As I was catching up on a few blogs this morning, I came across The Tiny Twig's "A day in the life" post. I don't know about you, but I always think it's fun to peek into someone else's life. It's interesting to see how others juggle their different responsibilities and make everything come together.
A typical day for me begins around 6:30 a.m. with Rainer crawling on top of me (we are co-sleeping these days.) Depending on when he last nursed, I will either nurse him or get right up to start the day. Since we are weaning, it's usually the latter. After his diaper change we'll go into the kitchen to get lunches set out, make the coffee, and set up breakfast. Rainer usually waddles around playing with random spices from the pantry or the magnets on the fridge.
Solomon is up around 7:00, and I set him up with a show on the iPad while he eats his breakfast. During this time I load the car with his school bag, the stroller, blankets and water bottles. At about 7:20 we are brushing teeth and putting shoes on while the car warms up. We try to be out the door around 7:30 so we beat most of the school traffic. School is a six minute drive, and it's also where Mr. P works, so I usually drop him off along with Solo. Sometimes he has to go in early, in which case I have the lovely task of finding a parking spot so I can walk Solo to his classroom myself, with a 20 pound toddler in tow. :)
After Solo is at school, I drive a few blocks and park the car by the running path. With Rainer bundled up in the stroller with some sort of breakfast-y snack, we go for a short run.
Unless Rainer falls asleep in the stroller, I usually run just about 25-30 minutes. This is my time to listen to whatever audiobook I'm currently on, or if I'm not in the mood for that, worship music. I love the fresh morning air and the time to clear my head. While I stretch, Rainer plays happily in the car, smiling and squealing at all the morning joggers & walkers.
We are usually home between 8:30 and 9. I quickly make our breakfast, and while Rainer eats I am usually checking email and social media. I'll also take that time to do the dishes, make beds, tidy up around the house, and throw in a load of laundry. After Rainer is cleaned up, I get him dressed and let him play for awhile. Between 9:30 and 10 it's time for his morning nap.
He's a fighter so it can take a bit to settle him down to sleep. Once he's asleep I sneak out of his room to take a shower and get ready for the day. I'll water our grass and plants, do a little outside maintenance, and with any spare time, I write a blog post and dink around on the computer.
After Rainer's nap we play for about an hour. (on Thursdays we go to a park with a play group) At noon, I start getting us ready to pick up Solomon from school. On the days I feel like walking (25 minutes each way) I set up Rainer in the stroller with a few toys and a rice cake, and we are out the door by 12:10. If I have errands to run, or I just don't feel like walking, we take the car.
Rainer LOVES going to school to pick up big brother. He loves exploring the hallways and playing outside Solomon's classroom if we arrive early. On the way home, I ask Solo questions about his day. Some days he happily babbles on, and sometimes he politely says, "Mommy, I don't want to talk." If we don't have any errands to run we are usually home by 1.
We unload the car, go potty, Solomon changes into comfy play clothes, and I prepare lunch. After lunch Solomon plays with legos, cars, or draws while I clean up Rainer and wash the lunch dishes. We chat and play for about an hour, and at 2:30 Rainer is ready for his afternoon nap. I always look forward to his afternoon nap so I can finally have some one-on-one time with Solomon (such a rarity these days). We usually play with legos or a board game or puzzle on the floor, taking advantage of no tiny hands to mess everything up.
When Rainer is up after about an hour, we have a snack and get ready for whatever afternoon activity is planned. Mondays and Wednesdays Solomon has soccer practice from 4:30-5:30 (a 10 minute walk from our house). Tuesdays we go to a play group and Thursdays he has an hour of speech therapy back at school. On Fridays we will usually go to the library, the park or to the swimming pool.
Mr. P gets home around 5:30 most days, and I finish getting dinner ready (preparing dinner is a day-long process: chop a carrot at noon, set out ingredients at 2, make the salad at 3, etc!) At around 6 we are at the table eating, talking about our days, telling each other what we appreciate about the other (a family tradition), coaxing the boys to eat more, you know the drill!
At 6:45 the shower is running, and we trade off who gives the boys their shower and who puts their jammies on. By 7 showers are done, teeth brushed, and the boys are running around the house or wrestling on the beds, expending the last of their energy.
We also trade off (fight over) who puts Solomon to bed and who puts Rainer to bed. The boys are both asleep around 7:30, and if Mr. P & I have managed to stay awake ourselves, we will watch a TV show or just sit on the couch and talk. Before I go to bed myself, I try to make sure lunches are packed for the following day, clothes are set out, toys are picked up, and the kitchen is clean. Emphasis on "try."
By 9:30 I'm snuggled up in bed reading or looking at pictures on instagram, praying to God my children sleep all night.
