I posted this in our family blog and thought it pertinent here too. When in conversation about being the mom of small children, my mom has told me, "The days are long, but the years are short." I'm trying to cherish these days!
So, this is going to be a bit of a boring post, but I have been thinking about doing writing down what I do each day. Obviously I've excluded things like changing diapers, potty breaks, etc, but I think this will be good to look back at and see what day-to-day life is like at this point. This is gonna' be long...
I wake at 7:15 to Abby and Emmett telling me they have made me a special breakfast. I am immediately concerned for the state of my kitchen. Then I remember doing the same thing for my mom, hoping that she would be so pleased. Hyrum needs to be nursed, and then I put a smile on my face at the thoughtfulness of my children. Breakfast is a HUGE bowl of cereal that is filled to the top with milk. It's also soggy. I eat it and thank my kids profusely. They are grinning ear-to-ear.
I send the kids off to get dressed, or at least change out of their nighttime diapers while I clean the surprise breakfast and accompanying milk mess.
Abby comes back wearing blue sweat bottoms and a black sweatshirt. I tell her she doesn't match, she tells me she doesn't care, and because we're not going anywhere, I shrug it off. We complete math together, which includes an entire unit in Singapore Primary Math 1B (which we just got and is ridiculously easy for her) and a page from MEP math. While we are working on math, Emmett and Ellie are off in his room "reading books."
After math, Abby asks to do make-up, which I agree to. That draws the kids out of the woodwork. Hyrum wakes up, so I leave the other three happily painting their faces while I quickly grab a grinny baby. I pull him into the living room so I can be close to where the kids are while I change his diaper and his clothes.
While the kids finish up their make-up, I start putting together a Where Do Penguins Live? piece for our mini-penguin unit. It mostly involves coloring...which morphs into Abby and Emmett wanting to color their own penguin stuff. I encourage them to put the make-up away and, after they do, they are happily coloring their own penguin activities.
A little bit later, Ellie starts dancing, so I help her to the potty. Afterwards, she declares she does not want to wear underwear and streaks away from me, completely in the buff. Again, we're not going anywhere, so I allow it. (Yes, I am that mom.)
After the kids are done coloring, cutting, and crafting, there is a big mess. With some reminding, they clean the crayons and paper pieces off the table. While they are doing that, I sweep the kitchen floor. It needs to be done since I didn't do it after breakfast and there are now random cereal pieces and tiny pieces of paper all over the place...and I have a crawling scavenger-baby.
It's obvious that Hyrum is getting ready to go down for a nap, so I put on a Math Monsters for the older kids. It's about time and I count it as a "school show." It definitely isn't the most interesting show, but they DO learn from it and it gives me a good few minutes to feed the baby and leave him to nap.
When I come out, I realize that Emmett and Ellie never put away the books they were perusing. I call them to come pick them up, and as I do, I take a double-take and realize they have at least three dozen out. I help them sort them and put them away.
Then, I make my way into the kitchen and see that Ellie has helped herself to the playing cards that I save for math games (Abby is particularly into addition war). I stand there and direct her as she picks up each card. (If I don't, I know she will walk off and not complete the task.)
I ask Abby what Math Monsters was about and she rambles off a few moments of the show to me. Then, I instruct each of the kids to grab a library book. With Abby on my left, Emmett on my right, and Ellie in my lap, I read their library books. Just as we are placing them back in the book box, Hyrum wakes up.
I go grab him and he is once again, his happy and smiley self.
Emmett has pulled out some notebooks and is drawing pictures in them. I notice Abby has drawn a "No boys allowed" picture and has taped it to her door. Emmett, though, has managed to make his notebook purge itself all over the kitchen floor. I encourage him to clean it up. This takes him fifteen minutes to do because he keeps dawdling or trying to get out of the chore.
I realize it's nearing lunchtime, so I grab a pot. Friday is sort of like "fun day" at home. We do extra crafts for schooltime and the kids get a fun lunch. Lately, they love ramen noodle. Everyone, even Hyrum, eats.
Of course, because Hyrum had ramen, he now needs a bath. I declare it Quiet Time for Abby, Emmett and Ellie and strip Hyrum naked. He takes a bath and makes silly noises as he splashes around. He also does a funny face-bob thing where he actually drinks some of the bathwater. As I pull Hyrum out of the bath, I look at the clock and realize it's only noon.
After Quiet Time, I read aloud from Mr. Popper's Penguins. We only read one chapter, though, we should read two because we need to complete this book by Sunday afternoon...and Abby loves it.
Instead, though, we get ready to go to the library. I send kids off to get various pieces of clothing on or switched. While they do that, or should be doing that, I notice that my dining room floor needs to be swept, so I sweep again. As I'm taking the dustpan to the trash, I realize it's getting full, so I take out the trash too.
By this time, Ellie has picked a dress (it's a sundress of course, because that's all she wears these days) and Abby has changed into a more appropriate shirt. I quickly pull Ellie's hair into pigtails and help Abby brush her hair. Then I send them both to the bathroom and to grab shoes.
I pull Hyrum from the floor (where he is crawling around and pestering the cats) and nurse him. Emmett walks by in only underwear and I ask him why he is not yet dressed. He whines that his drawer is empty. I tell him I washed his clothes, they are not yet folded, but they are clean in a basket in the garage (where my washer and dryer are). He whines about it and I ignore him while I finish nursing Hyrum, tidy myself up.
He is still whining while I weed through our library books, deciding which ones will go back and which ones will stay.
Emmett is still whining when I tell the girls to get in the car and buckle Hyrum in his car seat. I give Hyrum his blanket, he giggles, and I play a little bit of peek-a-boo with him. He is so easy to please and has such a fun laugh!
I put Hyrum's car seat in the car and open the garage door. Emmett comes RUNNING to the car, in his underwear still, begging me not to leave him. I tell him he should really hurry up because I am leaving soon. He finally grabs a pair of pants, a shirt, some socks and his rain boots and takes them to the car. It took him an hour to pick his clothes.
Before the library, we stop at the post office to mail off a book. It takes us fifteen minutes to do that, when it would typically take me five minutes max without the kids.
As we get to the library, I realize Eleanor doesn't have shoes on (of course). I weed through the extra jackets on the floor in the mini-van and grab an extra pair (that she has, of course, kicked off at a different time).
When we get inside, the kids help me put the books in the return slot. They love doing that. Then they head to the computers while Hyrum and I peruse what books we should pick up.
After thirty minutes, it's time for us to go. I tell the older kids to pick something if they want. Abby and Emmett hop up and both choose a DVD each. Ellie, instead, stands on her chair and yells, "Ladies and gentleman! Boys and girls! I DO NOT WANT TO GO." Mmmhm. I put Hyrum down and we have a chat about why it's important to be quiet at the library. Then, I call for the older kids that it is time to go.
As I lean down to pick Hyrum up, Ellie is all of a sudden exhausted and a handful. She is crying, "I don't want to leave the libar-wy. I don't want to go home. I'm tired." Of course, she isn't rational, so I try to juggle her, Hyrum, and my bag of fifteen picture books to the checkout counter. I get a fair number of stares, a few lifted eyebrows and two dirty looks. I can't help but think, "Well, you could help me out instead of just glaring at me."
When we get to the checkout counter, I put Hyrum on the floor where he happily bangs the tiles as I ask Ellie if she'd like to help me put the books up. She immediately stops her fit, her face brightens up and says, "Oh yes!" Bipolar much?
Of course, after the books are checked out, I am left to drag all four kids and our books to the car. At least we have a new audiobook to listen to, even if Emmett says he doesn't want to.
We also have to stop at Redbox because Netflix apparently couldn't ship a DVD of Mr. Popper's Penguins, even though it was next in our queue. I need it for Sunday movie night, so we stop. Luckily, there is an open spot right in front, so I leave the kids in the car, instructing them to count how long it takes me. When I get back in the car, Emmett tattles on Abby because she wasn't counting with him. Abby rather angrily retorts back that she couldn't because Emmett kept skipping numbers on purpose. I turn on the audiobook and by the time I've turned onto the street, they are quiet and staring out the windows while they listen.
It is 2:45 by the time we get home. Hyrum has fallen asleep in the car, which is awesome. I pull out his car seat and lug him into my room.
Then, I realize I need a few seconds to myself. I turn on a show. This is unprecedented at our house of late and the older kids are ecstatic.
While they watch, I haul in the library bag, place the books in the bin.
Of course, as they watched, Ellie decided she didn't care for the show and pulled out a few books. So, I help her put them away again.
I steal a second for a drink and to check my email. Then, I print off the next few pages and activities for Abby's lessons.
The show only lasts fifteen minutes and afterwards, Abby and I talk a bit about Antarctica. We use the globe to check out how it really looks (rather than just a flat strip on the bottom of the map). Emmett sits in on our discussion about how days are different there due to lack of sunlight.
Now all we have left is language arts. Abby chooses to complete her grammar first. We've been talking about nouns, more specifically common nouns. We discuss how mother and father are common nouns. I ask her, "What do we call two girls that share the same mother and father?" She stares at me blankly. This is definitely not too hard so I repeat the question. She looks confused for a second and then replies, "We call them siblings." I laugh because a) what five-year-old uses the word siblings correctly like that? and b) while this is true, I'm very obviously wanting her to use the word sisters. LOL
After grammar, we work on her recitation. She has very nearly memorized the poem she's been assigned, which is two stanzas. She was only assigned the poem two days ago. I record her giving the poem, and we watch the video. She comments that she is moving a lot. I agree and she asks to take it again. She does much better with the second recitation.
Hyrum wakes up and I go grab him. Everyone goes to greet him, grinning and smiling at him. But, he is grumpy and whiny. Apparently he was not ready to be awake. I have to hold him for the next hour or so before he decides to be cordial.
Next up, Abby chooses cursive. She is excited to write in cursive, but she also finds it rather difficult. I believe this is good for her. Many things come easily to her, so it's good for her to be working on something that does not. Today we learn the letter s. She is rather frustrated and keeps making mistakes. Each time she writes the letter incorrectly, she throws her head in the air and grumbles. The fourth time she does this, she whacks her head on her pencil tip and cries. I'm sympathetic, but not overly so since I have been cautioning her against such drama since she began it. After twenty minutes of work, though, her letters look really good and we venture on to connecting her second word written in cursive (the first was yesterday): sit. She is extraordinarily pleased, and I am too. She takes her sheet and magnets it to the fridge.
After cursive, all that's left is her reading. Her reading curriculum is too easy for her, so she reads the assigned fifteen pages with ease. I'm left re-evaluating if I shouldn't move her up in the curriculum, but decide to not worry about it for now.
As Abby's answering some comprehension questions, I realize it's nearly five and Dan's jet should have landed by now. I put away the book, and challenge the kids to complete their chores before Daddy gets home.
We all start the mad rush to complete our jobs. As I start in to the kitchen, I see Ellie falling asleep on the couch. Now is NOT the time for a nap, so I pull her up and plop her on the kitchen floor. She cries, but when I put on some music, she cheers up and begins to dance. I begin to unload the dishwasher and sing along.
The kids finish their chores within 25 minutes, which is actually pretty good for them. They ask to finish up a show they began earlier this week, and because I have nothing left for them to do, I consent. At this point, Hyrum is okay being on the floor for a bit, so I put him down and grab the camera to snap a picture.
Then, I retreat into the kitchen to make dinner. As I do so, I call Desi to tell her a funny story. We chat for a bit while I make french toast and eggs for my crew. I always enjoy chatting with Desi and it seems that whatever chore I'm doing while we talk just flies by.
Dan shows up just as I'm finishing up dinner. I say goodbye to Des, he helps me set the table and we all sit down. Everyone must have been starving because we ran out of french toast and eggs.
Because it has been freezing today, I had told Abby we could go play at McDonald's after Daddy came home. In order to make good on that promise, we tell the kids to get ready to go.
I sweep the kitchen floor AGAIN, wipe down the table and load the dishwasher while Dan goes and changes out of his work clothes and changes Hyrum as well. (What can I say? Hyrum's a messy eater.)
We visit a different McDonald's than we typically do. The kids love running around and Abby and Emmett both find friends to play with. We get dessert and the kids all love the cookies (3 for a buck!). Even Hyrum enjoyed the cookie...which makes him a mess again. Dan and I play Scrabble on the iPad while the kids run around the playplace.
Hyrum falls asleep on the way home, so we pull his carseat in and let him sleep in our room. The kids get in jammies and Emmett keeps on asking to watch the DVD he picked at the library. It is past their bedtime (8:30), so we tell him no. He keeps asking and asking. Finally I tell him that if he mentions it again he will lose the DVD - he can watch it in the morning.
It's very obvious that Ellie is tired, so we do our bedtime routine (scripture, song, prayer, water, vitamins, brush teeth) and put them to bed. I lay with Ellie while she relaxes. She still needs Mom a lot at night...and that's okay because she'll only be this small once.
After all the kids are asleep, Dan and I sit and chat about a youTube video called
the Lunch Scholars. We are both dumbfounded. This discussion morphs into discussion on thinking processes and comparisons of each other to Booth and Bones. We're big nerds, I know.
We put in a Redbox movie I picked up, but Hyrum wakes up 15 minutes into it. Dan and I both agree it was boring anyway and turn it off. We get ready to watch an Alcatraz (we're not sure if we're going to like the series or not), but Ellie wakes up. I finish feeding Hyrum and then go pat Ellie back to sleep. She's obviously overtired tonight.
Then, we decide it's late to watch TV anyway, so I sit down and start to write this blog post, with my foot on the bouncer keeping it bouncing while Hyrum's sleeping.
I know I probably missed pieces of things here and there, but this is a fairly typical day at our house. No wonder I am exhausted all the time! And this is why I am 100% certain that God designed families to have two parents for a reason. Yippee for the upcoming weekend!
