A Day in the Life of a Zealous Mom

I suppose I could blog every day recounting what happened that day but I am afraid that would most likely bore me as well as you. It's not that every day is the same because there are always little blips on the radar but there is pretty much a routine that follows on most days. So, I thought I would let you know how my super exciting day goes.

I wake up anywhere from 6am to 7am. Iyov of course is the one that wakes me up so I go and nurse him for 20-30 minutes while the rest of the house is sleeping. During that time the other two wake up or are even often awake already themselves but they usually play in their room until they hear me up and about. About every other day I take a shower after I nurse Iyov and he plays on the floor sometimes happily but usually unhappily. I have taken to putting him in my closet to play so he doesn't bother anyone else and so I can enjoy my shower without hearing his customary screaming that starts about half-way through it. I then go into the kitchen to get everyone fed. Novan and Beya either like grits or oatmeal and/or cereal. Once or twice a week I make pancakes or french toast (which is a big winner with Novan) when I am feeling awake enough.

From that point I get a lot of whining that they want this or that. Novan lately always wants to play on the computer so he usually does that. I am generally trying to get Iyov and myself fed when this happens so usually I will turn cartoons on so I can get my breakfast in peace, or relative peace anyway. Iyov is usually attached to my hip during this whole process. I try, but do not always succeed in getting the dishwasher emptied so that the breakfast dishes don't start a pile in the sink. I make smoothies mostly for Brad and I and later have some toast or a bagel.

Once everyone is fed I am either in the kids room while they play and Iyov is content or cleaning up something that didn't get cleaned up the night before. I am changing diapers, getting children dressed, picking up the living room, blowdrying my hair if I took a shower, getting dressed (although recently I have lived in sweatpants if that can be considered getting dressed), or checking my e-mail.

Depending upon when Iyov got up, he takes a morning nap somewhere between 8 and 9 am. I spend about 20 minutes nursing him and putting him to bed. While nursing him I read about 3 chapters of scripture thanks to my IPhone which is much easier than reading the paper copyI can even highlight and make notes

Then I am focused on whatever the days tasks are. Sometimes laundry, sweeping or mopping, cleaning up the kids room, helping Beya change her clothes for the 3rd time already, taking out trash or compost, cleaning up my closet because Beya has taken all my shoes and/or skirts out again, or sometimes I just sit on the couch and watch some cartoons with Beya climbing all over me. If I am planning on taking them somewhere after Iyov's nap I am getting them and myself ready. I usually go to the Children's Museum each Monday thanks to a year family pass from my Mother-in-law although the last 2 weeks I have not gone because the bitter cold has made me somewhat of a hermit. Usually once a week I am planning the menu for the week during Iyov's nap and making my grocery list.

Iyov wakes up usually between 10:30 and 11:30. If we are going somewhere then we set off immediately. If we are home, I start getting them lunch 11-11:30. After all they do eat their breakfast around 7. I spend a lot of time holding Iyov I realize or trying to play with him to keep him happy. This generally takes place in one of the kids' bedrooms. Everyone is fed by 12 if we are not out and about. I often play with the kids after lunch, building train tracks, reading a book, or helping Beya with her clothing fetish =). I think about feeding myself but it generally doesn't happen until after kids go to sleep.

I try to get everyone to take their naps around the same time. Novan and Beya always do and I start getting them in bed at 12:45pm. Beya sleeps in my bed and Novan in his room because if they are in the same room sleeping just won't happen. Lots of moms are quite in awe when I tell them Novan still takes naps at 4 1/2 but he does and on occasion he won't sleep but he will usually succomb when confronted with a dark and warm and quiet room. Usually their (Novan and Beya's) naps are 3 hours but sometimes less depending on if they slept in that morning at all.



I try to get Iyov to sleep right after that so that everyone is in bed by 1:05 because at 1:12 I am starting the Magnum Opus Financial's http://www.youtube.com/user/MOFinancial broadcast segment. Brad sends me the copy around 1:05 to read before I broadcast. I start the broadcast right at 1:15. This takes about 10 or 15 minutes. If Iyov did not go to sleep at 1 then after the broadcast I try to get him in bed. Again he spends time in my closet if he is still awake so the broadcast doesn't have a screaming kid in the background. Perhaps you are a little sketchy on the closet deal but it's actually quite pleasant in there. I like to hang out in there myself to get 5 minutes peace from time to time =) It' all cushiony carpeted and it's always warm. Plus, Iyov likes to chew on my shoes in there.


So once everyone is in bed and the segment is done I have my time. I usually do my once a week grocery shopping at this timeb by myself while Brad is upstairs working and the kids are in bed. If not I find something to eat first and then I may check e-mail, facebook, blog, read a book, watch a little TV but by 3pm I have to think about dinner. It may seem a little early to some people but I have learned that if I start early and get things prepared like chopping veggies, defrosting things, getting ingredients onto the counter, the actual dinner-making process goes a lot smoother because that time for me is rather chaotic when all 3 kids are awake and demanding something from me. I also like to eat around 5:30-6. I also spend more time making dinner than most people because I make everything from scratch. It's called being on a budget =). I like to make good stuff, and I don't mind taking the extra time to make something really yummy like empanadas or blintzes. When meals require cooking multiple things at different times, it really takes a lot of time so it pays to prepare early.

I like to watch online episodes of the TV shows I like while preparing because I never am available to watch TV when they are actually on plus think commercials raise my blood pressure too much, no patience =). I like House, NCIS, and Bones and I love that I can just plug my laptop into the overhead sound system and watch it on my counter in the kitchen.

So Iyov is usually the first to wake up although the end time of his nap is rather unpredictable. He sometimes sleeps an hour, sometimes 3 so I can never count on him to be sleeping when I need him to be. If he takes a short nap then he will take another short one later in the after noon around 5 or so, otherwise that's it for the day and he's in bed around 7:30. From 4 to about 6:30 I am making dinner, on occasion getting Iyov down for a 3rd nap, eating dinner, trying to get the kids to eat dinner, and then cleaning up after dinner. Phew, just thinking about that exhausts me. It is by far the most hectic part of the day.

Afterwards I am doing the before bed routine. The kids are almost always watching some TV at this time as the day has left me rather exhausted and I just need them to sit still so I can catch up on cleaning up after them because while I am doing the dinner thing I am pretty much in a zone and the other parts of the house suffer their frequent onslaught of destructive behavior. I get their PJ's out, rush their teeth and they may take a bath. I do not do daily baths for them, especially in the winter when they really don't get dirty because they aren't outside much. We are also a family of dry winter skin and baths just exacerbate that problem. By 8p kids are usually in bed. Iyov sometimes isn't if he had a particularly late nap but he is by 9. Then lately I have been going up to the office to help him with whatever needs doing. Lately I have been working on the taxes and then by 11pm I am in bed, or at least I try, sometimes it is a bit later.

So there you have it, a day in my life, at least a routine day. Not all days are this way if I have something out of the house that needs doing. Summers are notoriously non-routine because we like to be outside a lot. I am not bored by any means, there are new little things to experience every day like what new article of clothing Beya will try to put on, or what new thing Novan will be lining up in his room, or how much closer Iyov gets to crawling. I do love it, I love to be a mom, and to take care of my family, it brings me a great deal of satisfaction and I know that one day I am going to miss this.


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