Tongue Tied

5:00 am Nurse baby. Grow agitated when husband doesn ’t hear his alarm going off, because now that you’ ve heard it, you’re AWAKE, but can’t turn it off. 5:30-7 am. Doze. Wake up when husband leaves for work. Doze. Wake up when dog wants to go outside. Doze. Wake up when baby needs changing. Doze. 7:01 am Hear the rousing of children. Cry for lost sleep. 7:30 am. Decide that Pop Tarts are an acceptable breakfast. They have fruit in them. Sorta. Or they would if you hadn ’t bought the chocolate ones. 8:00 am. Nurse baby. Put her back to sleep. Envy her. 8:30-9 am. Nag children to dress. In clothes. No, in *matching* clothes. And brush teeth. Try to locate child’s missing toothbrush. Find it at the bottom of the basement steps. 9 am Simultaneously educate eldest and appease middle child with “school toys” so he feels like he’s in school too and will leave eldest child alone. 9-12 pm. Repeatedly refuse requests for “ Wii breaks” and continue with education. Try to work in chores during ...

The world changed when I was nineteen. Well, maybe not the world. The world had long ago lost its innocence. Pain and sorrow had been the theme throughout thousands of years of human existence. It didn't originate the day terrorists hijacked planes and killed thousands. But for all of us living now, things were different after that September day. I wasn't too young to realize how significant that day would be in my life. Just as my parents' generation would always remember where they were when they heard Kennedy had been assassinated, so would I always recall with crystal clarity my experiences that day. Sitting in my living room in my pajamas and orange bathrobe as I watched the second plane pierce the tower. Holding my breath just as the newscasters did as the buildings fell. Calling loved ones. Going to work feeling a bit numb. Looking at the faces of the children I taught and realizing they would never know an America without terrorist attacks. Driving home from work an...

Ten photos from my day every tenth of the month.