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Show i I Schedules are for breaking By Mary Gae Evans I really admire people who can plan ahead and work on a schedule-people who have all their work done by 9 a.m. and seem to always have perfect makeup and not a hair out of place. I've tried it, I always swear I'll get up at 6 :00 and mop the floor and vacuum. Well, maybe get up at 8:15 and watch Donahue through half opened eyes, then vacuum and "dust" floors. In the middle of this, however, the phone usually rings and a box of cereal is spilled on said floor. After cleaning the floor for the second time and listening to gripes about "no good cereal" I get out a pan because now I'll have to cook something. Naturally, one kid wants french toast and the other scrambled eggs-both eggs-both immediately. This involves time and frustration. I sit down after to rest for a moment and my arm sticks to the spilled syrup on the table and the phone rings again. One hour and 30 minutes later, the kitchen is reasonably clean and I am only three hours behind schedule. Next on the list is washing. So, I sort the clothes all over the bathroom floor and pop a batch in the washer. Now things are going good but the phone rings again and "oh, oh" I'm out of laundry detergent. I'm still in my heard, but don't quote me" type things to discuss. Now I'm six hours behind schedule, there's still more laundry, the lunch mess to clean up, the kitchen floor to do over, and more dishes, dusting, shopping for something for dinner, hair to wash and curl, a church job lesson to prepare, beds to make, a 3:00 dentist appointment, ap-pointment, the blouse I promised myself I'd finish today, a garden full of weeds, a lawn in desperate need of water, and the cake I promised the kids I'd bake. And, "in my spare time" hubby asked if I would, please mend that pair of pants he tore a month ago and find his favorite pocket knife he lost outside somewhere. In between all this, I have to squeeze in a few of my favorite soap operas and a drive around town with a girl friend and a Dairy Freeze drink. Life just isn't simple for the dedicated homemaker; housework and cooking too often keep us from our naps, long phone calls, and favorite TV programs. ragged robe slippers so I'll have to get dressed and put on a little makeup. Little things like hair sticking straight up in the back and a broken eyebrow pencil slow things down a bit, but dark glasses will cover up a little. Then, guess who's in the store, an old girl friend (who did have an eyebrow pencil) and she wants to visit. Thirty minutes later I get home with my melted ice cream and laundry soap. The wash is in so now it's on to picking up so I can finish the floors. It's sort of like a treasure hunt: I find odd socks, gum wrappers, cups and, if there have been kids under four around, everything is recycled continuously. Can openers appear in the bath tub, half eaten apples find their way into drawers and suckers are stuck to socks and sometimes in hair. Another phone call and a lot of important "things I've |