Thursday, February 20, 2014

A Day in the Life of a Stay at Home Mom (with no kids at home)

 

Allie Edwards has a series that she does called “Day in the Life” and “Week in the Life”. I decided to give the “Day in the Life” a try and recorded my day with pictures and words. This day occurred just this week – 2/18/14. I had fun and am planning to do a day each month. The times that are highlighted have corresponding pictures that I would be happy to share with you….over a bottle or two of wine…at my home. Really…I am happy to share them…just not post them for all to see….don’t want to scare anyone…which would be the reason for the bottle or two of wine! SO sit back and enjoy this little recap of our Day.

 

5:58a – Jon wakes me to tell me he is leaving for Hugoton, reminded me he will be gone overnight and “do you want to set your alarm?” Groggy me kisses him goodbye, wish him safe travels and say I love him…still mostly asleep. (he gently reminded me to set the alarm again…I set it.)

6:30- alarm sounds. I give it a good slap to shut it off and roll over. Only to jolt into a sitting position thinking I had fallen back asleep and we were going to be late.

6:31- realize that I in fact did not oversleep but now am wide awake (heart still pounding) so I get up, get dressed and wake the boys. Time to face the day!

6:40- first cup of coffee brewing. How can 30 seconds take soooo lllooooooonnnnnnnngggggggggg????

6:45- boys are fed AND they have loaded their dishes into the dishwasher! Whoohooo!! We are off to a rocking start!

6:50- MUD. All over the floor. MUD. How in the world did these boys manage to get mud onto the floor after only 20 minutes of being awake??

7:00- started the first load of laundry. Usually catch-up laundry is done on Monday (and Friday) but the holiday mini vacation to Dodge has thrown off the laundry schedule, so today I have several loads to get through.

7:02- Jon calls from the road making sure we are up (jeez. I am 40 years old and have been a mom for almost 9 years now. I think I can get us up and going and to school on time….just because I don’t when he is here should be no reflection…sigh...OKAY so there have been times in the past when I have failed to get us up and going in a timely manner when he has been gone….fine I will give him this one.) and to tell the boys good morning. He is such an awesome Dad! And a fabulously nagging Husband Smile

7:05- I hear giggling coming from the boys’ bedroom. Ahhh! What a heartwarming sound/sight. Brady and JT playing….not fighting…but playing with happy voices and sharing! Hmmmm. Maybe this “getting up when the alarm first goes off” thing has some silver lining type qualities. Maybe. And maybe we will try this “getting up when the alarm first goes off” thing again tomorrow morning to prove this theory. Maybe.

7:20- I finally look in a mirror. Oh damn. Now the mirror needs replaced.

7:25- Chores have been completed. Has this ever happened before…this early in the morning and without several **clearing my throat** reminders. I don’t think so. Hmmm. Okay so there really might be something to this “getting up when the alarm first goes off” thing. CRAP.

7:30- get the boys moving towards the door, getting shoes on, shutting off lights in empty rooms. Why am I always shutting off lights in empty rooms? Is it truly that hard to flip the switch? Does it over stress their little hands to the point of them not being able to write at school and so they just don’t even try to turn the light switch to the off position? Ponderous questions indeed.

7:32- Anthony and JT are ready for school but banished to the garage as they have ***GASP*** mud on their shoes, I am searching for the van keys (I swear I put them in my purse last night. Maybe Jon moved them?) and Brady is “double checking” his bag for the fourth time.

7:36- text from Mom with a picture of the creation she found after we left Monday. It is one of JT’s snakes. He loves making snakes lately. Some have legs (like the one he left at the farm) and others have rattles. Some have faces and some don’t. But they are usually very long. We have around 20 in the house at last count!

7:40- Brady finally makes it to the garage to put his **muddy** shoes on. I am STILL searching for those &^%$(&$#^ keys. Seriously. Jon had to have used them and not put them back where they belong. And WHERE in the blankety blank are the spare keys? If I had slept in this would have never happened. Damn “getting up when the alarm first goes off” thing. Screwed up my morning mojo.

7:48- Found the damn spare keys (stressed a bit) We got to GO.

7:49- As I am shutting the van door JT says, “Momma I play you a funny song”. Jeez I love these kids! **giggle**

7:54- FINALLY we arrive at the school and get in the “drop off” line. 6 minutes to spare. And JT is still singing his “funny” song and making some sounds that sound a bit too much like **cough cough** me when I stress. Hmmm. I need coffee. Did I even drink the cup that I made? Oh jeez. I can’t remember. Seriously. The “getting up when the alarm first goes off” thing is starting to mess with me.

7:58- OMG! We are finally getting to the “drop zone”. Seriously???!!! It took us 4 minutes to move 3 car lengths. Oy. Smiling I tell the kids to have a great day at school. Anthony says “enjoy your day Momma”. Thanks Anthony! I love you boys!

8:03- Home. First cup of coffee. Sitting on the counter. So sad. So cold. Half full. Well at least now I know that I did in fact take a couple sips of it…I wonder if I enjoyed it? Apparently not, as I can’t even remember it. SIGH.

8:06- Found the blasted keys….when I moved my laptop. OH YEAH! I remember telling myself to move them or I wouldn’t be able to find them in the morning. Man I hate it when I don’t listen to myself. Proper punishment would be grounding me to my room all day. Hmmmm…..

8:15- Second cup of coffee. Hot. I WILL drink this one. All of it. (and I did while playing on FB and Instagram!!)

8:48- switching laundry. One hour & 48 minutes after I started it. Challenge myself to do better with the rest of the loads. And if I do then I get to play with the new photo app on my phone instead of *____* (insert cleaning chore here). This is how I motivate myself! A bit sad, but true.

9:00- I have a love/hate relationship with the laundry. Love that I get to sit down and enjoy a show while folding said laundry, hate that I get done folding laundry before my show is over!! (also enjoyed a 3rd cup of coffee while folding laundry!)

9:33- text from Jon saying he made it to Hugoton. I love this man of mine.

9:50- cleaning. Always cleaning something in this house full of boys. But I would rather have a home full of kids, always in need of something being cleaned than an empty home where everything always stayed clean.

10:50- last load of laundry going into the washer…it is the load where I have to pre-treat almost everything. Boys are SO DIRTY!!

11:15- as I was hanging up Jon and I’s “usually wrinkles” laundry (before it wrinkled...impressive! I just earned more app playtime minutes!) I once again marveled at my DIY laundry room space. It is not big…an oversized closet really… but by putting a hanging rod up it became more functional. AND now Jon’s work clothes are hardly ever wrinkled!! My next DIY for the room is putting a counter top across the washer and dryer so I can actually fold clothes in there…. with the door shut…. when kids are home.

11:25- PTO computer work. It. Never. Ends.

11:40-11:55- Chatted with Patrick Schroeder (principle at the elementary school) about a PTO project.

12:00p- tried to contact Tina Bruning about the PTO project… left a message.

12:21- taking a “work” break. Uploading 295 pictures that I took this past week/weekend. I love taking pictures. I love being able to tell our stories with both words and photos. This is my passion. And I hope that one day when the boys look back on all the pictures and stories they don’t say “holy moly our mom really was crazy. WHO takes 57 pictures of ONE sunset??” HAHA! (just for the record, it was only 53 pictures of that particular sunset. Digital rocks!)

12:55- really need to eat lunch but nothing looks good. Settle for leftover pizza on a Ronald McDonald plate. Oh yea. Stylin’!

1:30- finally start “fixing” my hair. As in, I am actually going to do something with my hair. I like my “pull it up in a messy bun EVERYDAY” style but every now and then ya just gotta change it up.

1:45-2- Mom called. It was a nice “break” from “hair fixin” and I love chatting with Mom. She found a “penny from Heaven” and picked it up. It was a 1984 penny which is the year that her dad (Grandpa Hessman) died. Just his way of reminding her that he is watching over her from up above. I love pennies from Heaven! And I love that she found this one on a day in a week that has been stressful for her. And I love that she called to tell me about it.

2:20- hair is finally done. Looks awesome. I may try this again…in a couple months! I took a picture of it…and posted it to FB as proof that I do every once in a great while, fix my hair. And that I….OH DAMN!! The proof is now out there in cyper space that I do in fact know how to actually “do” my hair. Thank Goodness Jon does not have FB….or instagram. HA!

2:45- head to EES to pick up copies of the PTO agenda that Tracy printed for me (she rocks!!!) and to make copies of the financials for tonight’s meeting before the boys get out of school.

3:05-3:45- hang out in the front entry way of the school with Brady and Anthony while waiting on JT to finish guitar lessons (who by the way, is learning to play on a Phineas and Ferb guitar!!! SWEET!). Anthony and Brady do their homework (I play on my phone and return emails) so it is done and we can play outside when we get home. It is 67 degress out and we are not gonna waste any of this GORGEOUS February weather!!! (it will most likely snow tomorrow. Kansas weather has Tourette’s.)

3:50- home. Snack time outside. JT “finally eating my Fun Dip. I waited ALL day to get home to eat this”!

4:00- Game on! A little (seriously little goal) bball on the patio.

4:32- selfie. Phone malfunctioning now. (and yes, this is the last picture my phone took today. Oh Darn.)

4:45- Brady came in covered in very smelly gross water. Yep, I just love snow melt.

5:00- Teresa Pearson called asking if I could take over teaching the First Grade YFF class until Anita is out of the hospital. I am honored she would ask me to teach the class. And a bit excited…..and scared! Sent up Prayers for Anita.

6:00- Boys did not want to come in for supper, and were in just long enough to scarf it down and then they were back outside. I would say we are all suffering from Spring/Cabin Fever.

6:30- packed up my PTO “stuff” for the meeting and packed an activity bag for the boys. Said a little prayer asking for a HUGE favor.

6:45-8:40- PTO meeting. I could get into all the specifics of the meeting but I was there. And it is not a meeting I will forget anytime soon. Lessons learned. I hate Roberts Rules. I hate meetings that run longer than 1 hour. I love PTO. I love that what we do helps our kids. I love working with the executive staff that we currently have. I may have jumped into being President of PTO with blinders on. They have since been ripped off. I survived. WE (executive board & members) will GROW this PTO. I LOVE OUR 3 BOYS WHO WERE THE BEST THEY HAVE EVER BEEN!!!! (Prayer answered!) They sat in the back of the meeting room (Jon is out of town and I didn’t have a sitter because I didn’t ask as it is a school night) and read their books, wrote in their notebooks, played on their Kindles and helped each other stay quiet. Until it came time to pack up and go home. Poor JT was SO tired that he was WIDE awake and temperamental. How awesome is it that he choose that particular moment, when the principle was standing there patiently waiting for us to gather the boys’ “stuff” to leave?? Oh yes, it was a full on “throw books, try to hose down the keyboards by squeezing his water bottle hard enough to squirt water everywhere, use not nice words” temper tantrum. Perfect. Next order of business, get the “stuff” gathered and kids out of the school/direct line of sight of the principle before I LAY DOWN THE LAW. Deep breathe. Again. And now again. Get in van. Seatbelts. Regroup thoughts. They were REALLY good all night. It is 1.5 hours past JT’s bedtime. It was a stressful meeting. Back off the punishment; chalk it up to a learning experience. Get home. Get them to bed. That is the new plan.

8:50- Plug in cell phone that died (most likely after the selfie at 4:32p), have boys get PJ’s on and brush teeth while waiting for phone to boot up so we can call Daddy. (this is that one time in the 9 months since cancelling our long distance on the land line that I regret cancelling the long distance on the land line.) We ALL need to hear Daddy’s voice. Hearing his voice will help soothe us.

9:00- Boys are finally in bed after having talked to Daddy, said night time prayers and given several rounds of hugs to me (man I needed those hugs!)

9:10-10:15- go in search of a bottle of wine. Finding none, I call Jon back to chat (vent). Remember that I need to call mom so I tell Jon I will call him back. Call mom and chat. Call Jon back…he wants to know when he can pick up the Kindle charger (that we left there over the weekend). Call mom back. Call Jon back…again. Losing my voice I finally say good night to Jon.

10:15- watch something on TV…actually it was just on for noise as I played on my Kindle and finished unwinding for the day (it was on a sports channel, which apparently is my choice of “noise” when Jon is gone).

11:30- crawl into bed….with the living room lights still on. I can’t sleep in the dark when Jon is not home. I have to have the living room or kitchen lights on. They are my “safety blanket” when he is not here. I fall asleep thanking God for my family and for the dawn of a new day in which we can start over. Leave yesterday where it belongs, in the past, and begin a new day. A fresh start. Building on yesterday but not reliving/repeating yesterday.

I am SOOOO hitting the SNOOZE button tomorrow morning. At least twice. Getting up when the alarm first goes off is totally over-rated.