My Day: The Play-by-Play

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Some of my readers have mentioned an interest in reading about my day. I understand; I always wonder about other mommy bloggers, SAHMs and those who work outside the home as well! All mothers work hard and we are always open to hear about what works for others so we can implement those tips in our day too. I love idea swapping and want to share a typical* day with you.

I’m conscious every day that three little people depend on me and I had to figure out what works and what doesn’t!  I came to realize that the three most important things for me are 1) staying organized, 2) asking for help, and 3) having LOTS of patience.(exercise and blogging keep my mind sane). Jose is out of the house by 6am everyday and his arrival back home depends on amazing timing, brisk walking and the Gods of all methods of transportation (ferries, subways and railroad trains) to collaborate! Tuesday was a perfect example of a balanced day for the boys and I. Jose walked in at 7:45 pm yesterday evening and I was just putting baby Jordi in his crib for the night…

Tuesday

5:50 am: Jose brings a restless baby Jordi to our bed.  He wouldn’t go back to sleep.

6:00 am: Jose off to work and I’m up to fix a bottle with Jordi. Change diaper.

6:15 am: Santi is up (change diaper)! The three of us go down with drinks to the TV room. Santi watches TV and Jordi plays while I check emails.

6:30 am: Diego is up early today! So he has time to watch 30 minutes of TV before getting ready for school. I’m now in the kitchen, Jordi in the high chair eating a small cereal snack. I unload the dishwasher and go back up to wash up and put on clothes for the gym.

7:00 am: Everyone back in the kitchen! Cold cereal, homemade muffins and more cereal snacks. Boys eat and I start packing Diego’s lunch. Coffee!!!

7:20 am: Everyone in the bathroom! Brush teeth, wash faces, get dressed, change diapers (again), everyone’s hair is brushed (Diego gets a little hair gel).

7:45 am: Everyone in the car. Drive the 10 minutes to school.  The music choice argument!!!  Gangnam Style always wins.

8:05 am: Back at home. Babysitter arrives! Hurray! I feed Jordi a second  breakfast. Brooke plays with Santi. I clean the kitchen and Jordi plays on the kitchen floor. I hand Jordi to Brooke and I run upstairs to sort our laundry. Throw a load in. Make myself a strawberry, banana, blueberry and almond milk smoothie. Load dishwasher, put Jordi down for nap and run out the door.

9: 15 am: Mommy and mommy-friend coffee time!!!! Inspiration, advice, a little gossip, pat each other on the back and encourage/wish each other a good day. Oh and an egg and cheese croissant with my 2nd coffee of the day!

10:30 am: 30 minute cardio at gym.

11:15 am: Cleaners and post office on the way home.

11:45 am:  Laundry load in dryer. Shower.

12: 15 pm: Brooke goes home. Santi sleeping. Jordi up and ready to have lunch. I feed him and I play Toddler Pandora Station. I sing to him to stay patient as he likes to use his quick reflexes to flick the spoon full of green peas or brown lentils. I give him mini rice cakes for “dessert” and I sweep and Swiffer mop the kitchen.

12:45 pm: Jordi back on the kitchen floor. More kitchen tools for him to play. I dance around him and make a super easy dinner of mild spicy ground beef, beans, green peas and corn for everyone (except Jordi). I eat standing! A little left-over pasta is very comforting right now. I whip up some oat meal muffins (out of a box) for Diego’s play date today. I go fold that first load and add the second to the washer. Jordi plays in the same room (laundry/basement play room). I vacuum the TV room.

2:00 pm: Take laundry upstairs in one hand and Jordi in the other arm. Change Jordi’s diaper and clothes (again), attempt to make our bed. No go!!! He is getting clingy and tired but he must stay up as he and Santi have to go do carpool duty today (no sitter this afternoon). I hold him and he watches me make my third coffee of the day (!) and his bottle. Strong biceps now.

2:30 pm: Go in to Santi’s room to wake him up. Jordi chugs his 6 ounces of formula and plays while I try to get Santi out of his wet diaper and into his shoes. I make the crib and Diego’s bed (I think it is time for Diego to start making his bed in the a.m.).

2:50 pm: The three of us are in the car ready to do carpool pick-up and drop-off!

3:15 pm: Four boys pile into my car. Truly a seven-passenger ride today.

3:40 pm: Arrive home with one extra boy! Play date! Take Jordi to his crib for nap. Supervise play date while checking emails on my phone.

4:00 pm: Play date’s mom arrives early so we can have a little visit. More mothering stories, a little gossip, we referee an iffy-looking wrestling match.

5:00 pm: Guests leave.  Jordi up! Everyone in the sun-room for homework. Diego works on a Chinese New Year worksheet from school. Santi and Jordi get books. Food warming up.

5:20 pm: Dinner!!! Jordi allows me to take bites of my food while I feed him. I encourage Diego and keep serving Santi. Pandora music again and talk about our day. Notice the new kitchen table y’all!

6:00 pm: Piano for Diego, puzzles for Santi, more floor play for Jordi. Kitchen, dining room and sun room a disaster!!

6:30 pm:  All three boys in the bath. Take Jordi out first, drain water so Santi doesn’t drown while Diego is “supervising”. Dress Jordi at lighting speed. Literally hold him with one arm as I assist with washing the other two. Diego helps a ton. Lathering himself and helping with Santi. I take the shower head and hose them down. Assist with one arm in getting them each out safely.

7:00 pm: There is something about running around naked. I have to scream and shout for Diego to put underwear on and literally have to chase Santi down to put on a diaper. Ugh. Jose sends message. Train getting in at 7:30. :-/ Starting to lose patience and energy.

7:15 pm: All back down in sun room. Clean up time. Everyone picking something up. I take care of the dining room. Make a bottle for Jordi.

7 :30 pm: Jordi finishing up. Boys ready for milk and cookies.

7: 40 pm: Jose walks in!! We all say good night to Jordi. Jose takes him to crib. Warm up food for Jose. Boys off brushing teeth, reading books with Jose.  I’m cleaning something and almost burned Jose’s food!!

8:00 pm: Everyone in bed. Jose eats, I start cleaning the kitchen (how many times today?). Chat about our day and the boys’ day.

8:20 pm: My lovely husband finishes the kitchen cleanup. I sit to start blogging.

9:30 pm: I join him in the TV room. More chatting. I write, he watches TV, checks Blackberry and iPad. I read. I check FB, Twitter, Pinterest… The dryer still holds that second load.

12:00 am: Lights out. Hoping you like the post when you read it. Laundry to be done tomorrow.

*Of course, not every day is like this. First of all, I don’t have a baby sitter for mini-luxuries every day. I take Santi and Jordi to music and gym class. I also have to use another afternoon baby sitter on Wednesdays and Fridays to take Diego to piano and soccer. There are also three weeks out of the month that I don’t have to pick up Diego and his carpool buddies from school.

There are days that we add Spanish lessons (by me) in an instructional manner during homework time. There are days that I don’t cook. We eat leftovers. There are days that I don’t workout alone, I wait for Jose to come home and we workout together.  And we do our big errands like grocery shopping on the weekends.

Every day is different, but what doesn’t change around here is constant motion or flowing schedule. Kids love routine but we always give them time to explore, play and create yet allowing our boys to expect the transitions without surprises.

There are days when everyone is banished to the TV room because I simply can’t manage. When someone is sick or sleep-deprived, the whines and cries can take a toll and I know when to call the TV crew.

What do you think of my schedule? Does a lot look familiar? Do you have some time saving suggestions for me or would you like to know more about a specific time of my day? Would love your input!

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