A Day in the Life of a Mom, Weekday Edition

Happy March!  Last March, days were very different than how they are today.  I had an 8 month old, and an 15 month old.  Today, I have an almost 20 month old, and an almost 27 month old.  I don't miss those days.  Those were hard hard days.  And I definitely wouldn't want to go back to our first month home.  Those were REALLY hard days. 

Last year around this time, I talked some about how my days looked back then.  I thought I would document how days are now. 

I will start with weekday, and then do weekend in a few days, as weekdays and weekends vary greatly in our household. 

Anywhere from 4:30-5am.  I wake up.  Hopefully, not to a child up, but by my own internal clock.  I actually haven't set an alarm since TT was born!  (Oh, how I wish I still had a use for an alarm)  If no babies are awake, I grab the monitor, hop in the shower, and hope they are still sleeping when I get out of the shower.  Usually, I get out of the shower, to the noise of TT up.  Total bummer.  I mean, I want to hang out with TT, but I also want to apply makeup, blowdry my hair, and try to look presentable for the day.  But this usually doesn't happen, because apparently, my daughter also has an internal clock that tells her to wake up at 5am everyday.

I go in TT's room, where she is usually standing, baby in hand, nuk in mouth.  I pick her up, and the first word out of her mouth is usually, "juice."  (I give her juice in the morning with her multivitamin droplet) The second word out of her mouth is usually, "barney."  So, I grab the juice, go to our lower level, and turn Barney on.  Thank goodness for DVR.  I currently record every Barney episode. 

TT is a slow waker.  She doesn't want me to talk to her, or really even touch her immediately.  I sit her on my lap, turn on Barney, and just sit their in silence while she watches.  It's so funny, cause once she has that first drink of juice, I know she is ready for the day.  Diva in training?  Or perhaps just a slow waker like her Baba.  Only time will tell.  Oh, and this girl won't touch breakfast in the morning.  She truly eases into her day.

At about 5:30am, I start to hear pounding coming from Nur's room.

Before I go in and get him, I prep his breakfast.  His favorite these days is a bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter toast and a glass of milk.  I have to have it ready for him, cause he will freak out if he gets to the kitchen and his food isn't ready.

Once the food is ready and on the table, I go in Nur's room, change his diaper, put him down, and he runs to the kitchen.  No really.  He runs.  He gets to his chair, and says, "eat."  So he eats breakfast. 

While he eats breakfast, TT usually runs around and plays.  I sit at the kitchen table usually with my makeup bag and put on my makeup.  Some days I even bring my blowdryer to the kitchen if my hair is still wet at this point.  I also go wake up T, who after waking, jumps in the shower. 

By this point, TT is starting to get ready for breakfast.  What does she want for breakfast most days, a "cookie."  Only it's not really a cookie.  It's a Nutri Grain bar, but that's what she calls it.  We recently transitioned TT to a booster.  Well, she demanded that transition actually.  She started refusing to sit in her high chair.  So, two babes in boosters.  We do not have any more babies left in our house!

After breakfast, it's time for me to walk out the door.  T stays behind with the kids until 8am, while I leave the house anywhere from 6:30-6:45.  TT usually cries, Nur just hugs me and says, "bye."  And then they both stand at the big bay window and watch me pull out of the driveway.

I get home from work by 3:45-4pm daily.  Usually, the kids can be found standing at the bay window watching for me.  (I certainly hope they haven't been standing their all 8 hours! Hmm)  I walk in, and they both run to me and hug my legs, and it is hand's down the best moment of my day.  I make small talk with the nanny, "how was your day?" "Did they eat well." "Nap well?" And then the Nanny goes on her way.

We play for a bit. I give a lot of hugs to make up for the past few hours I was away from them.  And before I know it, it's time for dinner prep.  Lately on the weekends, I spend some time preparing a few good meals that we can eat throughout the week to make the weekday easier.  This week, I made Lasagna, Egg Bake, and homemade chicken noodle soup.  So, I usually just warm one of these options up. 

By 4:30pm, it is time to eat. 

After dinner, the kids eat, I do cleanup. . . if T is home. . . we do cleanup.  I try to sweep the floor (dinners can be a disaster), do the dishes, wipe down the table, and things like that.  By 5pm, it's play time!  The current favorite toy is a kitchen.

While the kids play, T and I take turns being on the floor and playing with them, while one of us throws in loads of laundry, puts away laundry, and things of that nature.

About 6:15pm, it's PJ's time.  Both kids pick out their own PJ's.  They love the responsibility in that task.  At about 6:30pm, we snuggle into bed together, and watch the goodnight show on Sprout, followed by Calliou, who is the current favorite with my kids. The show lasts until 7, then it's time for bedtime.

T usually puts Nur down, I put TT down, and after that process, we usually collapse in front of the TV.  I continue doing laundry and picking up.  I iron most evenings as I like my mornings to run smoothly, and I find having a work outfit picked out and ironed helps my morning routine to go better. 

We usually watch a show, and then I'm beyond exhausted by 8:30pm. . . 9 at the latest.  I give T the monitor, and he is on baby duty until he comes to bed. . . which is usually 10-10:30pm.  We have a deal that if the kids wake up anytime before midnight for any reason, they are his!

I fall asleep in about 5 seconds.  And in a very short 8 hours, the routine begins again.

Stay tuned for a Day in the Life of a Mom, Weekend Edition.  Coming soon!