Max & Kaylee: September 2013

I don't exactly know why, but I love reading about how other people do their days. And I have always wanted to record what a day looks like for us - it would have been fun to look back and see what a day looked like for us a year or 2 ago! Here is what a typical day looks like for us right now...

Max and I are up bright and early, somewhere between 5:30 and 6:00. He gets ready for work and I send him out the door with his lunch, coffee to-go, and a kiss by 6:15. Then it's me time for this mama, which usually involves working out, coffee, quiet time reading my Bible, and maybe a shower if the kids are still sleeping! There are also the occasional days I just go back to sleep and wake up with the kids, but I am definitely a morning person, and like waking up before the kids - having that time to myself helps me be a more patient mama.

Eliana and Ezra are up around 7:15, shouting as loud as they can, "Mama! We're awake!"...as if I didn't know, haha! I get them out of bed, and do diaper changes/get them dressed. Evie is usually just waking around this time as well, so we all head downstairs to find something for breakfast. Some days we go all out ( I LOVE breakfast!) and do eggs & bacon & toast or pancakes & sausage & fruit, and other days it's simple cereal or oatmeal.

If we have errands to run, we usually head out the door shortly after breakfast, but most days, we don't have anywhere to be, and since we are a 1-car family, the kids and I are at home most of the time. The kids typically beg to have their "movie" time in the morning after breakfast, so I might put on a show or movie for an hour or two. If the sun is out early in the day, we might head to the park or to ride our bikes in front of the house.

Evie is usually ready for her first nap around 9:30, so I lay her down. This is when the toddlers and I might do legos or coloring or some house-cleaning or stickers together...or they just finish watching a movie (and I sneak in some blogging or laundry or reading!). This will be the perfect time for me to work on some preschool-type activities with the kids, when I get a little more organized! Evie sleeps a little over an hour, before she wakes back up.

We start thinking about lunch about 11:30, and are usually cleaning up lunch/toys and getting ready for nap time an hour later. I get the kids upstairs a little before 1:00, diapered up and in bed with some books. They usually sleep/rest about 2 hours. Eliana is starting to grow out of her afternoon nap (sad day!), but I still have her "rest" in her room for at least an hour. If she doesn't fall asleep after that, she usually joins me downstairs, and chooses to color or read or do her ballerina magnets. Some days, Evie takes a longer morning nap, so she doesn't go to sleep for her afternoon nap until closer to 2:00. If I have a chance to have some quiet time to myself (some days it doesn't happen, with Evie napping later and Eliana resting less...), I blog or read or work on a project or catch up on laundry/emails/my to-do list.

Everybody is awake and raring to go by 3:15. We find a snack - usually popcorn or rice cakes or pretzels - and a lot of time the kids like to eat outside or at their little table. I am usually starting to think about dinner prep and when Max might be home! A few days of the week, he gets off earlier and is home around 3:30. Other days, he isn't home until 5:00 or later.

Depending on what I am making for dinner, we might hang around the house, play in the backyard or if I prepped a crockpot meal, we might head to the park for a bit before eating. Some days, I am trying to make dinner, Eliana & Ezra are crazy, and Evie is fussy...and I am just waiting for Max to walk in that door so I can hand the wee one over to him! Dinner is typically ready by 5:30, and we sit down to eat together as a family - which usually involves many reminders on table manners and behavior and "keep your hands to yourselves!" and "don't lick your plate...or your sister!" and "please close your mouthful of food!" and "can we sing after we chew that humongous bite of dinner?" - much of the time Max and I are laughing hysterically on the inside, while trying to encourage decent manners from our kids!

After dinner, if Max doesn't have too much homework, we usually play together...aka Daddy and the kids wrestle/jump/run...or go to the park to burn off last-minute toddler energy. If he has a lot of schoolwork, he starts that, and the kids and I go outside for a bit before bed. The kids bathe every other day, and then are getting jammies on and brushing teeth around 7:00, with prayers/songs/lights out by 7:20. Honestly, I am usually walking out of their room breathing a sigh of relief, ready for some quiet and calm once again.

Max has to get to his homework (if he didn't start earlier!), so once the kids are in bed, he settles at his desk for a few hours to work on his stuff. I make sure the kitchen is cleaned up (I love ending my day with a clean kitchen, so that I can start my day fresh with a clean kitchen...), make Max a lunch for the next day, prep the coffeemaker, do any last minute household stuff (laundry/sweeping/etc), and then I get to relax! I might catch up on blogs, read a book, sit and stare at the wall, or my latest favorite - watch Call the Midwife!

Max wraps up his schoolwork around 9:00/9:30 most nights. He can then typically be found sitting, staring at his fish tank - it's his joy and a great stress relief for him - or we try to spend a few minutes catching up without kids running around. I am usually dragging myself upstairs shortly after (with a stop in each room to check on my sleeping babies!), and then we are both in bed around 10.

Some days run more smoothly than others, and some days feel more productive than others. Every day is slightly different, although we definitely have our routines and rhythms for right now. It'll change in a month and again in a few more - that's just the beauty of having little ones around! Constant growth and learning and milestones and developments! We have a lot of fun, and make a lot of memories - even if they are simple, silly ones!

So...What about you? What do your days look like?

Share |