Wake up, am not sure what time it is except that Fresh Air is playing on CBC which means it is after 6. No one has woken me up, which means both are asleep {I love weekend mornings when I wake up in time to have an hour to myself!}. Pray for a bit, I’ve needed to talk to God a lot lately. Before I get out of bed, I’m hoping & praying the arthritis isn’t too bad.
6:15 – Up and the arthritis is terrible – hobble around in a lot of pain. 
6:18 – Sweep kitchen floor, remove all the things that have landed in that space that don’t belong there (books, my daughter’s glasses, our empty food box which should be by the door!)
6:25 – Start a load of laundry {my son’s bedding} – realize I am out of special eco stuff which takes the smell of urine out, but very thankful for a massive tub of eco wash in a quantity I would never be able to squeeze into our budget, thanks to a special friend!
6:30 – Do dishes, wash counter tops
6:40 - Decide I must take better care of myself {the weight has crept on since becoming a mother and the stress of a busy career and solo parenting two children with special needs may be “good excuses” but my children deserve me here for a very long time.} Make myself breakfast – cut up cantaloupe, leftover salmon, carrots with humus, water and orange juice
6:46 – begin breakfast, while listening to Fresh Air, use the time to also menu plan for the week – make mental note of what I can cook this am – decide on a green bean dish, cooking some carrots, chopping up raw vegs, baking oat squares and a barley dish.
7:00 – Finish breakfast – collect random cups of water that seem to be about the place
7:10 – Begin making green bean dish, cooking carrots, cutting up raw veggies for the week
7:30 - Make vinaigrette for green beans, put food in containers
7:37 – Do second lot of dishes, begin oat squares
7:45 – Put very runny oat squares into the oven.
7:48 - Feed pets, find a book I was going to read my daughter last night, feel guilty I didn’t, but she made a poor choice which wasted time and I’m trying very hard to teach through logical consequences (wasting time instead of getting ready = not enough time to read the book before bedtime!)
7:50 – My daughter is up – hugs all around, start shower for her
8:00 - Help her find clothes, found out she has told a fib, have another talk about that {she has a real propensity to lie if she thinks she may have the slightest possibility of being in trouble – I know why (years of poor parenting, lying kept her safe, and her language processing disorder meant she never understood things so lied not to bring attention to herself – but we must stop it!)
8:10 – My son is up, dressed himself in a top I love from the Salvation Army thrift store – remind him he needs a shower, help him get showered
8:20 – Leave both to get dressed, make beds, brush hair and brush teeth while I go and make their breakfast
8:30 – Breakfast is served - 1 scrambled egg, pineapple, 1/2 apple, bread with tahini on it – we chat about how today we really need to work together as a family to get our home clean and organized because we have a busy week, I have a major deadline at work, my son has soccer 2 evenings this week and we have a visitor from the UK arriving in less than 2 weeks! Everyone agrees to work together – I think there is some secret relief because we would normally head to our garden and for a hike but it is hot, hot, hot this weekend!
8:40 – My son is finished, we talk about what he will do this am. 
8:48 – My daughter is done, put washing into tumble dryer, put another load in the wash {haven’t done laundry all week! Eek!} 
8:52 – Cut up cherry oat squares and put into the fridge, put kettle on for green tea
8:55 – Set my son up to read his Bob books while I sit with him 
9:00 – Feel joy knowing Michael Enright is going to be on with the Sunday Edition – nothing better than good, public radio!
9:19 - Finish reading with my son
9:20 – Begin, what I hope is the final load of dishes – until lunch !
9:21 – My mum rings, get distracted from dishes
9:26 – Tell my mum I can’t possibly chat, set the children up with their am tasks – my son works on his reading & math, my daughter her chores (they’ll swap when done!)
9:29 - Begin the dishes again!
9:36 – Finish dishes, give one of the cats her meds, put tumble dryer on again
9:40 – Sit down and do math with my son
9:50 – Leave him with his work and go and fold laundry
10:10 – Clean laundry room (sweep, cat litter, wipe down machines, gather stray socks!)
10:15 - Congratulate my daughter on finishing her chores! Suddenly look around and see I’ve been “working” for 4 hrs and while my children are fed, showered and dressed, I have only managed to clean 2 rooms (kitchen and laundry room) and I’m still in my PJ’s! Set my son up with his chores
10:20 – Set my daughter up with her activities – thank you cards, answering questions, math.
10:25 – Begin cleaning bathroom, frequently check on both – they are doing a marvelous job : ) !
10:45 -  Now I have three tidy rooms in the house : ) ! {though the bedrooms, hallway and living room are the most work by far and of course I have all three of those left!}. Spend 10 minutes with my daughter correcting her work and encouraging her!
10:56 - Begin putting the final touches on my daughters room {she cleaned it as part of her chores, but there are some things that still need doing!}.  Set my son up writing his words out! Text a friend whose father died to see how she is. Change sheets in daughter’s room. Put bunk bed back together.
11:00 – Read with my son!
11: 30 – Work with my daughter on her sentence formation work.
12:00 – Prepare lunch
12:08 – Fold laundry – organize school uniforms for tomorrow
12:30 – Shower while lunch cooks!
12:45 – Play scrabble as a family {we modify it slightly – they have to spell the words they are currently working on!}
1:18 – Sit down to Sunday lunch together, go around the table thanking God for things. My heart melts at the sweetness of their words – my son is very thankful for food (typical boy!), my daughter “having a forever family”!
2:00 – Dishes – hoping the last lot of the day, then remember dinner . While I do dishes the rest of the family works on a puzzle together – without argument (a miracle!) !
2:28 -Realize I am dead absolutely exhausted and decide to sit down for a few minutes, before remembering there is another load of laundry to fold…sigh! {not at all focusing on the living room, my bedroom and hallway which still need cleaning…or my work which awaits}
2:50 – Take garbage out, put leftovers from lunch into containers for snacks & dinners this week
2:58 - Decide I have to have a short rest on the couch before I begin work {you know, since the last 9 hrs have not included any work at all…! ahem!}. Set up my daughter writing thank you cards and my son doing a spelling test. It still hurts to walk, not a good arthritis day!
3:06 – Attempt rest while listening to Writers & Company, but there is a card to help with and a spelling test to correct. No rest for the wicked !
3:09 – Begin stressing about work, decide to check work emails. Thankfully there aren’t too many and I relax, a tad…!
3:23 – Read a beautiful speech, do a craft with my children! Pack a quick snack for them (cherry oat bars, a banana, water) to take to work and tell them they are allowed to watch a DVD – cheers all around!
4:00 – Leave for the office
4:10 - Arrive at work – set up children with DVD and snacks while I work – tackle to do list with vigor - I have about 2 hrs!
6:10 – Their DVD finishes, set them up with word searches (a favourite activity for both!)
6:40 – Leave work – slightly panicked about the time!
6:50 - Home, get everyone into pj’s & get dinner on
7:00 – Help with packing of bags for tomorrow, uniforms set out, get kids set up with a 3D wooden puzzle
7:05 - Make veggies while listening to one of my favourite human rights programs on the radio Dispatches, realize it is the very last episode (it was cancelled in the CBC cuts – shame on you, CBC!)
7:10 – Answer phone – friend rang to check in! (make mental note to listen to the rest of Dispatches @ work tomorrow)
7:15 - Quickly vacuum my room (can’t once the kids are in bed, so needed to do it beforehand)
7:20 – Dinner – pizza, broccoli, carrot sticks, cucumber slices. Talk about our plans for the week!
7:40 – Read stories
8:00 – Lights out, my mum rings, take down her list of things she needs me to help her with (banking mostly)
8:19 – Feed the pets, sweep the kitchen floor (again!), do dishes (again!!)
8:45 – Fold laundry (again!!!). Check children are asleep (they are!)
9:00 – Do work emails (set myself a goal to finish by 10 pm)
9:34 – Decide to pay bills – help start the week on a good note?! Can only pay 1 bill as the other I can’t for the life of me find my account number!
9:42 – Write two thank you cards!
9:50 – Back to work!
10:06 – Medicate one of the cats
10:09 – Check email to find some potentially good news!
10:16 – Despite not being done work, decide to turn in.

So there you have it. Not a simple day. Certainly not a typical Sunday (like I mentioned we normally garden and hike). But, one of those pretty tiring days where there is so much to do and not quite enough hands or time to do it in – and my living room still hasn’t been cleaned. Oy vey!