Okay - letting that sink in.
That seems like a LONG time!!
So, how are things after TEN weeks??
Pretty typical I think!
Here is our typical day at TEN weeks:
6-6:30am - wake up call. Normally it's just the girls that wake up this early, but some days baby boy #7 gets up that early too. Those days are not so much fun. He is not a morning person and should really sleep till at least 7am. We go downstairs, I start the coffee (if I didn't plan ahead and set the coffee maker the night before) and turn on Barney, get cups of milk and cover them with blankets on the couch. School days I have 1 and 2 getting ready to leave by 6:38, so this hour goes by pretty fast. Weekends... not so much. They don't respect the weekend-sleep-in routine we previously held so dear to our hearts. Some days even on Saturday I am awake and on the couch grumbling through stupid Barney by 5:45am. Yuck.
7am - School days we wake up 3 and 4 to start getting ready. Normally by 7:25-7:30 3,4 and the littles are all eating breakfast. I go through our checklist (do you have shoes on? Did you pack your backpack? Do you have your binder? Do you have your snack? What special do you have today? If it's gym.. do you have tennis shoes on?) while reminding the girls to sit on their bottoms and eat. I say this 800 times during each meal. If I forget to say "sit on your bottom!" someone will inevitably fall off the bench onto the floor which will result in an extra 45 minutes of breakfast time since we will stretch it out to include the crying, the consoling and the pouting period afterwards.
7:50 - 3 and 4 out the door. Littles usually watch the bus come and leave and begin their daily emptying of the toy room into the entry way floor.
***** (from here on down, using School Day schedule because on weekends... all bets are off)
8am - I sneak upstairs to get dressed. I have maybe 10 minutes before they all fall apart without my presence.
8:15 - clean up the kitchen. This may take as long as an hour depending on how many children are holding onto my legs while I walk the 3 steps from the dishwasher to the cabinets. Yes, helpful mommas out there... I have tried letting them "help" unload the dishwasher and such... but that ends in disaster as our kitchen is the size of a small shoebox and 4 people all carrying dishes or standing around the dishwasher is just NOT GOOD.
Approx. 9am - begin thinking about asking them to clean up the toys from in the entry way.
If we are going out today to run errands or something, we usually try to leave around this time.
9-11am: Errands, play outside or play inside depending on the day.
11am - begin making lunch in a stealthy way. If I get caught making food, baby boy 7 WILL freak out and cry, climb up my legs and panic until I put him on the counter with me and feed him something.
11:30-12 - typically lunch time. 800 reminders to sit on your bottom, eat your food and telling them how "yummmmmmmm!!!!" their food is so that they believe me.
12 - nap time.
12:05 - 5 in the bed.
12:06 - 6 in the bed
12:08 - 7 in the bed
12:08:30 - back in the girls room. "LAY down! Go to sleep! Do you want to go outside after nap? Then SLEEP!"
12:09 - stick head in boys room - "its okay... go to sleep... Mommy loves you!"
12:10 - back in the girls' room. Stand in doorway and give the "Mom" look.
12:15 - sit in hallway between both rooms and fold laundry while repeating "SHHH! Tegna!" (sleep)
12:30 - typically everyone is asleep.
12:31 - huge exhale and go downstairs.
I may use this break to do house stuff, make phone calls,or talk to Jamey because she can relate. I try to remember to eat lunch at this time so that I don't remember after the littles wake up because then they think its time for them to eat a whole meal too, not just a snack... something that requires a plate, fork and drink. Not cool at 3pm.
2:30-3pm - Typically the time everyone wakes up. I literally RUN to get whoever wakes up first in the girls room so that perhaps the other will sleep for another 30 minutes or so. If they are not awake by 3, they will be awakened.
2:50-3pm - 1 and 2 get home on the bus. Lots of happy screaming from the littles.
4pm - 3 and 4 get home.
4:10-5pm: snacks then go over who has homework and who doesn't, argue the merits of homework, argue against the usage of crayon or pen on homework and begin to think about stealthily preparing dinner. Sometimes one of the older kids will take the littler kids out to play so I can help another couple of them with homework. I am convinced homework is spawned of Satan. (just deleted 5 page rant on homework) Just sayin'.
5-6 : Cook dinner while playing referee, therapist, maid, potty assistant, police officer, and sometimes taxi driver - picking up kids from after school activities.
6pm - dinner time. 800 reminders to sit on your bottom, 300 reminders to eat, 290 reminders to chew with your mouth closed, and 287 reminders to use your fork.
7pm - clean up dinner stuff, then get the littles off to bed. Brush teeth, lotion, pajamas, potty visit and tucking everyone in. We say prayers, get covered up, go over my (hopeful) request that they sleep till the outside lights come on (sun comes up), and say goodnight. About 50% of the time they go right to sleep. The other 50%... see above nap time schedule.
7:30-8pm - finish cleaning up kitchen, pick up toys, pick up random clothing from all over the downstairs, let dog out again, remind 3 and 4 to do their nightly reading, make sure backpacks have everything in them for tomorrow, and then get a few minutes to relax with the first 4.
8:45 - First 4 go up to bed. Yes, even the 14 and 12 year olds. 9pm bedtime. Yep. I'm that mean. They wake up at 6. It's all gonna be okay. I promise. I used to be religious about tucking them all in, hugs, kisses, prayers etc... but since the babies have been home it's tough to go in their rooms since they all share (except One - he has his own room). Sometimes the littles aren't quite all the way asleep then we have to start the whole bedtime thing over again and THAT is AWFUL.
9-10pm.... AHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Time with hubby when he is home, watch something on TV, read, play online, etc... something that I don't have time to do during the day!
10pm - I TRY to get to bed by 10 since I really need my sleep. Most nights I am successful. Sometimes not.
So... there you have it!
Our day in a schedule/nutshell!
You mean you don't sit on the couch watching soaps and eating bon-bons all day? I thought that's what stay-at-home moms do. No? ;)
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm typing, I think the term "stay-at-home mom" is a dumb one. When I hear it I think, "Stay at home, Mom!" Like it's a command. Like mom's shouldn't be allowed out of the house.
I think I like the term "homemaker". Maybe. There's something pleasant about the idea of making a home. I'll stop writing now. I love you!