The boys are asleep. Isabella is asleep. And here I am awake, tying up loose ends. I suppose this is the nighttime routine for most moms.

We scramble around (quietly!), picking up dishes and toys and construction paper drawings. There is always more to do, and sometimes I am so sleepy I can't stand it, but I know I should push myself to do as much as I can before I go to bed so that my morning is more pleasant. I am trying hard to teach (and model) preparation with the boys.

This morning I woke up and Isabella was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as usual. I put her little jammy-clad body in her "baby jail" (playpen) so I could take a bath. I can see her from the tub so we play peek-a-boo and she plays with toys and talks while I get cleaned up and ready for the day.

Every so often the boys wake up before me and get cleaned up and dressed and eat breakfast. That's always a great surprise. This morning, though, I had to wake them up and get them going. Xavier hopped in the shower, but first he had to stop downstairs to get his clothes. The clean clothes he needed were folded and still sitting in the laundry room. I suck at housework.

I gave Isabella a diaper change and dressed her. I get grief from one of the Cub Scout den leaders about dressing her in so much pink, but hey -- she's a little girl! I walked the boys to school and Xavier entertained me with his witty banter. I love his sense of humor. The other day he sang (to the tune of the Transformers theme song): McDonalds. Clowns that give you fries." Haha.

Isabella and I ran some errands. I switched out my Blockbusters movies and was happy to find the new Goosebumps movies for the boys and they had the Discovery channel's From Conception to Birth. We stopped by the post office to pick up the footlocker Adrian mailed to me. I found out it was actually at the PO on post. I don't know how I'm going to carry that thing and get it home. So I was off the hook for the day. I will have to check on it tomorrow.

Tuesday is new merchandise day at Ross and have become a big fan. I got a $120 big, deep Nine West "briefcase" for $24. It has the right configuration to make a perfect diaper bag. And it matches my NW purse and wallet. I got some jeans for the boys and a few things for Izzy too. I also found a big wicker laundry basket lined with striped fabric and embroidered with "LAUNDRY". I was happy with my finds. I love me some Retail Therapy.

I got home and brought all my crap in and got Isabella changed and fed. I called my mom. I worry if I don't hear from her every day.

Got an email from Adrian -- haven't heard from him in days. He is on gag, but he is ok. He is negotiating for our next duty station. Izzy is saying da-da really well now, and I can't wait for her to do that for him.

When I picked the boys up from school I had to stop up in Orian's room and fill out a Federal Survey Card. I had already filled one out, but I put the instructions in the envelope and sent it to school with Orian and threw the card away. D'oh!

Yesterday Xavier won a cigar box at some sort of classroom raffle. Haha. He gave it to me, along with a little purple thistle-like flower, as a gift. I am happy my boys are still young enough to like to pick me flowers and make me drawings.

I needed to call Sensually Yours today since I unknowingly made my order with an expired credit card (expired by one day), but I put it off too long again and so I will have to do it tomorrow. Put that up there with buying milk and going to the post office. And 2 hours of Cub Scouts.

We spent most of today watching the Goosebumps movie repeatedly and playing the DVD quiz. That was fun.

I managed to get most of the trashes in the house taken out. We have a trashcan in nearly every room since the boys won't throw their trash away unless a trashcan is practically stapled to their arms. I still need to mop. I loathe mopping but I really enjoy a shiny clean floor.

I made Shrimp Scampi with hot, buttered noodles and fresh strawberries for supper. It was really yummy if I do say so myself. Last night we had Club Pasta Salad and the most tender, thick, medium rare steaks. It's a nice change from spaghetti and spinach or hot dogs and mac and cheese.

I have finally hit on the way to motivate Orian to do his homework. There's a lot of positivity and praise and interest involved on my part, and then there's the fun aspect. Isabella eats finger foods while me and the boys eat supper. Then I feed her baby food while Orian does his homework. He likes to "beat the clock" but sometimes he gets bored with the clock, so this works great. He still dawdles a little bit, but I have the ability to draw things out if I need to give him more time when he is working hard but just struggling to finish "in time". He has to finish before I finish feeding his sister.

When he has more than one or two pieces of homework we continue the game while I bathe his sister. We have a nice little routine going. I wonder what it will be like when Adrian is home. I have no idea how the division of labor will change. I just know it will be nice to have an extra set of hands around the house. I scrub the toilet and clean the counters in the bathroom while I'm bathing Isabella. Multi-tasking.

She gets lotioned up and I brush her soft blonde hair and put her in her jammies. The boys love to chase her around, and Orian has found that he is very good at making her laugh. Her new things are clapping and making a 'stinky face" by crinkling her nose. Her vocabulary is increasing and she is walking like a pro.

So Orian got his bath and everyone is in bed except for me. I'm up washing dishes and picking up and folding laundry and drinking water. I need to vacuum but I *know* that would wake everyone up.

I have a million projects that need finishing. I am proud that I was able to install the swing gate at the bottom of the stairs. It's not perfect, but it works. I am just not skilled with that type of thing. I have had to assemble and install so many things this deployment.

Soon I will have to take apart my porch swing. A bird died and plummeted into my porch, crapping all over the swing mattress on his way down. I had to pick him up and dispose of him and his birdy brains were stuck to the cement and maggots were writhing in them. YUCK. I poured bleach all over the mattress and got all the bird poop off it, but I don't think it's safe anymore so I will have to get rid of my swing.

And in other news, the Army still hasn't put in Adrian's extension pay. I checked his LES for the coming payday and it's not on there. I hope it's not going to be a hassle to get it.

It's almost 11 and morning comes early, so I guess I had better finish up my chores and go to bed. A mommy's work is never done.