The Monday-Friday (Dis)Connection

Reading a post recently about how the house looks from at the start of a week of solo-parenting to the end gave me an idea.

Rather, it gave me heartburn.  Why?  Because this is EVERY week in our house.  

The poster had I believe three boys, and a husband who travels for work.  At the start of the week-long business trip, she's got things running smoothly, kids happy, finding time to squeeze in a workout between toddler naps, etc.  Things trickle downhill and by the end of the week, the kids are eating cereal with their hands straight out of the box for breakfast, there's no clean laundry, etc etc.  

Here is the picture of the typical week at our house:  Mondays usually start with an empty sink, folded laundry and clothes put out the night before. The bed has a good chance of being made on a Monday. Backpacks contain the correct things like school papers and lunchboxes.  There's no mad dash for the bus stop and no tripping over debris in the living room on the way back.

By Wednesday, the dining room table is almost unrecognizable.  As the main drop zone, it's covered with jackets, yarn, half-filled laundry baskets and whatever toy the kids are tired of playing with at the time.  the lunchbox has been at school since Monday, and there's a very good chance that by the time it does make an appearance, it has a squished banana in it.  Make that a stinky squished banana.  Hair products and makeup are strewn across the dresser.  

Thursday nights is where it turns from "this is a problem" to utter chaos.  Dishes pile up, we run out of paper plates.  The family room has so many toys on the floor it's a game to get to the back door to let out the dog.  Hubby usually needs to start a load of laundry just so that he can have jeans for "Casual Friday."  We stay up late to watch our recorded shows because "Aw screw it....tomorrow's Friday."  

Then comes the reality of Friday morning.  Yeah, it's Friday, and that's exciting!  But oh my.....it's a good thing there usually aren't any visitors on Fridays.  Friday nights are the start of the recovery mission.  Dishes and laundry have reached critical mass, with laundry in various stages of done-ness all over the house.  There's no cereal, no fruit and usually no milk until groceries on Saturday.   Will gets to buy lunch on Fridays.    It's likely that you may trip and break your neck anywhere throughout the house.  And Mama here just looks around, bewildered.  How does this happen every week???  

Ah, the joys of two parents that work full-time.  :)