What Do I Do?

Just yesterday somebody said, "So Drew is in kindergarten now. What do you do?"

I didn't know what to say. In fact, I think I looked at the person with a blank stare and willed the question to answer itself. Since then, I've asked myself, "What do I do?"

And I can't quite come up with the answer of how I fill my 2 hours a day (Yes, only 2 hours--Megan arrives home 2 hours after I drop Drew off.)

School has now been in almost 3 weeks, one of those days being a holiday, and two of those days Drew had no school. But I'm evaluating what I have done.

I'm not sure.

(One of the 500+ photos found on my phone on a Tuesday morning when Drew becomes the Sinc Office Photographer)

I'm fairly certain there is an abundance of tomatoes on my plants outside waiting to be picked and made into salsa.
There is a couch in my master bathroom waiting to be hauled off to our office.
My most recent blog post is almost 2 weeks ago.
There are a pile of books laying next to my bed, that are waiting patiently to be picked up.
There's an envelope of photos waiting to be put into albums.
There is a corner of the house office that carpet can't be seen, because it is the "I'll deal with that tomorrow" pile.
I have yet to lay on the couch and read a book for the entire two hours of my alone time, but it is something I WILL DO one of these days.
I have last week's grocery store ad on my kitchen counter waiting for me to make a list of case-lot items to buy.
The school year's after school chore charts are still waiting to be made.

The list could go on.

But...

• I've had overdue lunches and/or spent a couple of hours catching up with 4 different friends.
• I've had our dinner menu written out on a little chalkboard hours each morning and dinner served every night.
• I've exercised consistently 4-5 days a week, despite that meaning I am at the gym some mornings at 5am.
• I have made lunches and breakfasts for my children every day.
• With the exception of this morning when Mike had no clean jeans to put on, I've stayed ahead of the laundry, except the ironing. That's today's project.
• I've got the ball rolling and some starts made to a Power of Moms Davis County retreat this fall.
• I spend my Tuesday mornings at the office trying to take care of work responsibilities while Drew begs the question, "When are we going home?" And then by Tuesday afternoons when I could return to the office and get things done peacefully because Drew is at kindergarten, I'm questioning if this really is the year to be taking on Sinc responsibilities and decide instead to do something else.
• I spent an hour in emails with a school problem, I am determined to see through and solve.
• I implemented a new program at work and even showed up briefly at the office at 7am to introduce it to everyone, and still met all the responsibilities of the crazy morning routine with five children.
• I ordered photos from this summer for my five children's photo albums (yes, I'm old fashioned like that) to bring their albums current.
• I submitted and got approved an article for a website I write for.
• I have two trips booked and scheduled, one for September, one for October.
• I spent an hour on the phone with a computer-fix-it-guy.
• I've been consistently making it to the grocery store so we don't run out of the basics. Except for this morning. We have no bread.
• I've been home to greet the other children after school every day but one, and I have lived to survive the mass chaos of 2:45 to about 4pm. It is my least favorite part of the day. Well, maybe I dislike the morning routine  more. 


• In the mornings Drew and I read books, play games, and go on bike rides. I want to be able to honestly say I made the most of this last year of him home part-day with me. I'm doing a good job of that.
• My downstairs stays clean every day until at least 4pm, and I've found myself dusting and vacuuming consistently. Yay me. (Now if those toilets would just magically clean themselves more often...)
• Somehow I got roped into helping with the elementary t-shirts, and I've counted money and order forms.
• I've been home every day but one when Megan returns home from school and know more about high school classes, teachers, drama, activities, clothes, people than I care to ever know.
• I've already done Megan's birthday shopping and her birthday isn't for a month!

The list could go on.

Next time someone asks me "What do you do while Drew is gone?" I'm going to decline an answer. I feel like nothing is getting done, yet I'm rarely doing nothing. Brainstorming this list caused me to realize I do a fair amount, even if it doesn't knock much off the never-ending to do list, I'm living life, and that counts for something.

"It isn't the years in your life, it's the life in your years." 
There is plenty of life in my years.