A Day in the Life

Now that I am home all day with my two kids, I find myself wondering, “What the heck to people do with two kids all day long?” Honestly – I want to know what other people do. I guess I have a compulsive need to find out if I am “normal.” My biggest problem right now is the baby who wants to have a 30 minute snack every 90 minutes or so, but I still find myself wondering if I am overshceduling, underscheduling, or just plain lying to myself that my schedule is relevant at all.

Here is our “yesterday:”

8:00 Daughter comes into bedroom and wakes up Mama. Mama says, “OK Honey – go play in your room a few minutes while I get dressed and then we’ll go downstairs for breakfast.”

8:15 Mama wakes up again (that 90 minute feeding schedule is 24-hour.) Daughter is playing with loud truck toy in the bedroom. Mama hauls out of bed and brushes teeth, but skips the get dressed part out of guilt for having fallen back asleep.

8:30 Mama is still upstairs getting kids dressed. Now baby needs to eat. Daughter plays with cat, who is in the crib and obliging daughter’s fantasy that Cat is a baby, for another 30 minutes while Mama is a full-service restaurant complete with rocking chair.

9:00 Daughter is eating Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Yes, I said eating. They make a cereal, and Wal-Mart “thoughtfully” places it on the second shelf from the ground, right above the Cheerios, so that when you ask your kid to grab a box of reasonable cereal, your child will inevitably smash her face right into the Mickey Mouse sugar puffs.

9:30 People from work call right as Daughter is finishing breakfast and needing to find something else to do. Co-worker is treated to Daughter singing “potty-potty-potty-potty…..POTTY” from the bathroom. Daughter stays in bathroom for 10 minutes because she knows I can’t rush her while I’m on the phone and comes out with red ring around tushie from kiddie potty.

10:00 Mama gets daughter started playing with a Littlest PetShop toy. Mama starts a load of baby’s laundry, takes out the Diaper Champ trash, and goes through some mail with baby strapped in the Bjorn. Mama thinks this would be a good time for Baby to eat, but Baby disagrees.

10:30 Baby needs to eat again. Mama sits down to feed him and Petshop toy becomes soooo boring. Daughter goes to DVD shelf and selects “Charlie Brown Christmas.” Mama has mercy because it is raining and this is when we would normally go outside to play or go for a walk, but Mama cannot take another viewing of Charlie Brown Christmas, so we watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Mickey Saves Santa – from the DVR while baby eats.

10:40 Mama remembers that we were supposed to start playgroup today at 11:00.

11:00 Mama frantically packs lunch for playgroup and takes everyone upstairs so that Mama can get dressed. Baby cooperates this time and stays asleep while put into the carseat.

11:30 Family arrives at playgroup. We are the first ones there, which is my first clue that we might be normal. Daughter eats lunch. Playgroup attendees are:
1 boy, age 6 weeks
1 boy, age 15 months
1 girl, age 25 months
1 girl, age 3
3 girls, ages 27-32
Guess who enjoyed playgroup the most? Anyway, Daughter found the toys at someone else’s house infinitely more fun than the toys at her house, even though they were basically the same toys.

1:30 Family arrives home and goes upstairs for naptime. Baby ate twice at playgroup and is already asleep. Daughter selects The Barenstain Bears – Mama’s New Job. I think it is an appropriate choice.

2:00 Daughter falls asleep and Baby wakes up, hungry again.

3:00 Mama finds herself in the recliner in the bedroom with Baby still eating and the laptop resting precariously on the arm of the chair. Did I comment on your blog yesterday? I don’t remember either.

4:00 Baby finally settles down after a bout with the reflux because he ate too much at one time and daughter wakes up. We all head downstairs and start the race toward dinner. One of my super awesome friends is bringing a meal to us today, so I am off the hook, except that my kitchen looks like a bomb exploded and I would rather not have company see how we really live. Daughter “helps” sweep with her mini broom and dustpan while Mama tries to clear the area.

4:30 Daughter eats snack and watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Daisy Bo Peep- on the DVR. Daughter cannot handle the day in which she does not have cheese, chocolate milk, and Mickey sometime between 4 and 6 p.m.

5:00 Mama and Daughter sit at coffee table and look through workbook. Daughter selects a math sheet and draws dots on it while Mama explains how there are 3 ways to make a number (numeral, letters, dots - she didn't think it was a good lesson either.)

5:15 Mama, daughter, and now-awake baby sit on couch and read stories until Daddy comes home.

5:30 Daddy comes home. The parent-child balance in righted and all Dughter's toys become fun again. Things run smoothly through dinner and evening.

8:00 Mama hands Baby to Daddy, and Daughter immediately NEEDS to sit in Daddy's lap.

8:05 Cat decides that Daddy's lap is really the place to be. Mama thinks Daddy is doing a great job and goes upstairs to take a shower....