4.26.2012

A Day in the Life

It has been quite awhile since I have done a "day in the life" post, and I think it is safe to say that my days have changed a lot since the last one.  I love reading about the ins & outs of other people's daily lives.  Though I might be alone on this (?), here is a peek at mine:

6:30 a.m.  My alarm goes off the first time.   I hit snooze at least once every morning.  Occasionally one of the girls might be waking up around this same time (usually Addison).  If so, I go get her out of bed and bring her to our bed to snuggle.

6:45-7:00 a.m.  I roll out of bed somewhere in this range and head for the shower.  If one of the girls is awake (they are rarely both awake at this time), I turn on Mickey Mouse or Curious George for her.

7:15-7:50 a.m.  I do my makeup and hair and get dressed while answering demands from the girls.  I usually try to start their lunch if it's a school day (Tues., Wed., Thurs.).  My mom comes over around 7:30 to get the girls ready for school.  I go to work at 8:00, so she takes them to school at 9:00, or stays with them if it's Monday or Friday.

8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  I am almost always a couple of minutes late for work, something I am trying to work on!  I usually eat an apple and peanut butter at my desk while I check my work email, etc.  There is not a whole lot of structure to my workday routine.  I do whatever needs doing first, then catch up on everything else as I can.  I get urgent to-dos first thing in the morning sometimes, and occasionally around midafternoon.  Otherwise, I just try to clear some of the stacks that are constantly threatening to take over my desk:

My messy desk this morning

Addison & Mackenzie have school 9 a.m.-2 p.m. three days a week.  On Mondays, they stay with my mom all day, either at our house or hers, or a combination of the two.  On Fridays, my mom stays with them until Jeremy gets up (from his second-shift job) around 10, then they have "Daddy-Daughter Day".  I think they all love their lazy Fridays...I often come home to find all three of them still in pajamas!

12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.  Lunch is one of my favorite times of the day.  I go home a few days a week, where I enjoy the stillness of an empty house and squeeze in some reading time while I eat.  Other days, I go out to lunch with friends or run errands and grab something to bring back to the office.  On Fridays, I usually go home to hang out with J and the girls for a little while.

1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.  More work.  My mom picks Addison & Mackenzie up from school and they go to our house or hers, where they play outside, have a snack, and occasionally go to the park or some other fun destination.  If it's not a school day, the girls usually nap from 2ish until 4ish.

4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.  I pick the girls up if they are at my mom's, or head home if they are already there.  I always change clothes first thing, because I am eager to get out of my work clothes, and they tag along, telling me about their day.  We play a little, and I start our dinner. 

5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.  Any combination of dinner, playtime, and bathtime happens during this time.  If supper takes a little longer to prepare, the girls play while it's cooking or we all hang out together.  Last night, I fell asleep on the couch for about 15 minutes, until Addison woke me up banging on her drum while performing a "concert"!  With the beautiful weather we have been having, I am occasionally able to let the girls play in the backyard while I cook (I can see them well from my kitchen window).  I leave the deck door open and they wander in and out.  I love these little moments of independence, and I love when they rush in to tell me something that just happened outside or to ask for a drink.

We usually go straight to bath after supper.  Bath can take anywhere from 30 minutes to close to an hour, depending on our moods and how well they are playing in the tub.  If they are playing well, I catch up on Facebook, Twitter, or Words with Friends while refereeing. This is also usually the period when the girls use the potty for the last time for the night, unless we have a rare bedtime request (bladders of steel, I tell you!).  If Jeremy is home, he typically does bath while I clean up the kitchen or work on something else.

7:30-8:00 p.m.  We all hit the couch to watch an episode of whatever is the favorite for the week, usually from Netflix.  Right now, it's almost always the Fresh Beat Band, which often inspires a little pre-bedtime dance party.  The girls have a few drinks of milk or juice and occasionally some yogurt or fruit snacks if they are asking for a bedtime snack.  Lately, I have been able to do a little reading of my own while they watch their show, which is a pretty awesome advancement.

8:00-8:30 p.m.  When the allotted episode goes off, the girls inevitably ask for "one more!", but they are getting much better about not grumbling when I herd them to the bathroom to brush teeth.  We all three crowd into the rocking chair to read a couple of stories (at least two, sometimes more, depending on the time and attitudes) and say prayers.  I sing (badly) one song while holding the two of them, then rock them each for a minute before putting them in bed.  I turn on the lullaby CD, give each girl "one last hug and kiss" (per their request), and exit the room, calling out "Sweet dreams, I love you!" as many times as they answer me back.  Apparently, I am supposed to say it last, and Addison usually yells it at least three times.  : )

8:30-9:15 p.m.  I clean the kitchen from dinner, doing whatever needs to be done with the dishes (J is good to help me by unloading the dishwasher several times a week, so it's ready to go at night), and generally straightening a bit of the chaos. 

9:15-11:00 (or lately, 12:00)  My time...I read, blog, watch tv, or sew/craft.  If I have work to do for the classes I teach, this is when that happens.  The laundry is perpetually piled up, but if J and I are down to nothing to wear, I fold clothes while catching up on tv.  If Jeremy is home, we watch some of our DVR'd shows from the week.  I read at some point almost every night, even if only for a few minutes before bed.  It's my release from the day, before it starts all over again.

What does your day look like?  Seriously, I love reading these things, so leave a link if you've written one lately...or go ahead and write one now! 

4 comments:

  1. I love this! Sounds like you've gotten things down and it works well for y'all! And what a great mother you have! (Hug her for me!) I'm going to do this too, although mine won't be that exciting!

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  2. I love this post! I am going to do this today. I am working on a better routine for Ava at night. :)

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  3. Sounds like a full day! I love the independence that 3 brings! My girls would play outside by themselves all day.

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  4. Remember, I'm curious so I LOVE reading about other people's days.

    Actually, when I start coaching a new client, the first thing we talk about is their days :)

    I may or may not play along.... I have so much talking to do on the blog but let's see LOL

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