One Day

Last night I came across a list of day when A was about 6 months old.  It made me smile and wondered what a normal day was like for us now.  There is no such thing as a "normal" day with young kids.  However, as we have no special plans for today I figure this is as good a chance as any to track exactly what our day looks like.  I figured I would share so that I could go back and read it later.  Maybe someone will get a smile from this entry or a better insight into exactly what it means to stay home with young children.  Maybe it will do both for someone, maybe it won't.  Either way, it is a good way for me to see exactly where all my time goes so here you are:



5:40am - Wake up when A crawls into bed with me claiming that she has had a bad dream.  Hug her for a minute until she feels better and then DH takes her back to bed.

6:10am - T wakes up hungry.  DH brings him in and I start nursing him.

6:12am - Realize that T is not wearing his splint.  I am thankful he only bruised his hand instead of breaking anything and the doctor said that the splint is optional.

6:13am - Fall back asleep snuggling my boy.

6:36am - Wake up and realize that A is now in bed with me too.  DH comes in and grabs the kids so that I can get a few minutes of sleep on my own.

6:54am - DH wakes me up to start the day.  I realize that I am now 10 minutes behind schedule.

6:55am - Hop in the shower and shiver because I forgot to let the water warm up before I got in.

7:01am - Dry off and get dressed, while trying to convince myself that this shower should count as a "long" shower because I had time to shave.

7:08am - Head into the kitchen to make breakfast.  Attempting to put two thoughts together at this hour with both kids talking at me is proving a challenge, but I do realize that DH has managed to get both kids dressed in outfits that actually go together for which I am thankful.

7:22am - Send DH to work with a granola bar because he isn't gonna have time to help us eat the french toast.

7:26am - The french toast is ready, but the kids will need more protein so I throw a couple of mini frittatas in the microwave.

7:27am - Breakfast is ready when A announces she has to go to the bathroom.

7:31am - Both kids are ready to sit down to breakfast so I jump on the opportunity before the food gets too cold.

7:40am - I realize that while T is okay with one piece of french toast and most of his frittata, A will happily eat her weight in french toast.  I convince her to finish her frittata in exchange for half of one of my pieces of french toast and make a mental note to make enough for 2 hungry adults the next time I make this for the kids.

7:42am - T is done with breakfast and starts throwing his frittata which he had previously smeared in maple syrup.  Clean him up and let him run off and play.

7:54am - A has finished her frittata and is happy that I saved her some french toast.  I clear the table and drink my tea while she finishes eating.

7:58am - Realize that T is starting to pull toys out in the living room and if I want to vacuum at all today I better hurry.

8:20am - I realize that as much as letting the kids play with the vacuum attachments is a great way to make them look forward to vacuuming, it is also a great way to ensure that you never can vacuum the cobweb out of the corner when you need to without having to track someone down and steal their favorite toy...

8:36am - Finish vacuuming the carpet and realize that I should blog about this as a response to the question of what a stay at home mom does all day.

8:38am - Both kids are playing happily so I grab the computer to start typing.

8:47am - A asks me to grab her a doll blanket and I realize that she is pretending to sleep in the doll bed.

8:51am - T goes over to play too and they snuggle for a minute before he runs off to grab his own blanket.

8:54am - I move the stools from the kitchen counter onto the carpet so I can vacuum the kitchen and dining room.  T starts climbing them and A decides she wants to use them to host a picnic.  Explain to A that there are two stools and that she has to share one with T.

8:58am - T sees the computer and manages to reach up and open the CD drive.  I look over in time to see him trying to use it as a handhold to climb on the counter.

9:00am - Realize that the reason T's pants don't look quite right is because they belong to A.  Resolve to start folding and putting away the laundry myself instead of leaving it to DH.  I don't really get to complain if I'm not the one doing it and really want to complain...

9:06am - As I am in the middle of vacuuming the kitchen and realizing that I am going to need to sweep too, A asks if I can come to her picnic.  I ask her if she can please wait until I am done.

9:12am - The vacuum is stowed and I'm off to a picnic of fake food in the living room.  But first I stop to take off my apron and take my allergy meds which I forgot to take with breakfast.

9:17am - T says he has to go potty.  I pull off the sopping wet diaper and let him try the potty.  He pees a little on the potty and is super excited.  I put a fresh diaper on him along with pants that actually belong to him before giving him a giant hug simply because I can and heading back out to play with A.

9:24am - Explain to A that if you are so frustrated you are knocking down the tower you keep trying to build that maybe it is time for a break.  She agrees to come back to it later and goes off to play with the zoo on her own.  I head for the kitchen to sweep.

9:25am - T starts fussing and I realize that he has managed to tie himself in knots in the giant playsilk and cannot get out.  I untie him and hug him for a minute before he wants down to play.

9:32am - Kids are playing nicely so I head back to the kitchen to sweep, only to realize that there is too much cat hair on the broom and I need to go outside to knock it off.  I decide to sweep the front porch and water the flowers while I am out there and am glad of our new screen door because it means that the kids can watch and talk to me without me having to worry about them or the cat running off while I'm sweeping.

9:37am - Done sweeping and on to mopping while the kids are still playing happily.

9:55am - Finish mopping only to have both kids ask to help me mop as I am putting away the steam mop.  After talking about it they decide that they are okay with waiting until next time.  Given how hard I had to scrub to get the floor clean I'm thinking that next time will be coming sooner than they think.

9:56am - Stop to blog and see the email saying my audio book is in at the library.  Do a mini dance of joy and hope the kids will be as excited about listening to it together as I am.

9:57am - A pushes T down.  We all talk about our feelings and how it isn't nice to push.  Snuggle both kids until A wanders off.  Realize that T's feet are cold and stop to find his socks.

10:06am - Realize the cat is on the counter drinking my tea.  I tell him nicely to stop and jump up to grab him.  A immediately starts repeating what I'd said to the cat making me very glad that I'd settled for nice instead of using the words I wanted to...

10:10am - Text my sister with a question on how to make lunch.  Realize that T and A are starting to fight over silly things so I send A to her room for a few minutes.

10:14am - A comes out and apologizes without being asked.  We hug, snuggle and talk for a minute before deciding to head to the park for some fresh air.  I scramble to put the dining room chairs back while A gets her shoes on.

10:27am - Realize that getting ready for the park would be easier if T wasn't being so fussy.  Get him ready and wrap him on my back so I can get ready and help A.

10:30am - Punch myself in the jaw trying to wrap because I was distracted by the fact that T just said the word "wrap".  He is happier now that he is on my back.

10:34am - All ready to head to the park with T almost asleep on my back :)

10:38am - A decides she has to go potty just as we are about to walk out the door and T now fully asleep on my back...

10:42am - Make it out the door to the park.  A didn't actually have to go potty, she just wanted an excuse to make faces at herself in the bathroom mirror.  A and I walk with T on my back asleep.  Once we are there I knit a little while A plays.  She is finally tall enough to reach the monkey bars so that brings some pretty major excitement.  (I know, by most standards my life is boring, but it's my life and I like it.)

11:22am - A realizes suddenly that she actually has to go potty now.  T wakes up just as we start to walk home.

11:30am - We are home and both A and T claim they have to pee.  They both manage to make it and we have dry pants (or diaper in T's case) all around.

11:40am - A decides she wants to play kindergarten and grabs one of her bins while T has fun playing with a spoon.  I decide to attempt to start lunch.

11:41am - I hear T opening the bathroom door and go to check on him.  He is grabbing the stool so that he can get into trouble...By which I mean put away the silverware and grab a different spoon.

11:47am - A is done with her sight word practice and starts pretending to build words a la Word World.

11:52am - A is building words and T is retrieving the letters she drops.  I am attempting to remember how to make risotto as my sister never texted me back.  Thankfully I remember that it is okay to throw in some extra stock early on so that it doesn't burn while I'm running back and forth between the stove and the kids.

12:15pm - The risotto is done and staying warm on the stove.  DH calls to say he is on his way home.  The kids have been playing nicely at the table this whole time and sharing their activities and discussing them with me.  However, the second the phone rings A decides to climb up on the table and tries to brush T's teeth with a clothespin.  I pull T out of his high chair and he runs off to play.

12:19pm - The cat jumps up on the counter yet again, but starts purring as soon as I grab him down.  I realize that he is just doing it to get attention and that he could probably use a hug.

12:21pm - Realize suddenly that T is out of sight and being awfully quiet.  I set down the cat that I am still hugging and go check on him.  I find him in his room playing quietly with his toys so I tiptoe out without disturbing him.

12:23pm - DH gets home and we start cleaning up and setting the table for lunch.

12:31pm - We actually start eating.  Lunch today is chicken asparagus risotto following the formula in the Zuni Cafe cookbook that my awesome uncle randomly sent me.  Once I figured out the technique I realized that risotto isn't actually hard and is a wonderful way to use up those tiny bits of leftover veggies, meat and cheese that would otherwise go to waste.

12:49pm - Finish up lunch and begin the work of getting the kids and the table clean.

1:08pm - We finally have everyone clean and ready to go.  It is time to load the kids in the car and take DH back to work so that I'll have the car for the CSA pick-up this afternoon.  On the way out the door I realize that I really need to pick-up the stitches for the sleeve on a sweater and that the 5 minute car ride will probably be the best opportunity I have all day so I grab my knitting bag as an afterthought.

1:14pm - Drop DH off at work.

1:17pm - Decide to hit Joanns for some more elastic.

1:19pm - Realize that I have to drive right by Hancock Fabrics to get to Joanns and decide to stop try there first.

1:37pm - Get to Hancock despite weird traffic and taking a wrong turn.

1:48pm - As I am searching the notions section trying to figure out where they are hiding the type of elastic I need A decides she has had enough.  First she claims she has to pee, but admits when asked that she is just saying it because she is bored, then she runs off.  I chase her down and explain that we have to pay for our stuff before we leave.  On the way out I ask if they have a restroom because by now A is doing the potty dance.  The cashier hands me the key and we head back to find it.  Once we get there A says that she really doesn't have to go...

2:12pm - Talk it over with A and T who are now both in the mood for adventures and decide to head to Joanns to find the exact thing that we need.

2:26pm - Get to Joanns, traffic was better this time.

2:43pm - Find what we are looking for, including fabric for A.  Take a number and wait for our turn at the cutting counter.

3:06pm - They finally call our number, but not before more fabric has a chance to hop into my cart after I realize that I promised my sister to make a petticoat for her wedding dress.

3:13pm - After the line at the cutting counter, the checkout line was mercifully short.  We have now paid and made it back out to the car.  It is late enough that I decide to head straight to the CSA and let the kids play at a nearby park until it is time to pick-up our share.

3:30pm - I realize that the car is awfully quiet.  I check at a stoplight and realize that both kids are now asleep.  I decide to skip the park.

3:41pm - I find a shady parking spot near the CSA and roll down the windows to wait for it to open.  I figure that this is a great chance to knit, but I'm too tired to knit so I play word games on my Kindle and doze off while waiting for the kids to wake up.

4:45pm - I realize that the the kids aren't going to wake up on their own and it would be good to get on with our day.  I wake them up and grab the bag and the kids to walk the block to our pick-up location.  T is on my back in the Ergo and A is walking along holding my hand and carrying the bag for me.  She finds an acorn on the way and we talk about it for most of the walk.  At the CSA we got a plant start this week so I let the kids pick out which tomato plant we get and A snags a couple of radishes from the surplus basket.

5:05pm - Load the kids in the car and hand A the tomato plant to hold.  T is acting hungry and A asks if she can eat the radishes.  I wash the radishes and hand one to each kid.  To my surprise they both seem to really like them.

5:19pm - A starts crying because she dropped the tomato plant.  I pull over to rescue the plant and brush out as much dirt as I can.

5:35pm - We get to DH's work to pick him up.  He comes out a couple of minutes later.

5:45pm - We get home and I put the tomato plant outside with my other seedlings that are hardening off.  I then realize that the shade didn't move over as far as I thought it would and they are almost totally dried out.  I grab them and head inside to water them.

5:55pm - T is crying because DH took a book away from him after he accidentally tore it.  DH sits down to read to both kids which stops the tantrum.  I ask him to grab me in 10 minutes and go lay down to rest and figure out dinner.

5:59pm - While being sad that soup takes too long to make, I suddenly realize that I have several jars of frozen lentil minestrone in the outside freezer and some bread that is getting stale faster than we can eat it that would be perfect for dipping.  I leap out of bed to start the arduous work of throwing a jar of soup in the microwave while I type out this blog entry.

6:31pm - Set the table for dinner and eat.

6:51pm - I finish eating and get up to throw a the load of laundry I meant to wash this morning into the machine now.  DH stays at the table with the kids who are still having fun dipping stale bread in their soup.  I am happy that I managed a dinner that everyone loves when exhausted and feeling that we had "nothing" in the house.

6:57 pm - Stop to hug the kids.

7:05pm - Actually start the laundry and log on to the computer to talk to my sister and some friends for our normal Tuesday night hangout while DH gives the kids their bath.  I moved my laptop into the kitchen so that I could make apple crumb while we were talking.

7:50pm - The apple crumb is in the oven, but I realize that I promised A I would fix her pony nightlight before bed tonight.  I grab the screwdriver, pull it apart and start poking at wires.  Eventually it starts working again.  I put in a prayer request that the pony nightlight will continue to work.

8:00pm - Story time!  The kids alternately play and snuggle while DH reads in an effort to help everyone wind down the day on a nice note.  We are currently reading the second of the Boxcar Children books.  This makes me happy as these are the books that finally taught me how to read.

8:19pm - Story time is over, but the kids still have too much energy.  Let the kids run around like crazy for a while to burn off some of that energy.

8:45pm - Try again.  A obediently lays down and tries to sleep, but she mostly winds up just laying there watching her pony nightlight.  T still has too much energy.  This is what I get for letting them nap late and then not running them around enough in the evening.

9:15pm - A is crying because her nightlight turned itself off and only I can push the button to turn it back on.  T is finally ready to start trying to go to sleep.  Nursing is still part of his bedtime routine most nights so I settle in.

9:35pm - T is pretty well asleep in my arms and I am enjoying the snuggles while remembering the horrific story I'd seen about a lady who tried to sell her kids on Facebook.  A starts crying because her nightlight has turned off again and she needs me to turn it on.  The noise starts to wake T up so DH runs in and tries to sooth her.  He succeeds enough that she is willing to wait quietly for me as long as he stays with her.

9:40pm - T is back asleep and I tuck him in before going in to hug A and talk to her a bit about why sleep is important.

9:44pm - A is willing to go back to trying to get to sleep so I come out and blog.  I then realize that the lights load is still in the washer and that I need to wash the whites too so that A and DH have undershirts for tomorrow.

9:58pm - Check on A and find that she has finally fallen asleep.  Tuck her back in and give her one last kiss goodnight before slipping out to reboot the laundry.

10:02pm - Lights are in the dryer, but I stop to talk to DH on my way in to get the whites load.

10:10pm - The whites are now in the wash.  It is getting close to my bedtime, but I still need to exercise and the whites won't be ready for the dryer for at least another 45 minutes.  Consider frittering away time on Facebook, but realize I miss seeing DH so I go out and hang out with him and help with the dishes instead.

10:18pm - I thank DH for doing the final living room cleanup and we start chatting about that.  I learn that the way that he hadn't really been running with the kids so much as trying to teach them to dance reels.  I suddenly understand what A meant when she said that they had been running around the stools and it made me laugh.  I love my nerdy husband :)

10:46pm - I am now folding diapers as DH is working on the dishes and he starts talking about tea.  I finally can't take anymore talk without some to drink so I start the kettle to brew a fresh cup.  I really wish I liked decaf tea, maybe I can get away with mint?

11:01pm - Take a break from folding diapers to read my blogs and web comics while DH showers.  It feels nice to sit down with my tea.  Check my pedometer and decide to skip the workout because I've walked over 8k steps today and I'm tired.

11:30pm - Tired, but hungry again because the soup has worn off and I don't want to cut into the apple crumb until morning.  DH reheats the last of the risotto while I finish up folding diapers while thinking about the fact that I'd be done with the diapers if I hadn't hopped on the computer.

11:56pm - Check who all is planning on coming to our playdate tomorrow and put away the CSA share.  As soon as it is away I will be laying out my clothes for tomorrow and falling into bed.  I'm just glad that I don't have a couple of hours of work left anymore.