Easy Like Monday Morning

Cheryl from Twinfatuation tagged me for the Mommy Meme, and I figured it would be a nice way to ease into a Monday morning and the weekly grind. Plus, I don't really have to do any original or critical thinking to complete this. Bonus.

1. Post a picture of you with your kids.

Well, thank God for this meme because otherwise I would have no pictures of me with my children! I am always the one hiding behind the camera.

Everyone is smiling. Except for Bun, who is irate, but at least had the decency to turn his head to the side to spare us his displeasure.
Now Bun is amazed at something on the ceiling. He's probably just aghast at the amount of dust that has gathered on our ceiling fan blades. I know I am.
" Hmm . . . what have we here? My sister Sally's silken hair which is so dangerously within my grasp. I . . . must . . . have . . .it . . ."
Consolation after the fact.

2. How many children do you have?
Four. Two girls, two boys. We pride ourselves on our symmetry.

3. What are their ages?
Nine, six, two, and seven months.

4. What do you eat for breakfast?
Francie will only eat Eggo mini waffles and Carnation Instant Breakfast every. single. morning.
Bun eats oatmeal and some kind of fruit. Fiver and Sally eat everything else. I drink coffee without fail, and usually some kind of cereal like Fiber One or oatmeal. Or leftover cake. Whatever.

5. Do they watch TV?
Yes. Francie would watch paint dry if they televised it, so I have to be vigilant about cutting her off. Fiver and Sally will watch for a bit, but they will turn it off or ignore it after a while. Bun is a total Monday night football freak.

6. What are their favorite activities?
Francie loves reading, drawing, scribbling furiously in secret journals and horseback riding. Fiver loves trains. And trains. And occasionally he will play with trains.
Sally loves her baby and anything else to do with her dolls or playing house. We don't call her "Little Mama" for nothing.
Bun loves crawling around and playing with carpet lint. And biting people.

7. Do you get a break from them during the day?
Half of them are in school during the day, and the other half are with me wherever I go. Including the bathroom.

8. How do you end your day?
After the children are in bed, Rob and I usually have some catch up time. Then Rob will hit the treadmill and I will settle down for my nightly allotment of blog time. I'm in bed by 11:30 or midnight at the very latest because the kids come calling mighty early.

9. What is your best parenting tip or advice?
This may have become a cliche for many people, but to me it is a mantra: "This too shall pass." When you are surrounded by little and dependent people, it is so easy to get bogged down in the drudgery that often accompanies their care. But, mercifully, today is not forever (as Danielle Bean would say). The days are long but the years are short. The crying, the sleeplessness, the diapering, the clinging, the draining physical demands -- there comes a time when it's all done. Really. And that's when I start to miss it.

And now for the five lucky people who will inherit this meme, if they want it:
Nothing, Really; One More Equals Four; RC Mommy; T With Honey; As Many As We're Given

Enjoy your Monday, my friends!