It's not even 7:00 yet!

When the kids are in school I have 6 hours of "me" time. I tend to be very very selfish with this time.
It took me 4 very long years of never having a single second to myself to get here and so I want to selfishly enjoy it. I don't get to relax on weekends and I don't get "down time" or time to relax other than that 6 hours.
When the boys are home they are 100% my responsibility. PT claims he needs his down time on the weekends and while he will take PJ out and do stuff with him most of his weekends are spent right here on his laptop with his headset on playing Warcraft.
I don't want to spend this time doing laundry or cleaning.
This family accumulates more laundry than any other family I've ever seen. It's amazing to me the mountains that pile up.
I usually get up at around 5:00 to start doing laundry. Laundry is in the building's basement and there are two machines down there.
Usually the kids are asleep when I start this whole process and Lion isn't aware that I'm out of his sightline.
Except this morning. Humphrey our resident Basset Hound woke up at 4:30. I had to take him out.
Lion lept out of bed and when he realized what I was doing I began to protest. This continued out in the very quiet hall where he followed me waiting, howling, rattling the doorknob sobbing.
We came back inside and I calmed everyone down gave them breakfast and proceded to collect the bag of laundry and drag it to the door.
No protest from Lion so I thought we would be okay and I could sneak out.
I'm in the basement knee deep in laundry when I hear my door rattle and slam shut. Then I hear the familiar "mommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyy" (sniffle, snortle, sob)
Deep breath mommy.
"Lion I'm down here. I'll be up in a second"
"MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" and then it's quiet.
I grab the clean laundry and carry it up the stairs two at a time like baby. I hear Lion's faint voice which now sounds confused and VERY scared but soft like he's whispering
"Mommy? Mommy?"
I run into the building vestibule thinking he somehow got the front door open. No Lion.
I run to the basement stairs and call to him "Lion?? Where ARE you?"
again the soft "Mommy?"
I realized it's coming from upstairs. I start to take the stairs 2 at a time (which if you've seen me lately you will know this is all momma bear adrenaline ) all the way up to the 5th floor where I find my sweet scared Lion huddled waiting and very confused.
"MOMMY"
I've never been hugged so tight by him ever. He had a choke hold around my neck as though if he let go I would disappear again.
My poor little lion. What on earth can the rest of the day hold if it's started out in such a dramatic fashion?