First Things First

I have a few things on my mind for the day.

• Laundry. Always. (Remind the little laundry helper to put the detergent into the washer this time.)
• Process broccoli for the freezer. (Try not to think about how it stinks up the kitchen.)
• Feed my babies. (Not just food, but stories and maybe popsicles and praise mixed with the inevitable corrections. Always.)
• Make blackberry jelly from the fruit Gabe picked beside the road.
• File homeschool affidavits. Order some books for the boys’ upcoming foray into organized learning.
• Feed my babies again.
• Give two hair cuts to people who wiggle and shrug their shoulders and complain bitterly about the prickles.
• Make fun food for the kiddos’ party with the cousins. Cupcakes. Granola bars. Finger jello. (Try not to go bananas when every little body wants to help.)
• Wait to wash the kitchen floor until the helping/slopping is done.
• Oversee the job charts and sticker distribution. (Don’t expect what you don’t inspect, you know.)
• Maybe, if I am really really brave… Go to Walmart to get my glasses fixed and see if I can fit the groceries into the cart with the tot who will probably sit on them.

It will be a good day, even though it has hardly gotten started. I got up early to fatten my soul, and drink my Earl Grey. And if it doesn’t all get done, I pray that at the end of the day our souls are still well nourished. Now, for a piece of peach pie. Quality of life is all about priorities, not?