Patty dimly hears the children banging around in the kitchen and with a start she wakes and looks at the clock. Oh no it was 7:00 am already! The baby had been up several times in the night, he was teething (again). She wraps her tattered bathrobe around her saggy baggy body and rushes into the kitchen to make breakfast.

 

After making each child an egg and toast, (Judy's has to have the yolk broken and Georgy wants his scrambled) she trots back into the bedroom to rescue the howling baby from his awful prison (the crib).  She snuggles him warmly despite the fact that he is obviously a defective model. Model babies don't wake up drenched in urine even though he was diapered in the most high tech disposable diaper available. She manages to get him changed into dry clothes and puts him in the arms of the oldest child while she slaps together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in between frantic searches for shoes, homework and backpacks. She writes a note on a brown paper sack to excuse one child from school a few days before when he was sick and just as the bus pulls up calls everyone together for a (quick) family prayer.
 
She rescues the baby again from the dubious care of her three year old who was spooning dry chocolate milk mix into the delighted baby's mouth. She gets the baby fed and swabs at the highchair which little Mary has artistically daubed with egg yolk and toast bits. Then bundles all three of the youngest into the bathtub for a merry game of get mommy drenched. That's okay though because since dear hubby left 10 minutes ago the chances of Patty getting a real shower are practically nil with five preschoolers around. The phone rings and Patty gets the children out of the tub where they run around happily naked while she agrees to take little reminders for homemaking meeting around her neighborhood. She interrupts little Jason and Jordan's contest and finds Nancy dressing Mary and the baby up in toilet paper. Finally having all the children dressed and herself dressed in sweats and her hair pulled back into a pony tail she loads all five children up in strollers, backpacks and leashes to take a walk around the neighborhood. Jason and Jordan volunteer to tape the little messages onto the doors and Patty sincerely hopes that the sisters will see the flyers down at knee level.

 

Back at home she takes a few minutes to read a Book of Mormon story to the children. Jordan and Jason love this one, they like the part where Ammon whacks off the arms of the bad guys. They run shrieking  around the room pretending to be Ammon. The baby watches fascinated and Mary and Nancy cry. Patty spends a few fruitless minutes picking up toys, baby socks and books while the children watch Barney. She finds herself mesmerized by the I love you song. She decides to bake cookies while the baby has his morning nap (which lasts for 20 minutes). They have an entertaining time making many different sizes and shapes of chocolate chips cookies. Mary needs another bath.

 

The door bell rings, it is Patty's visiting teachers. She had forgotten they were coming but figures they were here to see her and not her house. She was mistaken but that's okay, they didn't stay long. By then it was time for the 3:00 panic when she realizes that in just a few hours 11 people were going to want dinner. She frantically looks through the freezer to find that magical package that says, "here I am cook me." It is missing so instead she improvises and comes up with a dinner that for once everyone loves.  Pity she didn't write it down.
 

 

After the dish washing war gets sorted out Patty escapes for a luxurious 10 minute bath only accompanied by one baby. It was heaven.  As they have family scripture study after applying bungee cords to children ages 2 through 6 she gets misty eyed as she remembers the days when she had time to practice cello and had time to take a walk or exercise. But as the warm and sleepy baby snuggles in her lap and all 9 of the others file by to wish her a good night and collect their hug and kiss, she decides it is a fair trade. Her husband smiles and takes her hand just before he heads out the door for
bishopric meeting. And she says a quiet prayer of gratitude and appeal for strength to be the mom tomorrow too!