A Day In The Life

I was thinking the other day, well, actually I think every day, but you know what I mean.

What will it feel like when I'm older, with my children raised, grown and gone from our home.

Will I miss the chaotic, messy, noisy days that I have now?

Living in the moment is harder than it looks and I thought it would be interesting, and perhaps therapeutic, to do a "day in the life" post.

Someday when I'm old (and grayer) I might just appreciate looking back at the crazy life I have now. So here it goes....................

6:15 Adam gets out of bed and replaces himself with my cell phone, which he tucks in beside me.

6:20 Cell phone alarm goes off and I am thankful that I do not actually have to sit up to turn it off.

6:25 Guilt sets in and I hit the floor running. Scooping up a handful of clothes I run upstairs for my turn in the shower.

6:35 I'm out of the shower, which I may or may not have had the privilege of enjoying alone. Usually there is someone who needs to brush teeth or pee or just ask me what I'm doing in there!

6:45 Dressed and busily cleaning Lola the bunny's cage as she has a little hop around the house.

6:55 Try and catch bunny who is still hoping around the house. Pick up any little "treasures" she has left me and turn the coffee pot on......add an extra scoop of grounds.....looks like I might need it!

7:00 First child arrives. Not only the first child of the day but the it's the child's FIRST daycare day EVER........

7:05 Still trying to extricate that child from mother's arms...........finally succeed and as I close the front door new child projectile vomits onto the living room floor and looks at me.

7:15 A semblance of peace has been restored in time for the next child (thankfully a seasoned veteran) to arrive.

7:20 Breakfast served to everyone. A mixture of toast, fruit and a bowl of soup for Evan who insists that is the only thing he will eat today. I decide to pick my battles and make the soup.

7:45 Kids are sent off to dress, finish their morning chores, brush their teeth and comb their hair. Daily chores are part of their allowance and the kids are pretty good about doing them unsupervised. I dump the majority of Evan's soup down the kitchen drain.....oh well

7:50 Throw Alec a sandwich, give him a quick hug, and remind him of projects due today, a dental appointment, and his upcoming work shift as he runs out the door for school.

8:00 - 8:15 Daycare kids #3, #4, #5, and #6 arrive in quick succession. We are into full playtime on the livingroom floor. While I wash dishes, make little mini fruit salad for Claire and Evan's lunch an assortment of legos, hot wheels, books and puzzle pieces are quickly making it near impossible to navigate across the room.

8:30 Load lunch bags into backpacks, sign agendas, record their reading times and assemble mittens, coats and hats for 8 kids......laid out in piles around the living room floor.

8:45 Zippers are zipped for little ones that need help. Bigger children help smaller ones with boots, hats and mittens. The ones ready first are requested to stand outside and wait for me to bring the younger ones out. Evan insists on one more trip to the bathroom while I buckle the two smallest into the double stroller

8:50 3 children are delivered to school and 5 kids return home with me to begin our preschool program for the day.

9:00 - 9:30 Free play. This is pretty much my only "chore" time of the day. I fly into super-mommy mode and fold 2 loads of laundry from the night before, clean the bathroom (which after 5 people really needs it), straighten the kids rooms, search for food items collecting moss in Alec's room and perhaps scrub anything sticky off the dining room table that I missed the night before.

9:30 - 10:00 Circle Time ~ Sing songs, teach alphabet recognition, colours, shapes, numbers, learn rhymes, and play games. Ends off with storytime.

10:00 - 10:15 Snack Time ~ Look in the cupboard and try to find something quick, nutritious and "allergy friendly" as one of the children is allergic to all nuts and legumes. New child refuses to eat anything and still is looking at me like I'm the big bad wolf!

10:15 - 10:45 ~ Craft Time ~ Today we are making dinosaur dioramas. After hot gluing my finger to a little plastic dino for at least the 3rd time I declare we are finished and it's time to play outside.

10:45 - 11:30 Outdoor Play ~ Run around and dry off ALL the toys that are frost covered from the night before. Listen while the children pleasantly inform me that someone has stepped in dog poo. Wonder if I should clean their shoes or find the dog poo in the grass first. I pick up the poop before someone else steps in it, clean the shoes and manage a few outdoor chores before it's time to come in and make lunch.

12:00 Lunch Time ~ Wonder what to feed the new child who is still not really too enthused to be here but has at least stopped screaming and clawing at the window to get out. I lock the front door just in case he is planning an escape, throw on some Raffi (loud) and head into the kitchen to make 5 grill cheese sandwiches (1 on soy free bread....which is actually harder to find than you might think).

12:15 Learning Time ~ Sit down to teach alphabet matching for letters A-H, counting numbers 1-15, and simple scissor skills

12:45 Group Story Time ~ read 5 books.............as quick as possible for the smallest ones are falling asleep sitting up!

12:55 Lay down 3 little kids in an assembly line. Change each bum in succession. Grab blankets, assemble playpens, draw blackout drapes, hug, and tuck into bed.

1:00 - Realize that the new little one is a Houdini of the playpen. I'm barely 2 feet down the hall and he is out of bed following me. Return said child to bed 3 times before I have to use the "stern" tone and he is finally quiet.

1:15 - 1:30 Write daily reports outlining their morning, what they ate, who they played with and what we learned.

1:30 - 2:00 ME TIME!! Paid a few bills, ordered a couple of presents online....thank god for amazon.ca, read a blog or two, and check out the rumour queen site to see if we have "moved" in the adoption line.

2:00 - 2:45 Bake banana bread for after school snack. Prepare for a group of 8 hungry kids!!

2:45 - 3:00 Pack preschool bags with crafts, worksheets, reports etc. Prepare to wake everyone up!

3:00 - 3:10 Wake up the children. Disassemble all the playpens and put away. Change diapers and put still sleepy kids into snow jackets, mittens, boots and hats. New little one is still pretty quiet but at least he's not looking at me like a child abductor anymore. Almost cracks a smile.

3:15 - 3:30 Walk to school, pick up 3 more kids (2 are mine) and head for home, relieved that I haven't lost anyone yet

3:30 - 3:45 Snack Time ~ Bunch of hungry wolves!

3:45 New little one's mom shows up to collect her toddler. She asks me if he has learned any English words today. Seems she neglected to tell me that he does not speak English.

4:00 - 5:00 Break out the playdough and the Sharon, Lois and Bram CD. Everyone seems relatively entertained and happy.

5:00 - 5:15 Sweep a mountain of playdough bits off the table and floor. Put the 4000 playdough tools back into the tubby and pick playdough out of numerous children's clothing.

5:15 Parents mercifully begin to arrive, retrieving their children, and I marvel that another day is almost over as the coat rack begins to empty.

5:15 - 5:30 Prepare dinner for one of the children who will remain until 6pm. For those of you counting I have now been working for 11 hours. Feed, wash face, change diaper, pack his bag and read to him until 6pm

6:00 Close the door as the last child leaves. Try to resist the urge to turn the lock in the door as they are leaving.

6:00 - 6:30 Eat dinner with my own family, share about our day, catch up on homework requirements and any school "news" that I need to know.

6:30 - 7:00 Wash dishes, put away daycare toys, print worksheets and assemble craft materials for the next day. Supervise the kids putting the snacks into their lunch pails for tomorrow.

7:00 - 7:30 Fifteen minutes of reading with each child independently.

7:30 - 8:00 Review spelling words and math homework with one child while the other takes a shower. Then reverse that process for the other child.

8:00 - 8:30 Night snack for the younger ones. Story time, snuggles and kisses............bedtime

8:30 - 10:00 Spend time with Alec. Catch up on his school news, chat about what's going on with friends, work, school assignments etc.

10:00 Spend a few minutes with Adam. Review "the plan" for the next day, spend a few minutes blogging, reading or just savouring the quietness.

Lights out.....................6:20 comes early!!!!