but he does understand that spelling means bad news. And he spelled nap several times throughout the afternoon, including saying, "Me not N-A-P. Me just play!"
• Took a nap. And Benjamin took a nap. And Miriam watched a show. Or two.
• Went outside to play and wait for the school bus. Benjamin and Miriam are always so excited for the bus to bring Rachel home. They jump up and down for joy and run around in circles like puppies. Rachel was a little slow coming off the bus today and so the driver shrugged his shoulders, winked at me, and said seriously, "I guess your sister's not on the bus today." And Miriam and Benjamin just about died. But then Rachel appeared and they were happy again.
• Helped Rachel with her homework and supplied after-school snacks.
• Made dinner.
• Put laundry into the dryer.
• Helped Rachel make a cardboard ukulele. Now she'll "sleep much better tonight" because she's at least started on her project for the 2nd grade musical parade for science class that she's been stressing out about since October (at least) and that's not due until December 12. "I won't have to cry about it anymore," she said. "That's part of the reason I've been crying at bedtime." Well, glad to have remedied that. All Andrew could say was, "She's your daughter." Oh, and Miriam made a "shaker" out of beads and a toilet paper roll. She wrapped the whole thing up in construction paper like a Christmas present. It's gloriously hideous but she did it all by herself.
• Helped children brush and floss and pyjamafy themselves.
• Read scriptures and stories, said family prayer, sang lullabies, put the kids to bed.
• Greeted husband.
• Sat on the couch with a snack and watched a show while he worked until midnight.
• Wrote this blog post.

Some days I spend most of my time wondering where my time actually goes. I think I spent 95% of my time today trying to make children do things while not actually doing things myself. Not that I didn't have things to do...just that I couldn't make them MOVE today. And then I was so exhausted from trying to make them do stuff that I couldn't do anything myself. 

Maybe tomorrow will be better.