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Living On The Treadmill

Life. Kids. Time. Lots to do.

Life. Not the treadmill at the gym. Not the the treadmill in your bedroom, that you use as a coat rack. It's those days that seem like you're running in place. Round and round you go, where you stop nobody knows.

Nobody knows alright. Today began just like any other day...almost any other day. My husband off to work, the kids sleeping, dogs and cats snoozing too. I heard my alarm and slowly rolled out of bed. First stop...my cup of coffee.

Downstairs, I prepared for that peaceful Maxwell House moment. You know the commercial...sitting in the big cozy chair looking out the window at the sunrise, pondering life while slowly sipping from an over-sized mug and smiling. Then I woke up! My coffee, from the Keurig, takes great concentration with no K-cups. Some mornings those K-cups are the equivalent of a butler bringing me coffee on a tray. 

I pour the Starbucks Morning Jo into the Keurig. The water heats up. I hear the hum. I have my coffee with the perfect splash of milk. Just the right color. I test to make sure it's just right. The temperature must be perfect. Like Goldilocks, I like it not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Heaven. I sip. I put down my big blue mug on the counter, glance at the microwave clock. Time to wake the kids. Their alarm clocks have done less than alarm them. Who invented the snooze button anyway?

Upstairs, I knock on door number one. Good morning. Back downstairs. My coffee is lukewarm. Into the microwave it goes. Beeeep. Like magic, Goldilocks is back in business.

Lunch. I hunt and gather until the lunch is bagged. All set to go. I pour my hot coffee into a travel mug, walk out the door, get into the car with my passenger, and drive off to school. Goodbye and I love you and yes, I will drop off your sports bag in the sports shed around the corner. Yes, today I am buying you a hero for the sports bus. I will drop it off. Shed. Later. I love you.

Home. I knock on door number two. The words from under the comforter suggest there is a body and the stirring suggests it will come to life. Downstairs. Coffee. It's cold now. Repeat. Microwave beeeeep. Ahhhhh. Sip. Repeat. Hunt. Gather. Lunch. Out to the car. Drive passenger plus one dog off to school. Yes, I will drop the sports bag at the shed...around the corner. I love you.

Home. Coffee. It's cold now. Repeat. Microwave beeeeep. Ahhhhh. Sip. Repeat. Meow. Put mug on counter. Check cat food. Bowl empty. Cat food bin looks empty. 

Home. Sunshine. Blue skies. I have to go to the store for cat food and food for the sports bus. Better not mix them up. First, I walk the dogs for an hour. I have all day free to take care of everything. It's just me until six. Walking, I create a schedule for my day.

Grocery store. Cat food. Check. Kid food. Check. Pouring rain. I'm soaked. Wait to drop off kid food. Will kid food be necessary? Sport may be cancelled?  Feed cats. Notice cat food bin had plenty for now. 

Home. Still pouring. Repeat steps for coffee. Sip from mug. Sit down. Maxwell House moment. Ahhhh. No rush. It's raining. No sport.

As I sip, the skies clear a bit and leaves me in a quandary. Sunshine. Sports?  Kid text. Sport is on. Food needed. Drive to school shed with food. Send text to confirm no one will go hungry. Thank you. I love you. Drive home.

Home. Coffee cold. Repeat steps for coffee. Sip from mug. Start from beginning. I wonder why I never get anything done? No wonder why it seems like I drink so much coffee. It's the same cup....over and over. Wait. I'm getting a text. The bus is almost at the high school. Gotta go now. I put down the mug on the counter....

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Charles May 25, 2013 at 06:37 am
As a matter of fact I did watch the CSpan joke of a hearing. There was no available resources toRead More travel to a small consolite in Bahghazi that wouldn't have potentially harmed countless others. A flyover was not possible becasue it was too far away. Instead of drooling over FOX news witch hunts, why not listen to real facts. Your blind hatred for the President is repulsive to readers. Isn't there a Newsmax or Reagancoalition or Oathkeepers website you can post too? There they will believe all of your made uo facts. I understand that having a black man as President is scary to you, but I'm thinking you might have to get used to being in the minority. President Obama is not dishonest, unprincipled or incompetent.
MAC May 25, 2013 at 12:57 am
Charles, you're the one with no FACTS on your side. Obviously you did not watch the BenghaziRead More hearings recently on CSpan. I did, and the whistle blowers made it abundantly clear that there was never any question that it was an "ATTACK" by terrorists, and had NOTHING to do with a "demonstration" over a lame video, as lied about by S. Rice, Obama and HRC! They concocted this story because the truth, that Al Qaeda is NOT "defeated" or neutralized, as O claimed, would have been inconvenient for the election. It is utterly reprehensible for a president to heartlessly leave our men behind, to send NO aid or support, if only to get the bodies out--and a flyover of jets could have scared the terrorists away, as they had no idea (in advance) of how many hours or days the attack would last! Reprehensible also to lie to cover up his incompetence and detachment! You are clueless, as my assessment and Mr. Morici's have everything to do with objective job performance. Your accusations attributing personal motives are "baseless and offensive." Truth has no agenda, but you are not interested in Truth. The question is: why do you accept mediocrity--no, actually worse--from a president, and for our nation?
patricia donohue May 24, 2013 at 05:42 pm
Charles (with no last name). Maybe your house has environmental contaminates. I won't know until youRead More have the nerve to post YOUR last name.
JC May 22, 2013 at 11:36 am
Owners really need to pick up their dog's waste. It is a major polluter of the Long Island Sound.Read More Whenever your dog drops one and you leave it, think of that fish, lobster, or shellfish you ate from the Sound! Enjoy eating your dog poop bacteria!
Leslie S May 22, 2013 at 08:51 am
I'm so lucky!! For 10 years my dogs have frolicked safely in the back part of Bauer - away from theRead More roads, traffic and homes - closer to the back of the HS. I have never heard any dogs bark or 'yap', never saw a dog run into the gardens and destroy the plots, never saw a dog fight or kids being assaulted and luckily avoided all the poop they are leaving behind although I do dodge the deer pellets. My timing must be stellar to avoid all the bad dogs, their dismal behavior and threats to others. Whew!!
JC May 22, 2013 at 08:47 am
The whole state is tick infested. Luckily, dogs can use a product called Frontline Top Spot or itsRead More cheaper generic equivalent, which completely protects them from ticks and fleas. On the shoreline to Middletown, you should be using it on your dog year round. I once saw a deer tick crawling on SNOW in Madison near the Country School in February. The Lyme vacine is ineffective in most canines and most canines that get Lyme, shake it off in time - unlike humans. Top Spot keeps the ticks off or dead for the humans that pet the dog. Regardless, dogs running on cut grass some distance from woods or taller grass won't encounter many if any ticks. Especially if the outer perimeter of the fence is treated in spring and fall.