My days right now, look nothing like I thought they might when I was growing up. My days are full, yet I often feel like I don’t get much accomplished. Raising 4 kids while pregnant is hard. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids to pieces, but it’s hard work. So, in an effort to help myself see that I really DO get something done each day, I thought I’d list out what my day is like. And, if you get a better glimpse into me, my life, my family and how we roll (some days), that’s good too. So, here is what we’ve done today.
Shortly before 5:30am – Professor is up and in the bathroom
5:30am – Alarm goes off, get up, wake up Blue, pop in to make sure Professor is getting ready. He’s already dressed and has made his bed. Remind him to get the dirty clothes in the basket. Warm up the 2 day old coffee (I’m the only one who drinks it – 1 mug a morning – and I just can’t let a pot go to waste)
5:45am – Make pancakes for breakfast. I made a double batch hoping for a few leftovers. Put plates, butter and syrup on the counter for people to get what they need and eat. Packed lunch for Racer, Blue and Professor as I was too tired to do it last night.
6:05am – Remind Professor to do “hair, teeth and deodorant” and get his school stuff together. Ask him to feed the dogs.
6:15am – Pour Blue a glass of milk and get Professor out the door for the bus. It came early yesterday and we didn’t want to miss it again today.
6:25am – Come inside with Girlie (she woke up and joined us waiting for the bus and looking at a HUGE spider) and watch Racer shove 3 pancakes down followed by a glass of milk.
6:30am – Tell Racer and Blue goodbye for the day, help Girlie get her breakfast, change Gorilla’s diaper and get his breakfast
6:45am – Start breakfast cleanup
7:00am – Breakfast is done, start boiling eggs for lunch, turn on cartoons for the little kids
7:15am – Sit down and check computer stuff (Facebook, email, blogs I follow, get my morning Swagbucks)
7:40am – Realize that the eggs are still on the stove! Go in and see the pan boiled dry; turn off the burner and put cool water in the pan
7:45am – Little kids brush teeth while I get dressed (no shower today), put a load of laundry in, then get little kids dressed.
8:00-10:00am – Homeschooling; This week we are on the letter A for apple, alligator and astronaut. We read, practiced writing Aa, did apple addition, made alligator paper bag puppets, reviewed our Adam and Eve story w/coloring pages and wrote a letter to an “A” friend.
10:00am – Outside play time! While Girlie and Gorilla play, I hang the load of laundry on the line, try to have them “beat a rug,” load the recycling in the car, sweep out the entryway, vacuum the vent/windows in the entryway.
11:20am – Come inside and make lunch, eat clean up
11:55am – Change Gorilla’s diaper and put him down for a nap
12:00pm – Send Girlie up for “quiet time” and talk to Racer during his lunch break
12:15pm – Sit down to computer to check message boards and begin blogging
12:50pm – Go outside to get mail
12:55pm – Come inside and sit down to read the mail (I got a magazine)
1:10pm – Lay down “for a few minutes to put my feet up”
1:43pm – Wake up, realizing it’s been longer than a few minutes and I need to use the bathroom
1:44pm – Watch the clock change and think “I really need to get up,” close my eyes again
1:48pm – I REALLY need to use the bathroom!
1:55pm – Take a pack of toilet paper to the kids bathroom on my way to the kitchen to unload/load the dishwasher
2:10pm – Realize I need to change the printer ink so I can print out the recipe for tonight’s dinner
2:15pm – Sit down to print out the recipe and check FB, email while the page is loading – Hillbilly Housewife is doing maintenance and the page is going slow, update blog post
2:25pm – Gorilla is awake and Girlie is now downstairs, get off computer and get them something for a snack
2:35pm – Prep the Hamburger Pinwheels for dinner tonight and clean-up mess; mental note – next time, double the dough recipe
2:55pm – Go upstairs to check on Girlie and Gorilla playing. She has created a “party” which means many of her toys are piled on the floor between her bed and window wall. Mental note – when she is a teenager, NEVER let her host a party. A mess is sure to be left. Pick up many toys and get room slightly back in order.
3:10pm – Go outside to bring in laundry and wait for Professor to get off the bus.
3:20pm – Professor is home. Go inside, put laundry on the bed (it’s Racer’s stuff so he’ll put it away), clean out lunchbox, sit down to update blog post (otherwise I’ll forget what I’ve done)
3:27pm – Listen to Girlie and Gorilla chase each other, talk to Professor about a carrot top he’s trying to sprout, snack he wants and homework to be done
3:29pm – BIG SIGH! Close eyes for just a moment, deep breath and remember that one day, I’ll miss this crazy, loud chaotic after-school time
3:30pm – Go get a snack ready for Professor
3:35pm – Blue gets home from school a bit early, play tooth fairy and nurse w/Girlie while wrestling/playing jungle gym with Gorilla, remind Blue to take out the dogs
3:50pm – Check Professors homework
3:55pm – Head outside to push Gorilla in the swing, point out spiders and webs, lay in the hammock!, play friends, referee disagreements and watch the dogs so they don’t break out of the fence
4:55pm – Head inside
5:00pm – Start dinner
5:05pm – Call Racer to see if he made it to a friend’s house to help with a project
5:10pm – While listening to kids argue, decide to turn on K-LOVE for some refreshing Christian music, continue with dinner as Gorilla tries to hang from my shirt wanting “up,” Girlie wants a drink and Professor reads a Pokemon book
5:20pm – Set the table
5:30pm – Calm a crying baby and call kids to the table, pray and begin eating
5:48pm – Blue is done and leaves the table
5:49pm – Racer gets home and sits down to eat, the rest of the kids leave the table as they finish
5:56pm – I leave the table and go start bath water
6:00pm – Gorilla gets in the tub, remind Professor to go load/unload dishwasher
6:10pm – Girlie gets in the tub
6:15pm – Get Gorilla out and get his pj’s on, paged by Girlie from the tub 3 times
6:16pm – Notice the dishwasher hasnt’ been touched and track down Professor to do his chore
6:17pm – Blue asks to go to Wal-Mart for graph paper, told her no (we were just there yesterday and she knew she needed it then), gave her some small sheets that happened to be around
6:20pm – Sit down to update blog post
6:26pm – Remind Blue to feed the dogs
6:30pm – Hear Blue yelling about Gorilla throwing all the dog food she just put into the bowls out onto the floor as Professor laughs, go referee
6:33pm – Finish updating blog post as I hear Racer getting Girlie washed up in the tub, check Facebook
6:38pm – Girlie come streaking in after bath, Professor comes in to tell me his chore is done, he gets sent into the tub, continue my “computer time”
6:48pm – Ask Racer to take his turn refereeing, help Blue locate a stapler
6:54pm – Get bathroom cleaned up after Professor’s bath, give Gorilla a good night kiss and hug, check on Blue doing homework and have a discussion about algebra
7:05pm – Girlie and I clean up play/family room then read books while listening to Racer try to put Gorilla to bed (much crying is involved)
7:18pm – Racer “tags out” and I go in; Gorilla is putting up a MAJOR fight! I sing, pat, hug, he screams, cries, kicks, fights. He calms down.
7:40pm – I leave Gorilla’s room (he’s quiet and almost asleep) just in time to give Girlie a kiss and hug for bed.
7:43pm – Send Professor up to his room to bring down all the library books due tomorrow, sit down to update blog and Facebook with one of the best nursery workers ever
7:52pm – Go upstairs with Professor to do devotions and put him to bed, had a discussion about making friends and LOVED hearing his honest, sincere prayer
8:12pm – Came downstairs and looked for Racer and Blue, passed by Gorilla’s door and heard snoring, tried opening the door to find him asleep behind it. I used the door to push him in enough to squeeze in, then lift him up and put him back in bed. Gorilla slept through it all.
8:15pm – Thinking Blue is in her room and Racer fell asleep with Girlie. Sat down and read Hebrews 12 and Genesis 40. Hebrews 12:1-13 really hit home with me. Genesis 40, not so much.
8:25pm – It’s quiet in the house. I should probably do something productive, but instead, I get on the computer to update this post and just surf. Started to read the summary of a research project I contributed thoughts/ideas too…
8:43pm – Blue comes downstairs and begins a discussion about a potential college major, how I feel about it, what she really wants to do, places she wants to visit…
8:53pm – remind Blue of the time and that she needs to pack lunch and shower still, Racer comes downstairs
8:55pm – Blue brings her library books downstairs and wants them ALL renewed, I told her to pick one
Since I’m tired and have yet to have a meaningful conversation with Racer (and this post is getting rather long), I’ll just end now. Plus, I’m sure Racer wants the computer. Know that I usually try to pack lunches before bed, and I may just lay on the couch, talk to Racer, watch something silly on TV and fall asleep. I really do get quite a bit accomplished in a day and I know that one day, I’ll wake up, have no one to take care of other than me, and remember these days fondly, thanking God that we all made it through in one piece.
Rev. Kris Mares 