Time to Make the Donuts

Remember that Dunkin' Donuts commercial they used to show in the late 70s early 80s? The one where the man used to get up at some ungodly hour when it was still really dark day after day after day and each time he would say, "time to make the donuts". The point of the commercial was that that guy got up every morning to make fresh donuts for you so you didn't have to, rain or shine (he was like the mailman of donuts) and they would always be there. Okay so now a days people don't eat that many donuts, you know, because they make you fat (I guess people weren't aware of it then) and sugar is bad (did they really not know or did they just not care?), but that's not really the point.

Sometimes, okay a lot of times, I feel like that donut man. I even get out of bed in my half-asleep state and mumble, "time to make the donuts". Andy has heard me say this and always looks at me confused and says, "What donuts? You're going to make donuts?". I get up at some crazy hour, and do the same thing everyday. It doesn't change. Okay, what we do changes, because sometimes we go to gymnastics instead of yoga, but it's the same routine and crap day in and day out. Wake up with Amanda super early, today I got to sleep in until 6a, but yesterday it was 5a, try with no success to get her to go back to sleep, eventually give up and bring her into the bathroom where I shower or talk to Charlie while he showers (our bathroom is ridiculously large, you would have to see it to believe it). Get Sarah dressed and fed and off to wherever she needs to go, run errands or do laundry or pretend to half-assed pick up the house, stare in amazement that it's already time to go get Sarah, go get Andy, and go to whatever activity we have after school that day. Come home from said activity, bathe the girls, make dinner, wait anxiously for Charlie to get home so we can eat and put the kids to bed, spend a couple hours doing who knows what and then going to bed much later than we should. Six to seven hours later it starts again.

I'm not complaining, or I'm not trying to. I have a pretty great life and am very fortunate to be able to stay home with my kids. It just seems like sometimes it's all going by in a blur. I'd like to stop and enjoy this time with the kids, but we're too busy moving on to the next activity. Granted, I have nobody else to blame but myself. I'm the one who makes our schedule and puts the kids in everything. Charlie puts his two cents in here and there, but generally leaves it up to me. I'm not trying to drive myself crazy, I just want to give the kids opportunities. Give them a chance to figure out their strengths and what they are good at, as well as what they really like to do (for example, Andy loves to play basketball, but that does not mean he's good at it). I'd like to think there's nothing wrong with this approach, it's just tiring.

The hard part is the kid's don't really appreciate it and won't for so long. I didn't really appreciate all that my parents did for me until I had kids of my own and then realized how ungrateful children really are. Parenthood really is a thankless job. You know, just like donut making. Nobody truly appreciates the really good donut makes, they just take them for granted. Seriously, hopefully someday the kids will look back at all they have gotten to do and all the things they have experienced and realize that Mom and Dad weren't so bad after all. Until then, we'll just keep doing our thing and I'll try not to get into too much of a rut. Who knows, in a few years I may get to sleep for hours at night and then I'll actually have the strength and energy to make real donuts (except we won't be able to eat them because donuts are so, so bad for you).