Friday, December 5, 2008

A Busy Day in the Life Of...

Today was an exceptionally busy day--the actual schedule didn't have much on it, but when you factor in the three small children.... All you moms out there can show this to someone who thinks you don't do anything all day. There's also an interesting news article being circulated on this same topic and my friend Alicia posted it on her blog. I certainly have many days where we are "just" at home and the workload feels very different. But this is a good example of any day where I might have an errand scheduled.

Actual scheduled items: 3-year old check up at the doctor at 10:30 a.m.; Christmas party at 6:30 p.m. No biggie, right? Read on... (Times are approximate)

  • 7:00: I wake up, shower, get dressed, etc.
  • 7:30: Get kids up, dress boys (the Dynamic Duo henceforth)
  • 8:00: Help get hubby out the door, give kids milk and dry cereal to tide them over, let dogs out,....
  • 8:30: Feed kids: scrambled eggs, toast, clementines; check email while kids are eating; call Alondra (my friend who was planning to keep the boys in addition to her own 4 children during the Elf's 3-year-old check up); put diaper bag and sippy cups in car
  • 9:00: Herd kids upstairs and deposit in boys' room; quickly wrap hats and mittens as early Christmas gift from "Mimi" (one of their grandmothers); give presents out and take pictures for aforementioned, absent grandmother; try hats on and boys' are too small; add hats to bag of Target returns/exchanges
  • 9:15: Bathe the Elf
  • 9:45: Start the car (it was 25 degrees outside...); change Dynamic Duo's diapers; bundle kids up; answer phone; herd them downstairs (which means I make two trips, carrying a boy each time); grab Target bag and purse; herd kids to car (again, 2 trips)
  • 10:00: Leave; run by neighbor's who just called and drop off Christmas goodies (pecans and almonds)
  • 10:15: Arrive at Alondra's; unload kids, diaper bag, sippy cups; give final instructions (yes, the Dynamic Duo can eat anything you want to give them for lunch)
  • 10:30: Arrive at doctor's right on time--truly amazing! I even managed to have her Christmas gift with us--more pecans--but forgot the Elf's urine sample; thankfully she actually could pee in the cup this time! (please, those of you who know me, no comments on peeing in the cup issues! :) )
  • 11:30: Leave doctor's and head for Target; returns and exchanges at Target (including new hats for the Dynamic Duo)
  • 12:00: Get gas at Kroger (so cheap today!)
  • 12:15: Chick-Fil-A drive thru for lunch for the Elf and me; 3 milkshakes to split between 6 kids and two adults--thank you gift for Alondra!
  • 12:30: Arrive back at Alondra's; divvy up milkshakes and slurp them down (inhale chicken sandwich)
  • 1:00: Pack kids back up in car; thank Alondra; drive home singing and making funny noises to keep the Dynamic Duo awake
  • 1:30: Unload kids; herd them upstairs; change diapers; try on new hats and take more pictures; put Dynamic Duo down for naps
  • 2:00: Upload pictures and send to absent grandmother; check email; put on White Christmas for the Elf
  • 2:15: Start something for kids' early dinner; Wrap white elephant present; gather Christmas party stuff (white elephant present, appetizer stuff, Christmas gift for hostess/friend, sheets and pac-n-play)
  • 2:45: Chat with friend on phone while picking up stuff around the house
  • 3:00: Another neighbor stops by to return a borrowed tablecloth and leaves with her gift of pecans (almost done passing those out!)
  • 3:15: Pin and hem fleece blanket for the Elf's Christmas present
  • 4:00: Wake Dynamic Duo up; change clothes/diapers; herd downstairs
  • 4:15: Early dinner! Load car up with all the miscellaneous stuff needed for evening party (including snuggly sleep aids!); Call friend and ask to borrow pac-n-play for evening
  • 5:00: Load kids up into car (after bundling up in fleeces and new hats); Have frantic phone conversation with equally frantic fellow mom/friend
  • 5:15: Leave (actually it was closer to 5:30--the time I said I would arrive at the friend's house I was borrowing the pac-n-play from)
  • 6:00: Arrive at friend's house and pick up pac-n-play
  • 6:30: Arrive at friend's house who was throwing party; Begin unloading food, kids, gear
  • 7:00: Set up pac-n-plays while hubby (who met me at the party) watches kids; set out food; get snacks for kids; decide boys are tired and begin bedtime process for them
  • 7:30: Dynamic Duo is quiet in their respective pac-n-plays and the Elf is watching a movie with the same kids the boys played with earlier in the day! The Dynamic Duo made a few peeps throughout the evening, but in general we got to relax and have a good time with friends
  • 9:30: Kids' movie is over and we begin to pack everyone/everything up
  • 10:15: (yes, it took 45 minutes to gather sleeping toddlers, dismantle pac-n-plays, load up car!) We left the party; Kids were all asleep in minutes.
  • 11:00: Arrive home and begin unloading--3 trips up our stairs, once for each kid (usually hubby helps with this, but he stayed at the party--he'll have kid duty tomorrow morning when I head to a ladies' brunch all by my lonesome!). Take off kids' jeans and put on softer sweats, but leave them in their same shirts/sweaters for sleeping!
  • 11:30: Write this because it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.
  • 11:45: Head to bed (oh... should feed the dogs I guess)
What do I do on the days we are at home? Laundry day might include 6 loads of laundry; a trip to Kroger for weekly groceries on "Errand Day" takes 2+hours counting loading/unloading time--that does not count putting the groceries up once we get home; a trip to the gym for a 1/2 hour workout takes 1 1/2 hours; story time; playing outside; feeding kids;.....