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What day is this anyway?

When I first became a mother I found the days tended to run together in a jumble of diapers, spit up, nursing, and hopefully naps. I found myself waking surprised on weekends that my husband was beside me and not at work. Then Monday would speed in catching me off guard with my husband gone again. To combat total brain meltdown, I started telling my son what day of the week it was and what was planned at breakfast. Yeah ok, a 3 month old doesn’t really get it, but at least I knew when to expect my husband home and when not to!

Now that my children are older we continue to figure out the date each day at breakfast, some months I am industrious and bring a calendar to the table, but many days we just figure it out in our heads. I watch my daughter eagerly try to figure out the current day faster than her big brother, and I listen as my newest baby babbles trying to join in the conversation. And then there are those days, usually right after vacation, where I have to scramble for a hard copy calendar to try and mull over the real date! The kids get a wonderful chance to see how think. (Lessee, we were at the Smithsonian on Friday, then drive to PA Saturday, then drove home Sunday, and now that makes today Monday.)

When I have the hard copy, I use it to talk about what holiday is in what month, or when the seasons change. We flip on thru remembering past months and planning future ones. We also use breakfast time to figure out how much longer till vacation, or a friends visit, or an upcoming holiday or party. On the one hand this is ‘recommended’ third grade work, on the other it is recommended for mom, to save her from the midnight baking sessions before a birthday party!