6:45am             Three year old  daughter wakes me up because she can’t find her blankie.  Help her find it in her bed and put her back to sleep.

7:15am             Can’t go back to sleep so I get up, write a freelance article pitch and send it to my editor.

7:40am             Five year old son gets up. Play a quick game of Baby Jesus that is being made up as we go along. Daughter wakes up and joins us.

8:00am             Call doctor help line to see if daughter’s throat swab came back positive for strep throat.  She’s been home all week, really need her to go to preschool so I can get some things done.

8-8:20am         Make breakfast of cereal and toast (yogurt and toast for daughter since throat hurts) while on hold with doctor.  Eat a quick piece of toast and hot chocolate while skimming the headlines and being on hold. Decide to run to the bathroom while still holding. Nurse picks up while I’m on toilet and tells me my daughter has strep throat.

8:22am             Call friend to apologize and warn her that I brought infectious child to dinner last night. Call husband and dad to tell them the “Crackernut” (Nutcracker as mispronounced by my daughter) ballet recital for daughter will still be on tomorrow once I infuse her with antibiotics for 24hrs.

8:30am             Help son find clothes and shoes to wear to preschool. Amazingly daughter gets dressed by herself.

8:40am             Almost forgot to give dog his breakfast so I can hide his antibiotics in it. Run out the door to get son to school before 9am

8:42am             My daughter asks me why I’m still in my pajamas as we drive to preschool. I’m wondering that myself.

8:50am             Drop son off at preschool making sure to keep infectious daughter away from rest of kids.        

9:00am             Daughter decides she wants to make paper chains too since she’s missing it a preschool today. Scrounge up some green and red paper, scissors and glue.

9-9:15am         Show daughter how to make her first paper chain.  Still having trouble with scissors so I get her going until she decides she can do it herself.

9:20am             Start laundry and straightening the house. Having a 3 year old and a 5 year old makes this a daily task.

9:45am             Daughter decides she wants to do workbook now. We clean up art and get out workbook. This too she tells me she can do herself.

10am                Cleaning up breakfast dishes while on hold to find out if daughter’s medication is ready for pick-up.

10:20am           Still on hold, still cleaning. Really have to go to bathroom, against better judgment I go for it. Daughter comes in to show me her excellent work and lady comes on line to tell me the medication is ready. You think I’d learn.         

10:30am           Finally get out of pajamas and put clothes on to go pick up medicine. Decide against doing any hair or make-up.

10:40-11am     Play games of “Hot Potato,” “Engine, Engine Number Nine,” and “Miss Suzy Pattycake” in line to get medicine trying to distract my daughter so she won’t get bored, touch everything and give entire pharmacy strep throat.

11:15am           Daughter is eager to try medicine with lunch. She reminds me not to forget to feed her like I did the day I brought her home early from school sick. I was hoping she’d forget that.

11:30am           Serving up soup and grilled cheese while daughter watches Dora the Explorer. Eat the other half of her grilled cheese figuring she won’t want it. She does. Have to make another.

11:30-11:55am  Squeeze in another load of laundry and finish straightening before going to get son from preschool.

12pm               Go get son from preschool. He wants to know if he has time to play outside at home today or if we have to go run errands. I tell him all errands are off because we have infectious child. Plenty of time to play.

12:15pm           Talk son and daughter into going on “fun” run with me. Son rides his bike and I push very heavy daughter in jogger. Usually I do this while they’re at preschool. Adds five minutes to normal jog route.

12:40pm           As part of deal to get son to agree to go jogging/biking we stop at house down the street that has kitty so he can pet it.

1:05pm             Bribe son and daughter to take a nap so they can stay up later to watch a holiday special on TV.

1:30pm             After long delay of going to bathroom, getting a drink and finally reading a story, kids are allowed to look at books for ten minutes before lights out.

1:32pm             Check email and find out freelance article pitch is rejected. Daughter comes out of room to show me “neat” picture in book.

1:35pm             Try to sit down and read the paper. Keep being interrupted by daughter with more neat pictures.

1:50pm             Time to put the hammer down on the kids to go to sleep. Promise of TV special becomes threat of no TV show without nap. Have to lay down with daughter to get her to be still and go to sleep.

2:00pm             Everyone’s asleep. Go back to computer to respond to editor’s email and others. Make a few edits to developing freelance piece.

2:30pm             Change laundry. Read a quick story in People magazine while using the facilities.

2:40pm             Remember I need to make soup out of leftover turkey bones and meat before it goes bad. Start soup.

2:50pm             Remember I need to take shower because I’m smelling bad.

3:00pm             Come up with idea for Chief of Everything Officer Diary after reviewing normal crazy day in well deserved hot shower.

3:15pm             Once finished with shower routine realize I need to find outfit to wear to cocktail party tonight. Was going to shop for new outfit while kids were at preschool. Oh well, saved money.

3:20-3:45pm    Try on many clothes that are completely outdated and decide to go through my closet and donate things to Goodwill. Find acceptable but not crazy about it outfit to wear to party.            

3:45pm             Daughter wakes up from nap and decompresses in front of favorite cartoon show. I call in-laws to see if they will mercifully still baby sit for infectious child and soon to be infected child.

3:50pm             Try to get a little writing done before son wakes up.

3:59pm             Son wakes up. Wants me to play video games with him. I buy some time while he “warms up” the games.

4:20pm             Play a few games of Ms. Pac man and Gallaga with son.

4:40pm             Continue prepping soup for tomorrow night’s dinner. Decide to go with TV dinners for the kids tonight, being a “special” night and all.

5pm                 Husband still not home to tag team so I can begin getting ready for cocktail party. Decide to fold clothes until he gets home.

5:05pm             Find son hanging from bedroom door “surfing.”

5:10pm             Daughter wants lollipop medicine for her sore throat. Find ants in new bag of lollipop lozenges.

5:11pm             Manage to salvage a few lollipop lozenges so I don’t have to go back to the store. Clean up ants. Find new spot for lozenges.

5:20pm             Son comes out in Buzz Lightyear pajamas saying he’s in his “fighting uniform” and wants to play pretend fight. Play Buzz Lightyear/Hulk/Karate/

Wrestling with son while being cheered on by daughter.

5:35pm             Game is over because my son and I almost knock each other cold when we bonk heads.

5:36pm             My husband finally arrives home. Told him he can have his Buzz Lightyear/Hulk/Karate/

Wrestling game back. Mommy’s not tough enough.

5:37pm             Put clothes in dryer. Separate bones out of turkey broth and put soup in fridge for finishing touches tomorrow.       

5:50pm             Go to throw out the garbage with turkey bones in it so dog won’t get into it, realize the garbage cans need to be brought in. Can’t understand why husband didn’t come to this realization.

6:00pm             Take one last look at cocktail invitation and realize it is light hors d’oeuvres not dinner. Fish some turkey out of soup broth for impromptu turkey sandwiches for husband and me.

6:05pm             Husband overrules TV dinner idea and makes fish sticks for kids instead. He also makes our sandwiches as I realize I need to put together a hostess gift.

6:15pm             Finish creating gift (pre-bought Christmas mugs, with instant hot cocoa mix, baggie of marshmallows and mini Milano cookies wrapped in clear gift bag) and sit down to eat with family.

6:25pm             Get ready for party. Clothes, make-up, hair in record time.

6:55pm             Set up VCR to tape holiday special while kids watch it.

7pm                 Reinforcements arrive and we’re off to party.

7:07-11pm       Enjoyed friends, food and cocktails. Really enjoyed cocktails.