Daylight savings time

This is the time of year when all of us moms are grousing about daylight savings time and the hangover it gives our kids. Including me. Annabelle woke up at 4 in the morning, terrified because she hadn't finished her homework. Her homework was to draw a picture of a Texas day in the springtime. Her hand got tired so she hadn't finished coloring the tree on her picture of a picnic in the bluebonnets. So I let her sleep in until seven. Normally she needs to get up at 6:30 to get ready by seven, to have time to eat breakfast and then brush teeth, do hair, get jacket and backpack and head out the door by 7:40. Yes, it takes that long. Then, she is in school. There are lines and bells and classes, and nouns and verbs, and all that crap. Then she comes home. And depending on the day, she may have to do homework, eat dinner and go to some activity. Then, bath, brush teeth, spend some time with dad, read books, bed. Notice that play is not always part of her schedule. Her life is highly scripted and is almost completely dictated by school.

Tallulah's life in preschool is very different than her sister's. She is learning to be a bucket filler, not a bucket dipper. She sings songs almost all the time, songs that she learned at school. When she is at home, she plays or helps me. She is little chef, and I am big chef. Excpet she can't say chef, so she says "cheft." Little cheft can make chicken pot pie, chili, quiche and banana bread. She really shines at sautéing things. She likes me to read the same book over and over again. She plays by herself a fair amount. She is super awesome at folding clothes. She is a Ngyuen, so she has that weird way they fold shirts down. She was explaining it to me today. "you fold it in haf, den you fold de ahms, in den fold it again, and den it is a skuwayah mommy. Like dis." Ok. Whatever.

She helped me cook supper tonight, as a matter of fact. One of Annabelle's classmates came over for supper. His dad dropped him off and I told him annabelle was out back. She had just came home from ballet and changed clothes and headed straight for the back door. Tell A________ I'm outside mommy". I finished up the corn bread and kept an eye on them-- this boy seemed content to be bossed around by two girls, one whom was covered in mud. I am not really sure what they were doing, but Tallulah's guardian angel told me to check on her just as she was trying to use the toy wheel barrow as a step ladder, whereby saving me a trip to the er. Thanks, GMS.

I glanced up at the fridge and saw my favorite magnet, a picture of the girls, from the time summer when annabelle was three and Tallulah was 8 months, or so. It was when Annabelle was in her " I only wear my underwear and no other clothes" phase. She had a tan line to match. My pippi longstocking girl who liked to draw cat whiskers on her face, and cover her arms and legs in marker. The ultimate free spirit. I wish school would give her back

And now she was outside, and was going to need a bath before dinner, and in all likelihood so was her friend. No homework done and it was almost 630. But it felt early, because it was still light out. And for a second, I could feel the warmth and promise of summer, just around the corner.

The hazy, crazy, lazy days, as the song says. The promise that is worth the hangover.