A Day in the Life of an Octopus

The smell of semi burnt waffles fills my nostrils. I can hear my mother loudly whisper to the girls to open a window. Just 5 more minutes is all I need as I pull the blanket over my head. Too late. The smoke detector is blaring. I rush to open the door to find Cadence frantically waving a magazine towards the ceiling to clear the air. "Hey, Mommy! We're almost done with breakfast!" she excitedly squeals as she hops down from a stool. I look over at the DIY breakfast creations and crafts that cover the kitchen counter and give the nod of approval while displaying my best-tired smile. "Let me know when you're ready and I'll freshen up while I wait," I replied. I figured why not slip back into the bed for 10 more minutes.

Now either Darth Vader manifested underneath my covers, or I'd slipped back into a deeper than intended sleep. Just when sheer panic was sure to meet curiosity, all of the air was forced from my body. Who but Camille with the strength of 50 Kangaroos pounces on my thankfully empty stomach. "Surprise Auntie B! Are you hungries? I got whiskers!"

I look at her with bewilderment. "Whiskers? You aren't a cat." I said trying to keep straight face. "Has anyone seen the whisk?" Cadence yells from the kitchen. I pull back the sheets only to find a batter-coated whisk. Camille happily exclaims whiskers as she jumps from the bed and trots to the kitchen. "Don't worry about the sheets! I already started your laundry!" my mother proudly states. While that should sound like music to my ears, it certainly means all the hot water is close to nonexistent. A cold shower just might be the remedy to wash away the sleep and shock my senses to reality.

The chill bumps are still fresh on arms from the shower when Camille bursts into the bathroom. "Auntie B!", she yells and yanks on my bathrobe. I pick her up as she's holding a cleaned whisk in her hand and proudly says "whisk". "Good job!" I reply as she then turns her gaze to me. Her eyes study my face for a moment followed by her fingers. "What is it love? What do you see?" I ask with a spirit of concern. Her focused expression transforms into a sly grin as her fingers stop above my lips and her lips part to say "whiskers". It was at that moment that the kitchen erupted with laughter. Nothing beats the comedy of a two-year-old.

Breakfast is fulfilling but short-lived as the small black notebook emerges. Errands, affirmations, action steps, and to-do lists cover the pages. You guessed it….I'm an octopus. Stronger than I look with the talent of juggling many, though the inking part gets a bit tricky. There's not much to fear but every once in a while you may catch me running as if someone is chasing me. It always freaks my neighbors out and makes for a good story and laugh.

What isn't so funny is what's at the top of the to-do list. The dreaded Monopoly tickets from the grocery store. The girls have been begging for weeks to glue them down on the board and today is THAT day. "Mommy can we please glue them now?!", Cadence proclaims with the most innocent gaze you cannot deny. "Auntie B! Glue Sticks!!!", Camille chimes in. My sister Erica has a whole system of how we can divide and conquer, and even created a spreadsheet. How can I say no? What she doesn't know is that some of our pieces are dirty, sticky, crumpled up, or deep down in my purse. "We can even use the coupons and free stuff on the inside!", my mother gives her most convincing tone.

We sit for what seems like hours and my Dad peeks over to check our progress. "You know there's always next year if you don't find a match.", he says with reassurance but with a trash bag on standby. "Who even wins the Monopoly game?", my Dad asks. I nervously replied, "We do." He gives me a look as I place the missing tab on the $20,000 marker.