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Dear Cupid,

I don't want flowers. I just want all this to go away!

So you may ask "HOW in the world can a house get THAT messy? And WHY would she ever dare share it with the world?"

Here are the answers: The WHY?? Uhhh I don't know come to think of it. Maybe it's so I can have proof in future years when my life has changed and Avery doesn't think I understand what it's like to be a young mom.

The HOW? (now that is a story)

Let's call it "A Day in the Life of Turia.. the over scheduling, crazy, try to do it all girl"

6:30 am- Get up early to get to Wal-Mart since we have no syrup for Breakfast in Bed for Dad

6:45 am- In Wal-Mart to get syrup and candy for valentines parties today. I also remember Avery has been wearing Kaden's underwear for about 3 days now and I still don't have clean underwear for her, so I buy her a package. (yes... I'm a super mom. I make my daughter wear her older brother's underwear)

7:45 am- Run in the door with Kaden waiting for me at the door wondering where I've been and Avery on "watch" duty to make sure dad doesn't get out of bed

7:55 am- Pancakes are made. Oranges are cut. Chocolate Milk is poured. And Avery's red rose from Carter is now being re-gifted as a bed tray decoration for dad.

7:56 am- All 3 kids are walking the tray into the bedroom and with big smiles saying "Happy Valentines Day!!!"

8:00 am- More pancakes made and kids are at the table eating. I'm making a bottle for Connor because I don't have a second to stop and nurse him (yep.. another great sign of what a super mom I am)

8:15 am- Making Kaden's breakfast. Getting backpacks packed, clothes on the other kids, making a valentine fruit (instead of candy) basket to hide in Brian's car since he's on a diet, etc., etc...

8:20 am- A "surprise" knock at the door. The kids run to find valentines cards on the door and candy from dad (I love that he does this for them every year)

8:35 am- Dad and Kaden out the door for school

8:36 am-10:00- Getting kids bathed and dressed. Reading over my visiting teaching lesson. Having a shower myself (yeah!), nursed the baby and put him down just long enough for him to fall asleep, then got him up again (yep.. super mom I am)

10:10 am- Already 10 minutes late to my first visiting teaching appointment

(Bright has to bring his valentine from dad to show off the train on the card!)

10:35 am- Pulling into the driveway of our 2nd VT appointment

11:15 am- Ran home (since our 3rd appointment cancelled) and rushed to feed the kids lunch

11:20 am - Having to clean up Sunday night cereal bowls, pancake plates and cups just to find a place on the table for their sandwiches (which I cut into hearts by the way)

11:25 am- Feeding Connor

11:35 am- Drop off Avery at her preschool carpool and head out for yet another VT appointment.

12:15 pm- Home at last.... well at least for an hour

12:20 pm- Bright and Connor are both sound asleep (alleluhia!!)

12:25 pm- I think I ate a sandwich. I'm sure I drank a Diet Dr. Pepper

12:30 pm- Tested and retested 3 more times my play dough recipe to figure out the least messiest way to have the kids make it for the Valentine Party at school

1:20 pm- Get everything together for Kaden's 1st grade class Valentine party (I'm in charge of a craft)

1:40 pm- Take two very sleepy kids over to Angie's (my life saver as always)

1:45 pm- Off to Kaden's school

2:00-3:30 pm: Made play dough with 23 kids (It didn't go all that bad! I was impressed)

3:35 pm: Leave the school with Kaden. He tells me how fun it's been to spend time with me today (OK... now that was the best thing that I've heard all day)

3:45 pm- In the Grocery story getting pre made sugar cookies to give to our cousins for V day, and a rotisserie chicken for BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches for dinner

4:45 pm- Back at Angie's to get my kids and enjoying a nice visit with her for a second before we go and start decorating our cookies.

5:00 pm- Leaving Angie's in a panic as I just remembered I need to have 2 dozen cupcakes made for a lady in my ward by 7:00!!! Ya. I totally forgot about it. There goes Vday Cookies for the cousins and $12 bucks of heart shaped cookies sitting in my trunk still! Ahhhhhhh

(I can tell my day is about to go from crazy to INSANE)

5:15 pm- Starting my cupcakes. Baby Screaming. Kids Hungry. Kitchen is such a disaster I have no bare counter top space to even put my ingredients on.

5:30 pm- Still letting Connor cry (yup... there's that super mom coming though again)

5:45 pm- Cupcakes are done and cooling. Luckily I already had frosting made for the cookies I was planning on making with my kids! Baby is STILL SCREAMING!

5:46 pm- Pick up Connor and try to shred the rotisserie chicken with one hand (HA!)

5:47 pm- Gave the now calm baby to Avery and shred the rest of the chicken

5:53 pm- exact time I'm sure :) Avery is now sick of holding Connor so he's back with me. And I'm sure super hungry again.

5:55 pm- One handed cooking.

6:05 pm- BBQ pulled chicken is out of the microwave. Plated and ready to serve. With the ever healthy Doritos and Capri Sun to make up the rest of the meal (uh huh.. you don't have to say it.... super mom!)

6:10 pm- Decorating the cupcakes with one hand again. Connor is still has dibs on the other.

6:20 pm- Piping the last cupcake as the door bell rings. My neighbors are here to pick up their cupcakes. (I am not kidding.. literally as I was finishing the last one!)

6:23 pm- Quickly throw some frosting on some other cupcakes from the remaining batter and head out the door.

6:35 pm- In the car, Connor has finally fallen asleep

6:45 pm- Got to Tyler and Jana's to give them some VDay cupcakes (sorry everyone else.. we didn't get to you as we had hoped!)

7:00 pm- Knocked on Grandma and Grandpa Larsen's door with Kaden's Famous Brownies and Avery's Famous Cookies from yesterday

7:20 pm- Leave Grandma Larsens house. Pick up Brighton (who is shoe-less since I never put shoes on him when we left!) and felt his very wet pants and super soggy butt... it was then that I realized I hadn't changed his diaper ALL DAY LONG!! Not once!! (have I won any award yet for the best mom on earth?? Seriously!!)

7:30 pm- In the Target parking lot ready to give Brian some cupcakes.

7:31 pm- (super mom warning) Drop off Kaden and Avery to go into Target all alone to give Brian the cupcakes because I don't want to take the other kids out of the car)

7:35 pm- Kids are back safely in the car and we are off. But guess what? I have no gas! (big surprise)

7:40 pm- Getting gas and a car wash

8:01 pm- Drive into my driveway to see my parents at my door with Valentines!

8:01 and 1/2 pm- Thinking.... "WHY? WHY? WHY? doesn't my mom ever come and visit me when my house is CLEAN?" It never fails.

8:02: Pull into the garage and swallow my embarrassment as my parents come into what I think is my kitchen (it's hard to tell by now... it's been a long weekend)

8:25 pm: Grandparents are gone. I got around to finally changing Brights diaper. Kids are in bed. Conner is once again crying and has been for a while.

8:30 pm: Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! The beautiful sound of silence (because I'm nursing the baby)

8:45 pm: Look into the kitchen and sigh.. Happy Freikin Valentines Day. But then I look down and see a beautiful little boy has stopped nursing and is smiling at me. (one of my all time favorite things about having a baby). He lifted my spirits. It might all be worth it after all.

9:00 pm- Baby happy and falling asleep.. Let's tackle this kitchen.. but first, I take the picture shown above.

10:30 pm- Still cleaning. Has noticed 3 empty cans of Diet Dr. Pepper. Did I really drink e cans today? When in the world did I have time for that? Oh my.. I'm going to be up for a while. (come to think of it.. it's probably all the D.P. in my system that is the cause of this oh so lengthy post)

10:45: Have a full load of dishes washing and still a full sink of dirty dishes that wouldn't fit. I have gone into the laundry room to turn on the washer for the 3rd time with the same batch of clothes in it. (Please tell me some of you do this and I'm not the only one that has to rewash clothes) It's about this time when I think to myself, "Why am I so excited to add another 1800 square feet to my house house?"

11:00 pm- Still cleaning, but getting down to sweeping the floor when Brian comes in. Ya.. 2 hours after his shift ended. All that means is that he's had as good as a day as me.

11:30 pm- Brian's gone to bed. I am done with the kitchen and I sit down to blog about my day....minute by minute of it.

12:18 am- Just finished this post and I'm thinking to myself... you know what? It was a crazy day. It wasn't the romantic Valentines Day from years past. I was too busy. BUT at the end of the day, I had told my husband I loved him. I had spent time with my kids doing kind things for others. I got to be with Kaden at school.  I served the sisters I visit teach, and I FINALLY got that diaper changed. With a little help from my friend "Mr. Pepper", I had the energy to get it all done and even end up with a kitchen I would't mind my mom seeing!  Maybe the day wasn't as bad as I made it out to be after all.

When everything is said and done.... It's all worth it for these guys right here.

Happy Valentines Day.