Just 5 or 10 minutes…

Swish, swash, swish, swash. The dishwasher moves the water around noisily as I sit on the couch with my laptop. I’m preparing to write about this Writer’s Workshop prompt: “Listen to the sounds in your house for 5 or 10 minutes. Write about what you hear.” I’m thinking, “5 or 10 minutes to write a blog post! I can do that!”

Just as I open the “Add New Post” browser I hear footsteps on the stairs. A little voice says, “Mom, I can’t sleep.” I look up at my 7 year old and sigh. She has a big test tomorrow, and I’m supposed to make sure she gets plenty of sleep. Lately she hasn’t been going to sleep by 8:00 the way she used to. I take her upstairs to her bedroom. As I lie down next to her, she starts talking about what makes a sentence, and how it takes more than just a capital letter and a punctuation mark to make a real sentence. My tired brain has a hard time following what she is saying; we are whispering so that we won’t disturb her little sister. Her mind is churning with information she has learned at school today, and she seems far from sleep. I know that if I stay, she won’t be able to stop talking. I tell her it’s time to be quiet; she needs to sleep. I tiptoe downstairs.

The dishwasher has run through the wash and rinse cycle, and is now quiet. The window is open. The crickets chirp. I settle back on the couch to write my blog post. The only sound I hear from upstairs is the whirring of the fan in the hallway. Finally I have 5 minutes to myself to write this blog post. Until I hear the key in the front door, and Ed walks in.

Mama’s Losin’ It

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16 Responses to Just 5 or 10 minutes…

  1. Kasey says:

    Yup, sounds like my home lately! Everyone's schedule is shifting or just plain crazy! Nights like this are the reason I've been silent in the blogging world. I am hoping some sort of quiet at a decent hour is in my near future!

  2. Chris PM says:

    I totally know the feeling! (Sounds like our place :) I haven't been around the SITS girls site recently….kinda have fallen out of the "writing prompt" thing (I think ever since they started charging for linky-tools and I stopped blog-hopping….although I used to really enjoy it!)
    My recent post Learning the Dance

  3. Rachel J. says:

    Yep, you finally get five minutes to yourself and then there's always one more thing coming at ya! Oh well, it makes life more interesting, right? ;)
    My recent post No Words, Just Pics: A Typical Day {It's A Dog's Life}

  4. jesterqueen says:

    DOH!!! Dagnabbit, the one night you needed traffic to be a little slower. .. I do feel for your little one with the test, and I love the way her sounds became the bulk of the post.

  5. Tracie says:

    Oh, I love the idea of using a writing prompt. Sometimes it takes a while for me to come up with new blog posts! Found you via SITS.
    My recent post Tutorial: Easy DIY Team Wreath

  6. LMaunt says:

    I think Lily needs to teach some of my college students about sentences!

  7. That's always the way it is, isn't it? Never 5 minutes to rub together. Sigh…

  8. That sounds very much like bedtime at my house these days!
    My recent post Morning Sounds

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