What do you do all day? Longest Post EVER

When I first decided to stay home with Isabelle, I was asked the question, "what do you do ALL day?"  As if I was sitting around with my feet propped up eating bonbons and watching my stories instead of doing real work.  At the time, I felt pretty overwhelmed taking care of my one child and was pretty insulted that anyone would ask me what I do all day insinuating that I was not doing much since I wasn't working a traditional 8-5pm job.  For the record, taking care of one kid especially a baby isn't that much work after all.

After having Molly, I updated my post and again, felt overwhelmed taking care of two kiddos all day long.  Clearly I didn't realize how easy I had it with just two.

Well, now I have three kids to take care of.  And in case you forgot, the oldest is three.  So here you go, those of you who wonder what a stay at home mom does all. day. long.

6:30 am:  Jason attempts to wake me up.  I beg for 10 more minutes, but it does no good.  Lawson is awake and wants to eat, the girls are awake and Jason needs to get ready and leave for work.

6:35 am:  I drag myself out of bed, put on my "uniform" (pj pants and my robe) and go to the living room where I attempt to feed Lawson, hold both Isabelle and Molly while nursing and start a Yo Gabba Gabba episode.

7:00 am:  Get coffee from kitchen now that I am done nursing (wouldn't want to spill hot coffee on the baby), return to the living room and start another Gabba.  (I know, I know.  TV is bad for kids.)  Usually have to change Molly and Lawson as they are both pretty regular poopers.  I just love changing poop before I have had my coffee.  Take Isabelle to the bathroom.

7:25 am:  Girls are done with Gabba so I can turn on the regular news see what is happening and if it is going to be an outside kind of day or not.  I also catch a little Matt and Ann on NBC.


8:00-8:30 am:  Start breakfast for the girls.  And by start breakfast, I mean pour them a bowl of cereal or fix them some oatmeal.  After getting them their breakfast I usually start emptying the dishwasher and doing dishes.


8:30-9:00 am:  Clean up breakfast, clean up the girls, clean up the floor, eat my breakfast, check email, check facebook, look to see if my favorite bloggers have posted, start making mental list of what all I need to get done during the day.  Oh, and change Molly AGAIN (that girl is one serious pooper).  The girls are usually coloring or playing toys.


9:00 am:  Turn the TV to Sesame Street for Isabelle.  She does not usually watch it, but it is on nonetheless.  Sometimes I use this time to clean, sometimes I play with the girls, depends on the day really.


9:30 am:  Feed Lawson.  Again.  Feels like I just did this.  After I am done feeding Lawson I change his diaper.  And sometimes I have to change Molly.  AGAIN.  Luckily, Molly has usually done her three poops for the day before 10 am and I can count on being done with toddler poop.  Get the girls dressed.


10:00 am:  TV off for the remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon.  Girls play the game called "drag every toy from our room and the toy cabinet into the living room and kitchen and see if we can get mom to step on them."  If they don't feel like playing that they play, "get out every toy in our room and mix them all together so that it takes five hours to clean up."  I usually get some kind of housework done during their game.  Of course, I don't know why I bother because when I am done "cleaning" they have destroyed the house or their room, or both.  It is about this time when I realize I am burning up and take off my robe.  Still in pj pants though.


11:00  Realize that civilized people are out of their pj pants by now.  Laugh because I am still in mine.  Remember the time that my friend, Stephanie, stopped by for a visit and I was till in my pajamas.  Still don't get dressed.  Oh, and I start thinking about what the girls will want for lunch.  By this time whatever game they were playing together without any problems becomes incredibly boring and the new games, "hit, scratch, bite or pull my sister's hair," along with "scream, whine, cry," start.  I start the "stop, go to your room, right now, do you want a spanking game."    Then we clean up the messes (which takes a pretty good chunk of time) and I start making lunch.


12:00 noon:  Eat lunch.  The girls will almost always have peanut butter and jelly, mac n cheese, or leftovers from dinner the night before.  I eat while they are eating because in 30 minutes I have to feed Lawson.  After they are done eating I clean them, clean the table, clean the floor, change their clothes again and tell them they have a few minutes to play before nap time.


12:30 pm:  Feed Lawson.  Watch Downton Abbey while nursing.  Change Lawson.  Change Molly.  Put Molly to bed (sing two songs).  Take Isabelle to the bathroom.  Put Isabelle to bed (say prayer and sing a song).


1:00 pm:  Beg Lawson to take a nap.  Hold Lawson.  Swing Lawson.  Put Lawson in bouncy seat.  Decide Lawson isn't going to sleep and watch the last half of Downton Abbey.


1:30 pm:  Plead and beg and cry for Lawson to go to sleep.  Realize that if he falls asleep now I could still get an hour of sleep before the girls wake up.  Consider changing out of pj pants, but decide against it.  Check facebook and email.  Realize Lawson isn't going to go to sleep and think about how tired I am.


2:00 pm:  Convince myself that 30 minutes of sleep is better than nothing and pray that Lawson will fall asleep.  Come to grips with reality and get Lawson out of bed or out of the bouncy seat or out of the pack and play (where he is fussing) and hold him and tell him how tired I am.


2:30 pm:  Isabelle wakes up from her nap.  Lawson falls asleep.  Watch a Dora with Isabelle.  Explain to Isabelle that moms don't make chocolate milk, only regular milk. (obviously I don't have to tell her this everyday, but we usually have some sort of funny conversation when she first wakes up).


3:00 pm:  Molly wakes up.  When Molly wakes up she stays in her bed, so I go and hold her for a bit and then she gets up.  The girls and I will spend the next half and hour or so reading books or coloring or practicing numbers, shapes, letters, etc.

3:30 pm:  Lawson wakes up.  Feed Lawson.  Change Lawson.  Change Molly. Take Isabelle to the bathroom.

4:00 pm:  Depending on what is for dinner, I either start dinner or start some more housework.  There is a never ending supply of laundry at our house so usually I can always find something to do.  The girls play in their room, color in coloring books, or if it is nice, go outside.  Oh, and I may or may not be holding Lawson who refuses to be put down.  If I am not able to hold him because of making dinner then I listen to him cry while I fix dinner.


5:00 pm:  Jason calls.  I freak out.  The house is a mess and I am still in pj's.  The girls and I begin a mad dash to pick up the entire house in 15 minutes.  I may or may not find time to get out of my pajamas.  Today I managed to put on a shirt, but stayed in my pj pants.  Sometimes we get everything picked up, sometimes not.  If we get everything picked up and I get into regular clothes and J still isn't home I may put on some makeup as well.


5:30-6:30: (you didn't think my day ended at 5 pm did you?) Jason gets home and we eat dinner.  This is a pretty chaotic time at the house.  J and I make the girls' plates and drinks, work to get them to eat and not play with their food, eat our own dinner and then clean up the girls who have managed to get just as much dinner on them as in their mouths.    Luckily, I have a great husband who helps out a TON once he gets home.


6:30 pm:  Feed Lawson.  Change Lawson.  Watch the wheel.  Change Molly.  Take Isabelle to the bathroom.


6:30-8:00 pm:  Jason is usually playing with the girls while I clean up from dinner.  Bath time is sometime during this hour and a half.  Molly goes to bed right at 8 pm.  During the time we are waiting for Molly to fall asleep Isabelle will read books or practice writing her numbers/letters or if we are super good parents she is playing on the iphone.


8:30-9:00 pm:  Put Isabelle in bed.  Begin to try and relax.  Relaxing usually involves watching TV with J on the couch and eating something sweet. 


9:00-10:00 pm:  Tell Isabelle to go to sleep.  Tell Isabelle to be quiet.  Tell Isabelle she is getting a spanking if we have to come in her room.  J goes to spank Isabelle.  Wish that we didn't have to punish her every night right before bed.  Start the dishwasher.  Start another load of laundry.  Feed Lawson.  Change Lawson.  Get ready for bed.


10:30 pm ish:  Go to bed. 


3:30 am:  Feed Lawson.  Change Lawson.


For the record, not every day is exactly the same.  As an example, sometimes I shower!  Another example, sometimes we have to run errands which means that during the regular craziness there is another equally crazy period of running around trying to get everyone ready to go run errands (all diapers changed, Belle to the bathroom, regular clothes and shoes on everyone, diaper bag ready and drinks ready to take in the car).  Some days, okay most days, Lawson doesn't feel like napping and instead feels like crying, so I spend a good portion of my day holding a baby.  Holding a baby does not mean that the rest of my day changes, it just means I am doing it while holding a baby.  Tuesday nights I try to go to my weekly Mary Kay sales meeting so Jason is left taking care of three kids!  This is just a sample of what you could almost always find us doing at a given time during the day.

Also, in typical mom fashion, there are many things I do that I did not mention.  Things like finding a time to blog, or read, see a friend, go grocery shopping, or pay bills.  Things like the many times a day I kiss a boo-boo or give hugs and kisses or correct my children for disobeying.  I didn't add in the time I spend on the phone chatting with my sister or my husband or my mom.  This post would be even longer than it already is!!!!

Oh, and you should also know that there is a lot of time during the day that I have very sweet moments with my kids.  Not all of my day is routine and craziness.  Just most of it.  And I would not trade it for anything (usually).  When I take time to think big picture, I am so grateful to be home with my kids.

What is your day like?  Equally crazy or the total opposite?