*** Disclaimer: I'm sure this post will be incredibly long and boring to other people, but I wanted to document a Day in Our Life with a 3 year old, 2 year old, and 5 month old so, when I'm old, I will actually remember how crazy our life is right now.***
4:15 am: The alarm blares and I scramble to shut it off before it wakes the kids. Andy gets up to get ready for work. I doze until he leaves. Think to myself, “Natalie didn't get up to eat last night. Cool.”
6:30 am: I hear Molly talking so I get up to get her out of the room before Jack wakes up, but then I hear him talking, too. I let them jabber while I go get coffee. I don't have to make the coffee on days that Andy works. Cool. It's the small things.
6:40 am: Big kids come out and Jack wants to get dressed and go to Grandma and Papa Kandel's to go for a tractor ride on Fergie. Sorry, buddy, Papa is working and Fergie doesn't live at their house anymore. We settle for Veggie Tales instead.
6:55 am: Natalie is stirring. Diaper change and bottle. Happy baby.
7:20 am: Big kids get breakfast of cereal and toast. I run around switching laundry, starting the dishwasher, straightening up the kitchen, etc.
7:45 am: Natalie and I eat breakfast. She gets rice cereal and applesauce and Tylenol for teeth. I have toast.
7:55 am: Jackson. Plastic toast. Real toaster. Luckily, no fire.
8:00 am: Natalie is in the exersaucer and I am folding laundry. Jack and Molly play peek a boo with the baby to cheer her up. She's fussy so I get her out and find out that she can hold herself in a sitting position. Cool.
8:45 am: Natalie goes down for her first nap. The big kids and I get swimsuits on and spend the next hour and a half outside playing.
10:30 am: Time for a snack of Goldfish and put on dry clothes. Molly poops in her underpants. Not cool.
11:15 am: I count extra diapers that are too small for Natalie to list them on Craigslist.
11:30 am: Natalie's up. Jack's asleep on the rocking chair. I wake him up and hope it didn't ruin his nap. I give Natalie a bottle with the other kids pile on the chair with me to snuggle.
11:45 am: I make lunch of eggs, french toast sticks and apples (Molly's pick). Jack wants eggs and “fish sticks” but he means french toast sticks. He gets those confused. Natalie is super happy and laughing at her reflection in the mirror.
12:25 pm: Vacuum and pick up toys. Then, pick up the toys that they got out while I vacuumed and picked up toys.
12:55 pm: Natalie down for nap, but she's crying. Jack asks to go to the bathroom and poops in the potty all by himself. Nice. Read the big kids a book and put them down for a nap.
1:00 pm: Kids are being loud so I go in there to get them to quiet down. Molly is in Jack's bed so I spank her on the leg. She freaks out “Mommy, my leg, my leg. Smack my toes.” So, I swat her toes. She giggles. Whatever.
1:57 pm: Natalie is awake and crying. Weird. I give her a bottle and she is happy and playing again. I sold my diapers that I listed on Craigslist this morning. I buy two end tables online for $7 more than I sold the diapers with free shipping. I'll take it.
2:40 pm: I put Natalie in the baby swing on the porch. She loves it but it grosses me out that she is chewing on the straps that I didn't wash yet.
3:20 pm: Molly is awake and jabbering, again. I put Natalie down to attempt another nap and retrieve Molly. Her Pull Up is dry. She peesandpeesandpees.
3:25 pm: Veggie Tales for the 457th time today....ugh.
3:45 pm: I give Molly a peanut butter cream sandwich cookie. She opens it and the peanut butter falls on the floor. She squats down and eats the peanut butter off the floor all the while muttering, “Oh, da peana budder. Da peana budder.” My girl knows the good stuff when she sees it.
4:45 pm: Wake up Jack so he will sleep later. He wakes up super crabby. But, his Pull Up is also dry.
5:02 pm: First major meltdown of the day. Jack is upset that he can't swing in the baby swing on our porch. He declares that he is NOT big, he is little and can swing in the swing. “I not break it. I not big. I'm little. It is my turn cuz I'm little.” I'm out of diversions so I just hope he forgets about it. I put the swing in Time Out.
5:08 pm: Molly melts down along with Jack. Molly scares Natalie so everyone is crying, now. I just walk away from the big kids and take Natalie to the kitchen for her dinner. She gets cereal, green beans and carrots.
5:25 pm: The big kids recover and get their supper. Jack requested fish sticks and I'm pretty sure he really means fish sticks and not french toast sticks.
6:00 pm: The big kids get in the tub for a bath. They play in there while I change Natalie's crib sheet, take off her bumper, and get her ready for bed.
6:15 pm: Jack tells me that we have to get out of the tub before the dragon comes. We wash quickly and vacate before any fire-breathing creatures approach.
6:20 pm: Jack melts down because the Wii freezes and he can't watch Toothfairy. Life is rough.
6:30 pm: Daddy should be home soon. He better be home soon. Mommy is DONE.
6:36 pm: Andy texts to say he is running late but on his way. Seriously. I can't make this stuff up.
6:37 pm: I make Natalie's bottle. I see Andy's text. I get mad and lose count of scoops of formula. I throw another scoop in. Natalie downs her bottle and burps without the projectile spitting up that usuallly goes down the front of my tank top. That must be today's silver lining.
6:59 pm: I put Natalie to bed.
7:01 pm: Andy's home. Praise God.
7:20 pm: Snuggle Buddy time. I always get stuck with Jack. He's really boney and he digs his elbows into me. But, he's also quite cuddly. Andy always gets Molly. She is usually pretty chill.
7:27 pm: My snuggle buddy accidentally head butts me in my cheekbone. I resist the urge to deck him and send him over to his father.
7:36 pm: My snuggle buddy is back. He is supposed to be at Tball right now but we decided to skip tonight since his game was late and he wouldn't get to bed until really late.
7:57 pm: Jack's bed. Read book. Get a drink. Sing Appletree. Count stuff. Say prayers. And, that's a wrap. Good night!
8:00 pm: Finish blog and watch Army Wives. Cool.
So, this is a typical summer day for us. We didn't go anywhere or do as much cleaning as usual, but it was pretty normal. Going somewhere just requires a little more stategizing and organization. It also took a lot of time to write all this down!
