A Busy Day, An Early Night

My son fell asleep early tonight. Usually my husband and I put him to bed about 8 p.m., but this evening he fell asleep in his chair just before 6 p.m. after nibbling part of a sandwich and drinking a cup of juice. I didn't have the heart to wake him to make him brush his teeth or take a bath. Instead, I just laid him out on the changing table, got him into a fresh diaper and pajama bottoms, then tucked him into bed. My husband and I will clean him up in the morning when we get him ready for school.

I'm not surprised my son fell asleep early this evening, as we had a very busy day today. The two of us went to the library to return a book, then visited a place called Party City to look for Clifford-themed decorations for his upcoming birthday party. After that, we went to a mall to buy a little rubber ball from a vending machine and ride the escalators several times for fun before shopping for some winter clothes and having a late lunch. We finished up the day with a two-hour stay at a local nature center followed by a quick trip to the grocery store. I think we left the house about 10:30 this morning, after my husband left for school, and we didn't get home until 5 this evening. When we finally got home, we brought in the recycling bin and mail, put away the groceries, and had a bite to eat, at which point my son fell asleep.

So what have I been doing with my two bonus hours this evening? Have I read a book? Have I watched a movie? Nope. For the last two hours I've been doing the laundry and baking a meatloaf for dinner tomorrow while I check e-mail and type this journal entry. Yes, my split-shift mother's habits are at full throttle. If I can keep up my energy level tonight, I'm thinking of going through a large stack of catalogs for potential holiday gifts and perhaps even ordering some presents online. Since my husband won't be getting home from school tonight until 10:30 or 11, tonight would be a good opportunity to order his birthday and holiday gifts without fear of him accidentally seeing me place the orders. If I can't stay awake, though, I'm going to use the extra two hours my son has given me and go to bed early for a change.

Gosh, I sound so responsible and boring. I'm really not, though. Every so often I stay up until 2 in the morning reading a good book or watching lots of TV. I'm just not in the mood for that tonight. It has been a very busy day.