Andrew, age 6.
Katie, age 3.
I decided to document what a day in our life looks like right now as it changes each year. I wish I would have done this each year as the kids have grown. But I'm going to start now.
I would have loved to have taken the opportunity to take meaningful photos and enjoy practicing my photography, but the reality is that my weekdays don't allow the time for that right now. So I carried my iphone and snapped photos really quickly throughout the day. It was all I had time for, but it helped me remember what we did.
This was actually last monday. I'd like to say I got up at 5:00, had my quiet time and got a work out in and then hopped in the shower. That's the dream.
The reality is, I got up at 6:15, as usual, and lay in bed for 15 minutes thinking about how tired I am and how I really need to start going to bed earlier. I shower and get as far along in my "getting ready "process as possible before the kids come into my room at 7. Usually Matthew and Andrew are dressed when they come in (they are supposed to make their bed and get dressed before leaving their room - it helps so much!) But I forgot to lay out Andrew's clothes so he wasn't dressed yet.
We head downstairs as I took a picture of the kids as they were eating breakfast, round one. My boys eat a lot at breakfast so I feel like I'm making cereal, cutting bananas, toasting waffles and just keep putting more food on the table! (The cereal course is pictured above). And notice the drying racks in the back? There's a lot of "real life" in this post.
I finish getting ready while they eat and then it's 3 sets of hair combing and teeth brushing. I still go over all the kids teeth. Andrew already has fillings! I'm trying.... Katie was mad I was taking her photo in the picture so she's crying at me. She can be a grouch in the morning. She's my only child that likes to sleep in and not eat breakfast right away. The boys are more like me in that way. Up early and let's eat!
I'm like the tazmanian devil in the morning rushing around making beds, throwing in a load of laundry, unloading the dishwasher and getting breakfast dishes in, wiping counters, getting backpacks....Just like millions of other households across america. There is no lingering over a cup of coffee here.
Amazingly, I was early and the kids agreed to pose for a photo. On their terms...
And one more outside.
With the good camera!
And we were still early so I sat and read a Halloween book to the kids.
Definitely NOT an typical part of a "day in the life."
At 8:35 I rush everyone into the van, and there is always usually some grumpy exchange here as someone might be dwadling. I'm certain the neighbors must thing I'm a horrid mother. I feel like I'm always grumping at the children in the garage as we're trying to get out of the house! The I'll see them in their driveway and smile and wave like Suzy Sunshine and wonder what they might have overheard, and then dismiss the thought and resume lecturing the children.
Real life. :)
Then we drive up the hill to drop off Matthew.
The bluriness is because I practically don't stop the car before I'm zooming off again trying to get Katie to pre-school on time (9:00). Or at least 5 minutes late. I can't drop off Matthew' before 8:45 and it's a 17 minute drive to pre-school.
This is where Katie says, "Am I next Mama?" And is so excited she gets to go next!
We walk her into pre-school and then Andrew and I typically head to the grocery store to do the shopping for the week. This day however, was a special treat.
I got to meet friends for coffee!! Tricia (on the right) was Andrew's pre-school teacher (matthew's too). Reagen (center), Shannon and I all had kids in Tricia's class together. Reagen and I had our older boys in class together with Tricia as well. We met there and became friends. This is a great group of ladies. We had a really nice visit (I ran into my friend Rachel there too!) and before we knew it, it was time to pick up the girls from pre-school!
Shannon and I went and got the girls and I came home and quickly fed everyone lunch. I pick up Katie at 11:25 ish, then drive home, and quickly make lunch (or Andrew eats one that Dan or I packed for him in the van on our way home) and then I get Andrew to the bus stop at 12:20.
We totally scored with the proximity of the bus stop to our house. Our house is behind Andrew to the left. How great is that? The middle school and high school also lets off here, so we're good to go if they don't change anything!
Andrew and I find spiders and look at spider webs and then he does his "bus run" and gives me hugs and kisses and off he goes. He usually watches me as long as he can blowing kisses and wrapping his arms around himself (sending hugs) until I can't see him anymore.
I snapped this as I walked back to the house. I'm hoping to replace the tree in the center with a different one next year. I do love the outside of our house though. It looks homey to me.
I paused to take this photo too because I love our front porch. Again with the hominess. (Is that a word? My computer doesn't think so).
Then I came inside and I always feel a little relieved at this point because I actually have a couple hours at home to try to catch up on a few things. I usually then clean up from lunch and on this day, Katie and I cleaned up her kitchen (which I'm hoping to move up to the playroom soon).
And then I put Katie down for a nap. Which means we read stories and have a "rocky rocky and a 'nuggle 'nuggle."
I know, I know.
Then I come downstairs and face this.
Friends, how does this happen so quickly? It really has been staying quite clean with my new fancy filing system and all. But there was some cleaning out and dumping of things over the weekend that led to this.
So I dealt with that and did laundry. And this is usually where I'll try to catch up with a friend or two on the phone while I multitask. Or send an email or make an appointment....
If you ever stop and think, "I wonder what Kathy is doing right now." You can be sure it's laundry.
Then I lay out Matthew's tennis clothes by the front door and put a snack and his tennis racket in the van. This time all passes in lightening speed and before I know it, it's time to wake up (or simply get a non-sleeping) Katie from her room and we drive up to school and get in line to pick up the boys.
We all drive home and the little ones stay in the car and Matthew runs in and does a superman change by the front door into tennis clothes. I grab his water bottle and we're out the door and down the hill to Tennis Camp. I walk him in and then drive back home where I go through the kids' back packs, sign planners, take out homework and get dinner going.
On a side note, one day I counted how many times we were in and out of the car.
Nine.
It wasn't an unusal sort of day either). I'm looking forward to that changing hopefully in the next 4 weeks.
On this particular day, Andrew and Katie had fun making videos while I was doing these things. Here was just one that was short enough to upload...
Dan picks up Matthew on his way home (SO wonderful) and I get dinner on the table. On this particular night it was second grade curriculum night. So I went to school to attend that while Dan stayed at home with the kids.
This was Matthew's self portrait.
This says "This summer I went jet skiing."
Matthew is more interested in writing fast, than writing well. Its one of his objectives that he's supposed to be working on. :)
"My favorite activity is playing legos"
"My favorite color is red."
I came home and played, what else? "Guess who" with Andrew and Katie. Guess who Andrew was?
But of course.
Love it.
I typically read to Matthew in the evening and he reads to me from the Chronicles of Narnia (for a half hour) while Dan reads to the little ones. But it was a late night so we just did one story for all the kids. Dan was trying to indoctrinate our children with his political beliefs and was adding in words to the Berenstein Bear's Go trick or treating book accordingly. The kids thought it was hysterical. Except Katie who just found it confusing.
While Dan did that I laid out clothes for tomorrow and what else? Put away laundry from the day. Then we say prayers, and blessings and the kids go to bed.
Then (dan or) I get to do the hand washing from the day....
do a final clean up for the day and lay out whatever I need for in the morning...Then it is 9:00 and I collapse on the sofa to try (and fail) to catch up on email, relax or read my bible study for the next morning....
And there is a very typical day in the life!
