Eight by Eight

This is my new mantra – “Eight by Eight.” It refers to the fact that I need to have all eight of our kids out of the house by 8 A.M. in order to get them to school on time. I have been living the “eight by eight” lifestyle for 8 weeks now. As a previous home schooling family, getting everyone fed, dressed, lunches packed, books gathered, and into the van by 8 A.M. has been a challenge. The challenge is not that the kids dawdle in the morning or are hard to wake up. As a matter-of-fact, all eight of them bounce out of bed at exactly 6:30 A.M., seven days a week!! The challenge is me. I am NOT a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. I simply cannot function prior to 10 A.M. I have always been a night person and the kids have to literally push me out of the door every morning so they are not late for school. My husband is long gone by 8 A.M. and is probably finishing his first or second meeting of the day, while I am propping my eyes open with Tinker toy pieces and making something that resembles lunch to put in the mountain of lunchboxes which lay before me.

My 11.5 year old grabs the keys and gets everyone loaded in the “Behemoth,” our family van, as I crawl into the driver’s seat and began the morning “count.” 1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8. No missing kids, so off we go. We drop off the Kindergartner by 8:10 A.M. and then drive three blocks to drop off the K4’s, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th graders.

Once everyone is in school, my 2.5 year old and I head to the grocery store to pick up a few items and buy groceries for my mother. I am part of the “sandwich generation” as I care for my disabled mother, as well as our large brood of children.

Arriving at my mother’s apartment, I pick up her mail, put away her groceries, check to see if all her meds are in order, see if any bills need to be paid, while Grace, the 2.5 year old, starts her clean up routine. She lines up Grandma’s slippers, checks the dryer for clothes to fold, and then gathers up the garbage. She loves throwing the garbage down that garbage chute! Once Grandma wakes up, she and Grace engage in a rousing game of “Throw the Frog at Each Other” which I only allow to be played at grandma’s house. Our morning mission is complete so we head back home to start the laundry, clean up the breakfast mess, and do whatever else needs to be done to make our house reasonably presentable. Once that is done than a quick check for e-mails that needs to be answered, and a glance at some of the Yahoo groups I monitor and/or moderate.

By now, it is 10 A.M., so I am fully functioning and ready to get to work. I make a few calls, color a couple of pictures with Grace, play dolls with her, and work on her refrigerator ABC’S. She loves for me to scramble the letters so she can pick out G-R-A-C-E. We do this about 20 times every morning and she is as happy as can be!

At 11:45 A.M., it is back to school to pick up our two K4 boys. The teacher gives a quick overview of the morning and announces if either of them got a time-out (less and less each week!!), and then it is back home, to continue with housework, packing supplies for my upcoming trip to Ethiopia, and then to throw something into the crock pot for dinner. I truly would be lost if not for the invention of the crock pot, as I have never learned how to cook. Embarrassing to admit, as mom to such a large brood, but sadly, true.

At 2:55 P.M., I load the little ones back into the Behemoth, and pick-up my Kindergartner, who has never remembered a thing she has done in school, but I am always hopeful when I ask on a daily basis. Then off to the next school to pick up the other four children.

Back home by 3:30 P.M., we work on homework, listen to the Kindergartener and 2nd grader read, talk about the day’s event, and the kid’s do their chores.

My darling husband arrives home by 4:45 P.M. gives me a quick kiss and daily update and then we eat dinner. Dinner is always at 5:00 P.M., followed by devotions at 6:00 and then most of our children are in bed by 6:30 P.M. All, but two of our children sleep twelve hours a night!!

Bedtime routine complete, I throw on a pair of scrubs, kiss my hubby good-bye and head off to work.

Hours later, driving home in the wee hours of the morning, I start my mantra of “eight by eight” to prepare myself for yet another day of driving my children to school, shopping, cleaning, pseudo-cooking, helping with homework, and taking care of mom. As I fall into bed, I realize how much I miss having my children home during the day. I miss home schooling and I really miss sleeping later in the morning. I miss…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

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Read more about Sharon’s ever expanding family at Hearts of Hope.