I walked around the house in the late evening, turning off lights and checking the locks on the doors. Then I went and brushed my teeth and put on my nightgown and took my book into bed with me. I set the alarm, thinking, “Have to get up at a quarter to 7” in order to get the kids up and dressed and breakfasted, so that we would all be on time for school and work.
I read for awhile and then I turned out the light and went to sleep.
I slept really hard and when I woke I rolled over and looked at the big red LED letters on my alarm clock: 5 a.m. I rolled back over and dozed off again. The kids often wake and get up even before they have to, in order to get a little computer game-playing in before they have to get dressed. I heard one of them come in the bedroom and ask me quietly, from my fog of half-sleep, “Mom, what day is it today?” I didn’t really register that the tone was a bit worried. “Monday,” I groggily answered.
Martin, for it was he, went back out of the bedroom and I heard his pajamaed feet shooshing away. Some rather short time passed and then Karin was suddenly by my side, saying, “Mama!! It’s 7:30!”
What? I opened my eyes and stared at her and then turned my head and looked at the clock. Sure enough, it said 07:31 in big red numbers.
AAAAGGGH!!! I yelled and leaped out of bed.
So we managed to accomplish in 20 minutes what usually takes us 45: the kids speed-dressed, brushed their teeth and hair, and shoveled in their fil and cereal while I stumbled about and gathered their gym clothes and fruit. After I got them out the door, I jumped in the shower and rapidly got ready for work.
Leaving the house at 8 o’clock (the time I normally ARRIVE at work) I thought I wasn’t doing so bad…I’d only be about 10 minutes late and it’s not like I have to punch in or as if someone is checking up on what time I come in. But this morning they decided to start paving the main road out of the village and waiting in the alternate lane traffic held me up for 20 minutes. Then I got stuck behind a MOPED who would not pull the hell over to the shoulder and let me by and then, after I managed to pass him finally, a TRUCK pulled out into the road right in front of me to turn around.
“ONE MORE THING slows me down this morning and heads are going to roll,” I gritted my teeth together and clutched the steering wheel.
I finally arrived at work, 45 minutes late. All because my math-impaired brain had equated the “Quarter to Seven” information I gave it last night as 7:45 and set the alarm accordingly. *sigh*
It’s a wonder to me that I’m the one that takes care of paying bills and remembering dates in the family.