A Day in My Life

February 21, 2008

Everything is starting to work together in my life. Where once there was chaos and a LOT of wasted time here and there throughout my day, mess and stress every where, not there is a whole lot more peace and FLOW to my day. All it took was a little “routine” dashed in the right places, some time, patience, questions, research, experience and advice to help me make my day go smoother. But I feel a million times better from all I have learned in these 4 years of being a house wife and mother… well only house keeper full time for the past year. I hope to share my experience with those closest to me who have ears to hear and if I have a word or two to help their lives be easier then all the better.

6AM ME UP

• Turn off alarm, and set it for 7pm. I have learned that if I don’t get to bed on time each evening then struggle getting up the next morning because I’m too tired. Later this signals: bedtime routine, start getting settled in….
• Drink a glass of water, gotta stay hydrated being a nursing mother and all J
• Take dog outside to potty. Notice the roses on the little table, I need to plant those
• Unlock front door, open curtains and blinds, turn furnace up a few notches. I keep the house quite warm, and I do truly pay for it when the bill comes, bc I’m potty training my infant and I have decided that a two hundred dollar gas bill is way cheaper and easier on my life than a doctor bill or a stuffy nosed, can’t breathe to eat or sleep baby….
• I get dressed myself: skirts/ dresses as of lately, hair up (keeps it outta the way of babies grasp, can’t quite control his fists yet), teeth, deodorant, little spritz of something nice…. And most importantly SHOES. Being a SAHM, I realized that I don’t keep up my “pace” throughout the day as well if I don’t dress fully. Being shoeless has also been my excuse to not take out the trash or get mail...
• I give the bathroom a “once over” and plan on not cleaning it again… LOL yeah right… but yeah, wipe: sink, mirror, and swish toilet. I am usually quite proud of my shiny toiletJ
• Then I take baby potty and get the baby dresses: again since he is potty training, he remains pretty much butt exposed all day, so he gets several layers, three thick long sleeves, two pairs of sock, and usually a beanie hat. Then I just carry him loosely in a blanket with a cloth diaper directly under his butt, just incase I need to make an emergency run to the bathroom in case of an accident in progress. Luckily haven’t missed a BM, just about one or two dribbles, in which I just quickly switch out the clothe diaper for a clean one.
• I sit down at the computer room and have myself a quite time (devotions, check calendar, TO-DO list, and day’s menu; if nothing then I crochet) while I feed the baby. Then he needs a potty trip.

7AM KIDS UP

• Wake boys: dressed w. house slippers on, potty, teeth, vitamin
• Boys chores: Make bed, feed and water dog
• Every time I’m in the kitchen cooking, baby goes in the bouncy chair on floor, and boys talk to him or bounce him. While I heat the stove and make pancakes, actually crepes today.
• They set the table, removing the table cloth and candles; placing the cups of milk I’ve poured and napkins for each child. I just realized I should find a way to make fewer dishes, which mean less work/ time cleaning. BC I am always short of time to spare. While I put away dishes from night before if I didn’t do it before I went to sleep.

8AM BREAKFAST

• We pray and eat. I usually choose one meal for breakfast and one for lunch and we eat that EVERY day for one week. It makes the children grateful when they get something new, and my day is so much easier not having to plan a huge messy meal when they just need sustenance in their belly not gourmet to satisfy their taste buds… mainly speaking for myself…. I have such a sweet tooth. Today we had crepes with home made marionberry jam.
• When everyone is done they pretty much clean their place, my oldest wipes off table and replaces the table cloth and candles, I wash the few dishes and notice that spot on the stove is gone now... LOL, then my two year old helps sweep by “man-ing” the dust pan. See the baby in the bouncey chair?
• Baby goes in sling as I turn off stove or leave kitchen, maybe a potty trip real quick before.
• Now is when I usually do my Daily chores. Kitchen is done so I move to bedrooms. I make my bed, DH usually leaves for work about now, I still can’t talk him into waking to eat with us, not a breakfast eater… I sweep the remaining hard floors, living room and bathroom. Dust and wipe all surfaces that need it. See “Daily Chores List” for more details on what all I do here.
• Now I try to fit in a quick “training session” with the kids about 10min till the hour all throughout the day. We played drill sergeant here. Then baby gets a potty trip, I remove one layer of shirt so he doesn’t over heat when napping. Swaddle, place the “hooter-hider” for privacy and feed the baby. I love this thing, my cousin gave it to me. As you can see it looks COMPLETELY modest from the front and sides, but there is a little tiny stiff fiber at the top, which allows just a few inches to stick up from shoulder, allowing baby to breathe and you to see each other. But there isn't much of a chance of anyone seeing in unless they stand directly behind you. Oh don't worry I'm compleatly "put away" here, he is just sleeping afterwards, so I figured it made a good example of how much I enjoy this. I don't mind siting in the living room (with my back to the wall) if I'm using this to feed the baby while my family or husband is here, but I'm not sure how I feel about other people yet... if it is modest to nurse in the same room? any thoughts would be great...

• For more info see the “hooter-hider” post. Meantime the children “work-out” like pushups, jumping jacks, sit ups, and run around the table. They love it and it gives them something to do that I don’t have to supervise more than shout then next task….
• I then lay baby down and turn on monitor. Notice how he is swaddled so if he jerks or “starts” while sleeping he doesn’t wake himself. Then there is a thick soft blanket placed under him and tucked around his back and front to prevent rolling, and he is placed on his side with a “boppy” pillow a few inches from his face to “catch” the pacifier if it starts to fall out, and pillow gently presses on the top of his head/forehead for a calming effect… He is out instantly and for quite a while. I wouldn’t otherwise get anything done if he did sleep like this. I only use the pacifier while he is napping and I would otherwise still be laying next to him nursing him for another ten or twenty mins till he was completely out. I just pop in the pacifier and it soothes him into a deep sleep with out wasting time I could clean the entire house…. J
• When ever the baby wakes up he immediately gets pottied, feed, burped and I wait 5 mins then potty him again. If he does however wake after a few mins like ten and hasn’t slept more than thirty mins, I quietly, quickly potty him and lay him back down in same position. Then using the blow dryer on HI for a min or two, then LOW for like 5 mins, allow him to fall back to sleep with a little gentle patting on the butt. I mean what else is a blow dryer good for. Sleep is meant to have a gentle lull which draws babies into which they can not resist, NOT CIO and teach them to resist and fight and hate naps. If I am out in public my babies just get a lose blanket wrapped around them and placed belly side down over my lap and gently bounced w. one hand on their forehead OR placed in the crook of my elbow and gently “shhhhed” and rocked to sleep… either way its LULL- a – bye your baby to sleep in all the nursery rhymes and songs, NOT CRY-a-bye… LOL just something I’ve learned as of lately. I mothered my first child with the CIO method and am quite sorry about that L anyway off topic here…..

9AM CLEANING

• I start cleaning by vacuuming (almost daily with these guys), again this helps baby “lull” into sleep by creating a white noise and drowning out the world. This starts in my room and works its way around the house till I end in living room area rug also helps make the noise gently disappear. I try to make everything work together in my life… chores over lapping and Helping other tasks make them easier, without loosing time. Anyways so I vacuum while the kids pick up their Legos they usually play with while I laid the baby down. They play a game called “hurry the vacuum is going to eat the toys… pick ‘em up” they love it and laugh and run from it. It makes them pick up a LOT faster.
• When we are done vacuuming I start my “Weekly Chores” See that posting for more information on my Chore schedule.
• The kids get another quick “training session” right before the hour here, they just sat still and quiet for 10 mins “practicing”.

10AM DEVOTIONS/ PRESCHOOL

• So here is when school starts: I home school, I got lots of posts about that topic, or will have soon. I have a simple daily school routine which is :
• We start with Circle Time: for 30 mins we have our devotions. We pray then sing a few children’s Christian songs; each child picks a bible story out of their bible for me to read out loud. Then we continue to discus what we read, the day’s weather, date, season, and time etc until 10:30.
• Then we practice our READING/ writing for 15 min: do flash cards or what ever fun thing they choose to learn more about the alphabet and sounds
• Then we practice our MATH and numbers for 15 min: do flash cards or whatever they want to learn their numbers or counting or money

11AM SCHOOL

• Now they kind of get whatever they get for the rest of their “school” for the day
• I have a bunch of options all made out on cute little cards w. pictures with makes it easy for them to decide what they want to do. We try to fit in a few a day: Creative Play is just pretending/imaginative play. Like dress up or house or puppets etc. Table Time is something arts/craftsy on the table, drawing, paint, puzzles, building with tools etc. Science is where they each have a science notebook and we dry flowers, pin bugs, take pictures, take nature walks, bird watch, do lab experiments and study biology etc Language is either German/ Spanish/ or ASL all with flash cards a library movie or listen to CD Floor Time is where they pick a few toys and basically get free time, legos, blocks, train, books, plastic animals or cars n tractors. History is where we just watch videos ie Dr. DINO, read history stories, foam story board and I make a skit of a scene, or make a paper timeline. Ending with a quick 5 min pick up.
• Again I try to fit in a quick training session here, I might pick up my phone and pretend I got a call tell the kids we are practicing, and they must not talk above a whisper until I announce I’m off the phone and thank them

12PM LUNCH

• Again we have the same lunch all week, it pizza bc it is SO fast to make (5min) has SO few ingredients (4) is SO cheap (like$5 at most for the week) and SO quick to clean up (4 dishes)
• I drink a glass of fiber before I eat, then finish w a glass of water, gotta stay hydrated. This is actually my secret to loosing weight while nursing. Since it makes ya so hungry nursing, adding a LOT of fiber really helps ya not OVER eat.
• Here I leave a bit of spare time in case I’m running late and just need to getta hold of the time again… also try to do another “training session”

1PM NAP/QUIET TIME

• Kids get a potty trip before they lay down, each child gets their own bed pillow and blanket. They must lay down and keep their eyes closed once they are old enough to.
• Baby gets a potty trip, swaddled w a little blanket gently over face, feed, patted if needed, knees gently pressed on stomach if bubble or gas is suspected, while I feed to try and gently release it. Shoes off, grab crochet project and settle in for a 10 to 20 min sit and sing a sweet tune to put all children and baby to sleep. Lay baby down when all are sleeping
• Start dinner or know what the game plan is
• My free time: either nap, work on project or computer time
• My three year old gets to stay up most the time: so he gets to play w. flash cards, read a book, learn verses or stuff like 10 commandments n facts n song all while watching pre-filmed home tapes of readings I have made for him… he just follows along with his book. This keeps him quiet if I want a nap

3PM ACTIVITIES

• About this time as the children are waking I do MUSIC LESSONS with either guitar or piano. We just quietly play and take turns w a little practicing.
• PYSICAL ACTIVITES like run, push ups, jumping jacks, sit ups, wrestling, jump on bed, bikes, sports, outside free time etc. just to wear them out
• GEOGRAPHY is where I let them put together this big map of USA and we name the states and try to remember them I try describing what they look like or something about each state as we go ie. “we live in Oregon” “we play in the sun in California” “Montana is a big mountain one” “Texas is HUGE” “Maine looks like a Head” etc
• COMPUTER TIME they each get some time to play with school bases games on here, like Garfield’s math, Oregon trail, spelling Frogger game, piano, typing, language: triple play plus in Spanish, etc…. that’s the only TV/ video games/ or computer my kids usually get… if they even get this…

4PM

• These two hours always seems to get lost, between children leaving, DH getting home, visitors, etc so I usually have no plan here. I will read to the kids or sit down and tickle them if there is nothing better to do. Occasionally I will watch a DVR-ed program about quilting, crocheting/knitting, or gardening… or just practice training the kids
• Tidy up a bit

5PM DINNER

• Start dinner for sure
• We set the table, pray, eat, clear and clean up just like the regular meal routine. I usually stick to my regular weekly meal. See that post for more info. However tonight I made baked spaghetti for a change and I had the stuff planned for lasagna, but realized I didn’t have any noodles

6PM AFTER DINNER ACTIVITES

• Then we either Hide n Seek, Hot tub, Pool Table, Foosball Table, tonight we played board games. I’ve thought about other things to do but I’m not that creative of a person.
• About quarter till 7, I’ll put baby in a paper diaper, sometimes swaddle sometimes not, feed him, and lay him down for the night… he doesn’t get hot tub time.

7PM KIDS BEDTIME ROUTINE

• The get SWIMMING LESSONS as in either hot tub time or bath time. I just have them practice sticking their face in water, blowing bubbles, floating, kicking w. legs straight, and sitting on bottom of hot tub for just a second. I think my oldest is ready for swimming lessons. In fact I’m going to try and start going next Monday, for a few times each week night.
• About 7:30 they dry off and get pajamas on, teeth, in bed, pray, read a few stories out of their bible, maybe talk a bit, then I’ll sing them a few songs
• And lights are out for sure by 8pm.

8PM MY RELAXING TIME

• This is where I’ll clean up a bit more if needed, or get on the computer for no more than like 30min, sit down with David and rub his feet or back n just relax with him, or crochet, or read a book

10PM LIGHTS OUT FOR ME

• Like I said, If I don’t get to bed on time, I don’t get anything done the next day because I’m way too tired or maybe I’ll sleep in….