A DAY IN MY SHOES

I just want to write a little about what a day is like at our house, the day begins at 7:00 am I usually get up and get myself ready for the day and then get the kids up and ready about 7:30 am getting them ready is sometimes not that much fun sometimes they fight, sometimes they don't want to get ready on time and they sit around.  I am trying to get Jaren set for the day in between telling the kids to brush hair and teeth and shoes on, getting Jaren ready for the day is just as tiring as going to work.  I have to get meds ready for him, make sure he takes his sugars, and eats breakfast and sometimes I have to stay right next to him to make sure he takes his meds, if people are coming over to see him either the nurse, or a volunteer from hospice I have to make him aware so that he doesn't get scared when someone knocks on the door, I have to tell him that we will be back in a few hours and that if he needs anything to give me a call at work or on my cell.   I feed them breakfast and we are out the door by 8:15 am on a good day.  I then go to work from 9:00 am to 1:15 pm I work with 4th graders and Kindergarteners and make copies, and sub in classes that need some help or if another aide isn't there.  I get home from work and make sure Jaren gets lunch and give him more meds.  I then start some laundry or dishes and then it's time to pick the kids up from school.  When the kids get home from school they have a snack and then they do chores, I make the kids do chores because I can't do it all myself.  I have to put Jaren's name on the chore chart also because he needs to do chores too, and he hates doing the same things over and over every week.  Our chore chart consists of living room, dishes, bathroom, garbage and sweep, those are the daily chores that they rotate weekly, and every Thursday they have to sort their own laundry so that I can wash it on Friday's on my day off then the weekend they get to fold it all and put it away.  After chores are complete I try to get them to do homework while I am making dinner, we eat between 5:30 and 6 pm on good days, during soccer season and when things come up we don't eat until later.  After dinner we watch a little tv and try to get the rest of their homework done.  Then it is about time for bed so we start the bedtime routine, I give meds to the ones that need it, and scripture study and family prayer then the kids go to bed, I can't go to bed until they are asleep or I have kids in bed with me.  I also can't go to sleep until Jaren goes to sleep or he will get up and wander or do things that he shouldn't be doing.  In between all of my day to day fun I have to make sure Jaren is taking his insulin and his blood sugars.  I then get to go to sleep and hope that I get more than 3 hours of sleep in a row, then the alarm clock goes off and it starts all over again!!

I felt like I needed to share with others what it is like living in my shoes even for one day, I have probably left out a ton.  Somedays are not as stressful as others but some days I don't want to get out of bed especially when Jaren didn't sleep that well the night before.   I am not trying to get pity I just feel like some people do not really understand how hard it is to feel like a single mom and have a spouse living in the same house but can't do a lot of things that most spouses can.