A Day in Our Crazy Life VII

I'm only a month late for my ADIOCL post!

This has been a fun tradition here on the blog for a few years now.  Check back on how our schedule has changed over time:

Volume VI: N is 6.5, L is 4.5, C is 3, and J is in utero

Volume V: N is 6, L is 4, C is 2.5

Volume IV: N is 5.5, L is 3.5, and C is 2

Volume III: N is 5, L is 3, and C is 21 months

Volume II: N is 4.5, L is 2.5, and C is 14 months

Volume I: N is 4, L is 2, and C is 9 months

Here was our day on Monday, November 16.

3:45 AM J wakes up to eat.  I nurse her-- she takes about 15 minutes to eat.  I put her back in the bassinet next to me, but it takes her a bit to settle back down... she's not fussing, but just grunting and rolling around in her bed a bit.  I'm having trouble getting back to sleep myself, but as J quiets down I eventually start to drift off.

4:40 M's alarm goes off just as I'm drifting back to sleep.  He gets up for a run on the treadmill.

5:40 My alarm goes off.  I hit snooze twice.

6:07 Despite the protests of my body which only just went back to sleep, I force myself out of bed, because I know my run will not happen unless I do it now.

6:20 I start running-- I had sort of planned on an outside run this morning, but I forgot to set out warmer running gear before bed last night, and it's in the mid-30's outside.  I don't want to disturb J by digging around in my closet so I hop on the treadmill instead.

7:07 I'm finished with my run.

I head upstairs to find this:

 

Surprise honey!  You're on the blog.

7:10 M kisses us all goodbye and leaves for work.  I change J and nurse her while C and L continue playing with an animal puzzle.  L is narrating a story and C is helping her move the puzzle animals around to act it out.

7:15 N is up!  She joins the puzzle game.

7:20 J has filled her diaper again while nursing, so I change her again and get her dressed.  L picks out J's outfit for the day.

We move her to her little bouncy seat in the living room and she watches us start our day.

7:30 L uses the potty and comes out in her underwear (typical!).  I suggest that she get dressed so she doesn't get too cold, which ends up with me digging through the (unfolded) clean laundry to help her find an outfit.  Then C decides to get dressed too, so I do the same for her.  She uses the potty as she gets dressed.

Meanwhile, N is drawing up a plan for the day

and she asks me what her morning chore will be so that she can fill in that block.

{In the past week I have instituted daily chores for the bigger two girls as part of our homeschool routine.  It's something I wanted to start at the beginning of the year but with all the baby crazy we are just now getting into that routine.  It's working well though-- they do something small for me every morning (watering plants, emptying trashes, organizing bookshelves, dusting the corners etc.) and they each earn $2 at the end of the week.  They enjoy having a little something with which to buy themselves treats!}

7:45 I have forgotten to set out oatmeal to soak the night before as planned, so Eggo waffles it is.  I put on a large pot of coffee as I pop them in the toaster.

8:00 I serve the girls their waffles...

J fusses a tiny bit so I just pop in her pacifier, cover her with a cozy blanket, and she puts herself back to sleep quite easily.  This baby is amazeballs.  Can you use that word to describe a baby?  I just did.

8:15 I fill in the morning chores on the girls' daily homeschool checklists.  L had already found her checklist and completed two phonics worksheets.  I locate our (dead) iPad and plug it in, since the girls will need it later, and then I sit down to my sugary breakfast of champions.

8:30 I get myself dressed.  N is doing the same, and the other girls are performing their morning grooming (hair and teeth brushing) along with N.

8:45 We are all ready to start school  The next 1.5 hours brings the usual dance of the girls completing their checklists

while I try to divide myself between helping whoever needs help, supplying activities for C, and tending to J.

Most days it goes pretty well but there are days when everyone needs me at once and it can feel like I'm being pulled apart.  Today is a really good day-- J sleeps until about 9

 

and C happily doodles

and then does watercolors, and then when J wakes up C parks herself in front of J's bouncy seat and proceeds to sing every preschool song she knows, which takes about 30 minutes and J smiles and coos at her the whole time.

10:15  The big girls are done with their checklists, except for N's spelling work on the iPad.  We try to save this for last because she loves these games and likes to spend a lot of time on them.  I try to have her do them after she is already finished with everything else and can enjoy.  I change J and the other girls snuggle up with N on the guest bed to watch her play "Letter Fall".

10:30 I snuggle up with the girls on the bed and nurse J while N finishes her games.

10:45 The bigger girls ask to go outside and play.  It's another gorgeous day (we have been so lucky with all the warm weather this fall!).  They run around in the backyard while J sits in the bouncy seat again and I make a few phone calls and write a few checks for bills.  As the girls are coming in and out I announce that we'll be running errands soon, and stopping at Dunkin Donuts, so they should bring some of their own money if they want to buy munchkins (they're 5 for $1 and this is an often-wanted treat).

11:20 I grab some pretzels and water bottles for a snack to hand out in the car, and we are off to run errands!  First stop is CVS to pick up a prescription.  I meant to buy some thank-you card stationary while we were there, but C spots the animatronic Santa and is terrified, and runs away screaming, and refuses to do any more shopping.  So we have to leave.  Those that have given us baby gifts, I'm very sorry that my thank-you notes are so late in coming.  I blame it on the animatronic Santa.

12:00 Dunkin Donuts stop.  The Patriots won again on Sunday so it's a free coffee for this DD Perks member!!  The girls each spend one of their dollars on munchkins.

12:30 We stop at the post office and I drop our bills in the mailbox.  The girls have asked to make a stop at the playground and, with the beautiful weather, I can't say no.  We have the place to ourselves!

J is thrilled with the bright colors on L's cast-off jacket, and she coos and talks enthusiastically.

1:15 We're home.  The girls don princess dresses and go back outside

I have just enough time to get lunch ready before J wakes up from her car-ride snooze and will be ready for a feeding.  I hastily throw together chicken noodle soup, cheese, crackers, and fruit for the girls

and a salad for myself

(I have been trying to be better about eating a healthy lunch!  I find it is the most difficult meal for me to get... half the time I just eat bites of whatever the girls are having as I prepare it for them.  This was a good day in that I was able to make something for myself!  Hooray!)

1:40 I call the princesses inside and they sit down to eat.

I sit on the couch to nurse J and bring my bottle of water with me, because as usual today I've had too much caffeine and not enough water.

2:00 The big girls have finished and go back outside.

2:15 I change J, then she chats a bit with Princess Leia who makes a brief appearance and then goes back outside.

I put J in her seat, then finally dig in to my salad.  She gives the tiniest of fusses and then falls asleep.  Amazeballs, I tell you.

I'm able to read a few emails on my phone while I shovel down lunch.

2:45 I call the girls inside for rest time and afternoon school.  C asks if N will read to her before her rest time and N agrees.  I set a timer for an hour of quiet time for C.  N ends up reading to C for the next half hour, and I don't stop them.  J is still asleep so L and I put up the calendar things

and do violin

(she wanted a black and white shot)

3:15 I tell C that, unfortunately, N needs to stop reading to her because she has school to do. C looks at books by herself for the rest of "quiet time" while N starts Math Splash on the iPad at our homeschool table.  L and I finish violin.

3:45 The timer goes off for C's quiet time and she comes out.  L and C watch a Reading Rainbow video on our Skybrary iPad app while N starts violin.  J is awake and wanting a friend so I hold her while I give N her lesson.  This turns into nursing her when she gets hungry.

4:30 M comes home and asks if he can help with dinner.  I tell him he can start some mac and cheese for the kids and he and I will have leftovers.  J is still nursing.

4:45 N (or shall we say Princess Leia?) finishes violin

All three big girls go downstairs to play... I chat with M while J snoozes, then I start to file a few finished school papers from the day.

5:30 Dinner is ready... we eat together and chat about our day.

J, amazingly, takes another snooze while we eat.  This is very unusual... typically by this point in the day she isn't quite so content to sit and needs to be held or bounced by Mommy or Daddy.  Many supper times are spent shoveling in bites between bouncing or swaying!  But tonight I'm able to sit and enjoy.

6:00 J is still snoozing so I jump on the laptop to work.  Instead of teaching online this year, I have the very small job of evaluating the newer teachers who now teach my course.  I just have to check in on them once a week and it takes me about an hour.  Just as I have started up my laptop and opened my browser, J is ready to eat again.

6:30 I close my laptop and nurse J.  The big girls are watching a portion of "The Brain" with Daddy... the part about cup-stacking!

7:00 I change J one last time, put on her PJs, swaddle her, turn out the lights and turn on the rain sounds on my clock, give her a last bit of milk, then J is asleep for the night.  M is getting the big girls ready while I do this.

7:30 I give hugs and kisses to all the big girls who are in their beds reading books.  I give them the lights-out and they turn off their reading lamps.  After all the outside time they are ready for sleep!  I get oatmeal bake ready for the next day so we won't have to repeat our sugary breakfast of this morning.

7:50 I have more work to do but decide to put it off until tomorrow, since I have another day until the deadline, and I'm exhausted!  I watch TV with M instead... The Walking Dead.  We enjoy our hour of together time!!

9:00 We are in bed.  If you've read enough of these ADIOCL posts, you know that we are such party animals with all of our staying up late.  Not.