Morning

Seen here is my adorable 9 y/o son in the early morning hours this morning singing I like to Move it. What I wouldn't give to wake up EVERY blessed morning with this much energy. If I was better at editing I could have turned this right side up. Unfortunately for yall, I'm not; so if you watch it more than once like I have, welcome to the wondrous world of neck spasms and Good Morning from the Carris house!

500 am

My internal clock says it's time to get up so sluggishly and with one eye barely open I get out of a warm bed to the shock of 50 degrees complete with the accompanying goose flesh that immediately covered me. 'Who forgot to turn on the heater? Oh yeah, that would be my job. Yikes!' In a rush to find my house robe, (a cream colored fuzzy "moo-moo" yes! I did say that like a cow because a cow is precisely what it makes my rear area look like when I wear it!) I trip over the folders of paperwork I had been working on last night when I drifted off to sleep, CRASH! Catching myself with my hands on the dresser, as I untangle my size 10's, Katlynn's softball picture from last season falls to the floor and breaks. 'Well, so much for being quiet' I say to myself and commence cleaning it up. I guess it's a good thing the resident Grizzly sleeps like a stone first thing in the morning.

515am

Brushing my teeth in the only bathroom in the house when I hear a cute little cell phone ring tone I can only assume is designed to be my 15 y/o daughters alarm. It was after all the right time for it when out of nowhere it happened, "KABOOOOM" "crash" "thud" unknown to me the innocent little cell phone had been thrown across the room and had actually hit the bathroom door before crashing into the bookshelf and finally resting on the floor. Sometimes I wake up grumpy and sometimes I let her sleep. This morning she can relax for little while, I need the quiet.

600am

With Grumpy mad at me (as it turns out, letting her sleep in meant she didn't have time for a shower this morning) I went about the morning routine waking up the rest of the 'dwarfs' Whiny, Stinky, Silly, Ninja, and Boo Boo; by this time Grumpy was already up and living up to her name well and we're off! The race is on to the bathroom, hair must get done, shaving is a necessity now and poor little Jesse has got to go "T-T" right now!! Poor guy, he's got no less than two older sisters to lock him out of the bathroom. So he dances and occupies his time being silly with me. (hence, the video)

630am

The Grizzly is on the move! Watch out!! Luckily I've foreseen this event and prepared his nap sack for work/school and made sure his clinical scrubs are inside, cleaned and pressed. His acknowledgement of my efforts is a sort of guttural utterance resembling what could possibly be gratitude followed by a simple tiny little kiss on the lips and he's off to work. This is quite possibly the quietest part of the chaos we call morning. Every dwarf knows not to mess with the Grizzly before 9am.

700am

Chaos reigns but the dwarfs are beginning to move towards the door as I usher them out into the real world of school and work. By the way, did I mention one of the dogs got out in there somewhere do I spent no less than fifteen minutes running about the neighborhood in my "moo-moo" and slippers? (Yeah, it was a sight let me tell ya. Probably scared the neighbors.)

715am

Finally, we're in the car! I even managed to get clothes on before leaving the house this time for which I'm sure my neighbors are grateful. It's a small but satisfying victory but the best is yet to come....

735am

Dropping Jared off at school is a delight every morning. Not only does it signal the beginning of quiet time for my exhausted self, it is also one of my favorite times with him. Every morning as we pull up to the school, my now fourteen (14) year old, six foot two son leans over and kisses his Momma in front of God and everybody, tells me he loves me and says "Have a good day Mom and remember... Don't get into any trouble...without me." My day would be incomplete without that kiss or him saying those words to me. Then he's gone. Off to spend his day learning and growing; having fun with his classmates. Then, and only then, it's quiet.

930am

Only three more loads of laundry to go and I will win this war yet again today. It's a never ending war, for now. One day when my beloved dwarfs are all out on their own and it's just the two of us; maybe laundry will be weekly chore. I think, for now, fighting the laundry war is far better than missing them. There it is now, missing them, just a small pang.

Well, there it is, just a small peek into a day in the life of one Theresa Carris, wife, mother, nurse.

Otherwise known by the dwarfs as that sweet harmless retarded lady that does all our laundry.

Does life get any better?