Are you going to work today?

My husband and kids often ask me in the morning, "Are you going to work today?". I am a nurse and work various shifts on a variety of days and my schedule is forever changing so this seems like a fair question. My reply is always the same however. "I work everyday." I tell them.

Today I am a housewife and mother. It is difficult to keep from feeling like an under achiever when I am in this role. Maybe it is because the work can not be measured in hours and the pay is not in currency. The only sincere way to evaluate my job is to look at a typical day and see if it was worthwhile. So here goes.

I get up somewhere between 6am and 6:30 whenever I can stop the urge to press that snooze alarm just one more time. I go down stairs turn on Radio 4 and find my childrens 5 lunch boxes usually located in the vicinity of their knap sacks and begin the day making custom lunches for them and my husband. Not too taxing and done in about 20-30 minutes. My 3 children in secondary school are up and looking for breakfast by this point. I make a coffee for me and a tea for my husband. Anyone eating cereal or toast is on their on but I do start eggs and French toast up for grabs. At 7:20 I announce it is the last call for shoes to be found before the 7:25 shuttle(that's me) to the tube station departs. I make sure my 6th form daughter and primary school daughter are now awake and depart with my 3 children and husband for the tube station stopping to pick up a friends children in route and get everyone to the station around 7:30 (I hope) . I also hope that I never get into an accident or have engine trouble as I do this in my sweat pants and usually with bed hair.

Arriving back home I check in with my two remaining daughters ensuring both are in the middle of their breakfasts. I let the dog who has wandered out of bed at this point out into the back garden. My eldest daughter heads out to catch her bus and if she is running late I drive her to the bus stop. My youngest daughter usually lines up a few things for me to do in my day --today it was completing her costume as the school has a fancy dress party is tonight. I manage to clean the kitchen and throw in a laundry and sometimes fit a shower in before walking her to school down the street. I appreciate this time with Shana as it does give me a picture f her world as we chat.

Returning home from the school run I open the door to my dog who leaps excitedly at my return expecting a walk/run mommentarily and no later. Off we walk for the next hour. If all goes well he comes home and thankfully collapses to sleep.

At this point I grab a second cup of coffee and survey the time and my day. I check my emails and update things. I realize I had better postpone the trip to the shops to get Aidan a jumper so I can start baking for Shanas holiday school party. I start folding clothes as the cookies bake. Six dozen frosted sugar cookies later I realize I have 30 minutes to blog before trying to finish Shanas costume and starting the school pick up runs.

At 3:30 I head down to pick up Shana and two friends from school. Getting home they have time for a quick snack (some of those cookies should do) and dress for their fancy dress party. Luckily my older children get out later today from school and I run Shana to the party before they call for a lift from the tube station. I pick up the 3 older children and get a started on a dinner for the 7 of us . My eldest daughter arrives home and gets ready to walk the dog with my oldest son. If she stayed late at school I would have headed out again with the dog. I drop them at the reserve(a open area great for dogs) since it is already getting dark. As they are out walking I pick up Shana from her party.

When everyone is home from dog walking and parties we have dinner followed by homeworks and the multiple signing of link books. My husband walks in about 8pm and I reheat his dinner. The younger kids relax in front of TV and my older set finish off their homework. I send my youngest up to bed at 8:30. I try to sort out the kitchen a bit (usually failing here) and get onto the computer to chat with my mom on aol chat line. We finish about 9:30 and I send the boys off to bed.

At this point I usually collapse on the couch and watch TV for about an hour before we go to bed. And before I know it the alarm is ringing at 6am and I hit the snooze button.