Aidan is taking an anime/manga drawing class at school.

Here’s the man of the house in full manga glory.

Those of you who know my husband will agree it really does look like him.

Today I ran the dishwasher and completed two and a half loads of laundry. I changed a few diapers, fed six kids their breakfast, two kids their lunch, and one baby milk made by my body.

I call those milky meals Midnight Snacks 1,2, and 3, Breakfast 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 3.27, and Lunch 1, 1.1, 1.5, 1.854, and 2.

Lunch 3 will begin after fitful and pointless Newborn Nap #22 of the day.

I drove four children safely to their school with packed lunches and properly completed homework in their backpacks. They wore seasonal coats and only one boy had a hole in his pants—right knee.

I made my bed and encouraged a toddler to make hers.

A pile of papers to read, sign, and return awaits my attention. Important matter are left in my care, things like granting permission to visit a museum dedicated to choo-choo trains. I must also carefully consider a proposal to buy slices of pizza for lunch on March Fridays. I think I will do it.

Midday, I sent small children outside to harvest fresh air and sunshine. I joined them briefly, between Newborn Naps #18 and 19. It’s beautiful, near 70 degrees, with a warm wind blowing from the direction of everywhere.

The kids sat in a bed of wood chips side by side, digging the dirt underneath. They were barefoot. I asked what they were doing.

“We are going to make a castle.”

I considered their plan to make a castle out of dry dirt on a windy day, but didn’t say anything to discourage them. Instead, I left them with a very deep thought:

“That dirt seems really dirty, guys.”

They didn’t care.

They had full stomachs, slip-off shoes, and a mommy who would be inside waiting with liquid soap that smells like vanilla and a pink hand towel.