Can I make an appointment with myself?

Duane and I were joking around the other day and I said, the phrase above and he just laughed and laughed. It may be funny, but it is true! I don't think dads understand! Being a mom, sometimes I feel like i need to schedule myself for myself! Can I make an appointment with myself before I get all booked up with every body else? Sometimes there seems to be no time for me to even _ _ _. (you know go to the bathroom)

I even tried several times this week to hide on the toilet but that didn't work. Maybe next time, I can climb in the toilet and close the lid. Why do kids always come to me with the questions that they themselves know how to answer? Maybe they like to hear my sweet voice. :)

Tonight I told the kids in our "family meeting", "Ok, here's the deal, There are soon going to be 9 of you children, if you each ask me 10 questions a day, (and you know Eli asks way more than that), then that means I have answered at least 90 questions in one day! So logically thinking, if I do that, by the end of the day, I might just shout Shut up! There could be the possibility that I would go insane by the end of the week."

They thought I was being funny but I was serious! So I offered them a solution. When they had a question for me, I asked that they search their hearts to see if they could answer it on their own before asking me. That they look for the item that is missing before asking me. That they read the chore chart before asking me and that they go over the house rules in their brain before asking me.
I also suggested that if I was not anywhere to be found that it is probably obvious that I have disappeared on purpose. I told them that I needed self time to be a nice mommy. That I was making an appointment on the calendar and keeping it. Talking about appointments, I really do need to schedule all the kids for a dentist appointment since they haven't been in over a year! (I heard some of you gasp!) NOTE TO SELF: Call the dentist tomorrow. (You know, now that I wrote it down, I'll remember) :)
Talking of dentists, I saw this on a website for larger families, "You know you have a large family.... .....if your dentist has to close the office to others because your family fills up her appointments for the day.

Now back to regular programing.....
On another note, I have been cleaning house. (No, I didn't throw out the kids, though the thought did cross my mind.) It has taken me a week to get the school/art room decluttered and organized! I threw away bags upon bags (the 30 gallon ones) of trash.(I debated for a few moments if all those papers would really prove to the education authorities that I was really educating my kids properly. I decided to lose the paper pile up and they would have to take my word for it and I would offer to refer them to HSLD(Homeschool Legal Defense) if my kids' intelligences were questioned.)

I boxed up at least 15 boxes of yard sale stuff. I could not believe how much stuff I had over there! I am ebaying or yard saleing, all my rubber stamps,(approx. 300 of them),inks and embossing equipment, old homeschool curriculum, and art supplies I don't need. It was really hard placing it in a box because I like all that craft and art stuff, but I HAD to simplify! I need to just focus on my watercolors.

It is still not finished over there even though we start school tomorrow! I guess we will have an orientation. Heee Heeee!

I have been going through the house and cleaning every room. I mean DEEP , thorough cleaning where every drawer, nook and cranny gets cleaned and everything receives the question, "Why am I keeping you? How long Have I had you and are you really important to me? What purpose do you serve?
So far, I have cleaned out 4 rooms! Only 7 more to go!
This weekend, Graham started Soccer and so had a tournament away, He also turned 12 and had a sleepover with 6 boys, my sister in law and nephew came in for a few days and there were several meetings that had to be attended. It was a full week and weekend.
I would hope that it would all settle down, but with school starting next week along with soccer practice and football practice and having worship meetings in our home on weekends, it doesn't look like it. So here we go! Hip ,hip, Hooray!
Well, I gotta get some sleep, I have to give Orientation tomorrow. (smile)