What did you do all day?

My husband came home not long ago and asked me "what did you do all day?"... after the day I had, I whirled around and gave him a look.  I calmed down quickly when he said "Oh, I didn't mean it like that..... How was your day?"  In his defense, he didn't mean it how it came out! 

However it got me thinking.... and after a conversation on Facebook about being a Stay-At-Home-Mom or a Homeschooling Mom, people think you have all the free time in the world to watch TV, relax, and just lounge all day in our jammies. 

I though I would take this opportunity to tell you exactly "what I do all day!"  This might get a little long!

My first alarm on my phone goes off at 2:30 am.  That is the time that Joe gets up for work.  He leaves the house at 3 am and starts work at 4 am.  So that wakes me up and if he doesn't get up from either that or his alarm, I wake him up.  Then most every day I return to sleep... some days I stay awake, but not often if I can help it!

My second alarm goes off at 5:30 am.  I typically do hit snooze two times.. for a total of 16 minutes.  I think it makes me feel like I am sleeping in.  LOL.. though I know different.

I get out of bed, make a trip to the bathroom and get dressed (typically in lounge pants and a t-shirt unless I have appointments in which case I might  re-do my hair quickly, slap on a little make-up and brush my teeth.  By this time it's about 5:55 or so. 

Out to the kitchen to make coffee or warm up what might be left from yesterday and get the dishes from before bed into the dishwasher.  I then sit down for about 10 minutes while drinking my coffee and checking emails and calendar with schedules for the day. 

By 6:30 the kids start rousing.  Katie is always first... then Josie is close behind.  I get them breakfast.. Katie almost always eats cereal along with Owen and Josie has toast with cream cheese.  Yes, my children are creatures of habit too!!

Then I get the backpacks ready with snow boots, snow pants, coats on top with hats and mittens.  I also make sure that all homework is tucked in their bags as well as any library books.  Then I put their shoes by their other paraphernalia.  Then we check lunch calendars for the day and see if we are packing lunch or eating at school.  If it's lunches -- commence packing lunches.

I typically have clothes laid out the night before and by this time Owen is typically up and eating breakfast.  Everyone gets their clothes and gets them on (only the three bigs).  By this time it's shortly after 7 am and I put the dishes from breakfast in dishwasher and make sure everyone is dressed and has socks and boots/shoes on.  Then at 7:20, Evelyn gets up and is changed and dressed, followed by Landon.  Then out to start the truck so it can warm up over the next 20-30 minutes since it's more than likely below ZERO outside.

At 7:30 Jacob gets up, changed and dressed and his coat on.  Then he is sat in the high chair and had his cereal before his bus comes.  

Meanwhile, I take Landon & Evelyn out to the truck and get them buckled in.  Katie, Owen & Josie get their coats, hats, mittens on.. get their back packs and head to the truck.  By this time it's 7:50 when Jake's bus arrives.  I put him on the bus and then take the other three to school (3 blocks away). 

After dropping them at school, come home, feed Landon & Evelyn breakfast, which can take until almost 8:30 or 8:45 depending on what they are having.  Then they are sent to play.... I start cleaning up from the rest of breakfast,  start the dishwasher and start laundry.  I can easily do 3 loads a day even when I am caught up which will probably NEVER happen again in this house.  While the laundry is in the washer and dryer, I do the daily chores... sweeping the dining room/kitchen, vacuuming the living room, changing the garbage, taking out the recycling from the day before, going through school papers and deciding what to keep and what to pitch. 

Laundry is constant throughout the day.. so that never stops.  At this point we are at 11 am.  This is my break time... I sit down.. for one hour... and I watch Young & The Restless...this is my "ME" time during the day.  At noon, I feed Evelyn & Landon and let them play while I get the dishes done and the dishwasher (remember I started it earlier) dishes put away.

Then at 1 pm, the kids go down for a nap.  During that time, I finish folding laundry.. make any phone calls I need to make, to insurance, therapies, or doctor office.  I also check FB, email and see whats going on in the world, but I generally don't sit down to do this.... it's done while I am cleaning up, folding laundry etc. 

At 2:30, I get the kids up from nap, change diapers, get their coats on and load up to go get kids from school at 3:15.  I arrive early so I am parked in the same spot every day!  Then pick up kids at 3:15-3:20.  Take the carpool kids home and return home by 3:30 and then Jake's bus arrives anywhere between 3:40-3:50.  Then it's chaos.. everyone wants a snack... oh I forgot...while kids are down for their nap, typically I will start to prep dinner for the evening too.  Snacks then, homework, just utter chaos because by this time daddy is home too.  Dinner finishing.. cleaning up the snack dishes and into the dishwasher.

Dinner is typically on the table at about 5:30 then eat... clean up ... and if I am lucky I get to sit down at 7 pm... but usually someone has something to do or I have something to do out of the house.  Typically it's more like 8 or 9 pm when I get to sit down after putting the kids to bed at 8 pm.  Then by 10 pm I am ready for bed... sometimes later depending on what I have to do...... which can involve more laundry.....more dishes... or forms to fill out for this or that! 

That's my day in a nutshell... then factor into there, dr appointments, therapy, grocery store visits, school activities, sports, church, etc etc etc.  The other day in addition to that I had three dr appts for the kids mixed in there!

I am not telling you this for sympathy, I handle it just fine most days... however when I say that I haven't had a shower in 5 days, this is the reason why.  I don't have time some days and some days when I do have time.. I don't have the energy!  LOL

So next time you are thinking about the life of luxury of a Stay-At-Home- Mom..... PLEASE know, it's not all soap operas and bon-bons!  It's a lot of work and there are days (thank goodness not very many) that I would love to escape for a day of 9-5 office work... where no one asks me to do anything extra.. cut their food or change their diapers!