My Hamster Wheel

have you ever seen a hamster on its wheel?  that little hamster will run and run and run.  sometimes he goes so fast that he loses his grip and will do several flips inside the wheel before regaining his composure.  sometimes he doesn't go as fast as the wheel and will get all caught up, flipping and flopping, landing on his back, only to flip back over and begin again.  call me mean, but watching him lose his grip is hysterical.  i've watched a hamster spin on his wheel in true hopes that he loses it and begins to flop around inside that wheel.

okay, that's mean.  but still funny.

now that summer has begun for my crew, i feel like that hamster.  my day begins with a small child standing at my bed asking me for breakfast.  either that, or an elbow or knee in my face as one tries to climb in beside me to snuggle.  once i'm awake, i get on my wheel.

i make breakfast for everyone, while complete pandemonium goes on in my kitchen.  the kids are all laughing and whooping it up as i clamber around to find coffee and a bite of egg for myself.  all the while, they are asking for this, that, more, help, why, when, will you?....the list is endless of their needs beginning at 8 am.  children are very alert in the early morning.

once they've eaten breakfast, they take their whirlwind to another room.  the kitchen has been successfully destroyed and they are off to find the next room to take down.  usually it's the playroom but have been known to go ahead and begin working on many rooms at one time.  divide and conquer.

as they blow out the kitchen door, i'm left to reasemble and clean the rubble.  i may (or may not) put in a load of laundry as i clean.  and once i've gotten the kitchen almost back to normal, a small person, or two, will usually surface to ask for a drink.  of course.  and one may even have the nerve to ask for a snack.  ummm, didn't you just eat breakfast?  do you have a tapeworm?

i rinse and repeat this method about 5 times a day in the summer time.  3 meals and 2 snacks a day for these guys will keep me very busy.

hamster wheel.

this week, we've been cleaning out their toys to give away, keep or trash.  they've really gotten into it.  we have 3 bins and they load up the bins depending on what they want to do with the toy.  we've done this every day this week, four days so far.  and i'm here to tell you.  toys multiply in the night!  we clean out so much during the day only to find there is still so much more to be done the following day!

hamster wheel.

my children wear a uniform to school so i'm fortunate that we don't have a fight each night or morning over what is to be worn to school.  there are still all the uniform pieces and parts to wash each day....times four!  if i don't run a load (or 4) of laundry each day, i'm in big trouble.  the piles of laundry multiply through the night as well.  i have to stay on top of it.....or i'll be under it.  the summer doesn't really change for my laundry work.  somehow they manage to find several different kinds of clothes to wash.  random clothes.  clothes i haven't seen in months will appear on their little bodies, only to be soiled somehow so that another load of laundry must be done.

hamster wheel.

and moms are amazing at multitasking.  i pride myself in being an octopus!  but sometimes my brain can't keep up with my arms and legs.  i will have all children asking for something at once, my arms and legs will be moving with each word that comes out of their mouth, sometimes i know what they will ask before they even ask it!....and suddenly....i have a malfunction.  i have to stop and stare for a moment.  reboot.  so that i can continue on with my services.  their requests don't seem to end.  this is when i feel like my hamster wheel starts going out of control, i lose my grip and i start to fly around the wheel, tumbling and rolling, spinning and flopping.

hamster wheel.

and yes, it's kinda funny.  how can it not be?  i'm a grown adult and yet, these little tiny people can take me down like a hamster on a wheel.

these are my days of being a hamster.  it's gotten much better over the last few years.  as they get older, they get a little more independent and much more funny!  i can see the light at the end of my hamster tunnel.

you know, i recently read that if a mother hamster detects that something if wrong with her young, she will eat it.  in those moments when things get really rough, i can empathize with a hamster, i kinda understand why a mama hamster will eat her young.

tread lightly, kids.  you don't want mama to get hungry.