Just different

It is mornings like this that I realize that having six kids isn't necessarily harder than having one. But I t's also not necessarily easier.

This morning, I got up, got the kids up, got her hair done, and had them going on their lunches, when Jarett came down and told me that the baby was awake and it smelled like she might have a dirty diaper.  He, of course, was heading off to work right then, or he would of helped (because I got one of those super helpful husbands - yay!)

So, leaving the kids to breakfast and their lunches, I went upstairs and Lanaya had completely blown out all over her crib. She needed a bath, her diaper needed changing, as did her entire crib, and I still had to get the other kids ready for school and out the door in 15 minutes.  

Experience with other babies makes the baby part a whole lot easier.  I stripped the baby, (using the new method I learned to remove onesies), bathed her, put her diaper and clothes on, washed down the change pad, stripped the crib, disinfected the mattress and went downstairs to feed her while encouraging the older kids to stay focused while getting out the door.  Some, of course, were a little more focused than others.

With a little bit of guidance, and a few little additions to their lunches, they were ready to go at five minutes before the bell rang. I packed up the kids quickly, and got them to school as the bell rang and watch them run across the field.

As I drove home, I realized that I was very much on top of the baby situation (had the whole thing done in just a few minutes), and I was very much on top of the kids getting ready for school, but not necessarily both at the same time. I guess that I have learned how to optimize my time through the experiences I've had with my children, but now I need to combine all the experiences together to get it a little bit more perfect.  

Who says that kids don't teach us anything?  Time management, patience and a whole skill set you'd never dream possible were evident this morning. :)