Where is My Groove?

Dear Reader,

I am not a fan of change. Some people may find routine boring, but I kind of like it. I like knowing how things should go and then being pleased when they go the way I think they should (read "the way I want them to."). But it turns out that when you've got two small kids, change is sort of a fact of life. Add to that a husband who's job situation changes drastically during the summer and it's kind of hard to find a routine at all, let alone stick to it.

So I'll be the first to admit that having Craig go back to work has been hard on me. Much harder than I expected, actually. I was finally getting used to working with him home, and now he's gone again. I spent all of last week trying to remember how to take care of two kids at the same time. The one time I got them to both nap at the same time, I wandered around the house trying to remember what it was that I normally did during nap time. Pathetic, huh?

But the biggest challenge by far has been finding a chance to shower. I remember that last school year, I usually did this during Kendra's morning nap. But she's been napping later and later these days, which means that last week I kept not showering until noon or later. And that's just gross. (Craig showers at night, but if you have hair like mine that tends towards oiliness that just isn't an option.) It was when I was visiting teaching and looked around and realized that the other two moms in the room with me were both showered and clean while I looked like I'd wandered in from the homeless shelter that I decided something needed to change.

So this is one of my goals for this week: shower before leaving the house. The logical solution, of course, is just to just wake up early and shower while the kids are still sleeping. And I have every intention of doing that one of these days. But last night I kind of sort of stayed up WAY too late finishing a book (War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk-- it's a good one!) so I certainly didn't get up any earlier than absolutely necessary today. Maybe tomorrow I'll pull off this stunning feat of achievement. But for today, I had to try a different tactic: TV. After the kids were both fed, I put on a movie for them while I showered. And it worked-- I'm clean and they were still happy by the time I was out and dressed. But I do hate the idea of relying on the television every morning, so I can't say that this is a great solution.

So, reader, I'm asking for your advice on this one: How do YOU find time to shower?

Thanks for your help.

Sincerely yours,
Desperately Seeking New Groove