A Day in the Life

I hope you all had a fabulous Mother’s Day whether you were loving on your mom or being pampered by your own kiddos.

Speaking of Mother’s Day and the work of being a mom, today I’m sharing a sample of daily toddler life.

As a mom of three under three, one of the questions I am asked most frequently is : HOW DO YOU DO IT? The truthful answer to that is I’m really not sure, I have a loose plan and we kind of stick to it, then I pray for patience until bedtime. This was yesterday, Monday, and it was a loooong day followed by a sweet surprise!

6:30 a.m.

I was up before the kids to finish some computer work. The people at this lovely parenting website decided I can spell well enough to write for them every now and again-and it makes my mommy brain feel so good!

7:30 – 8:00 a.m.

Everyone is awake! A little Daniel Tiger was in order to start the morning. Everyone woke up happy:-) Those are Lifefactory glass sippy cups and bottles- still my favorite baby thing!

8:00

My assistant attempted to help, but it turned out it was a request for Cheerios. How cute is her bed head?

8:30- 9:30

Making and eating breakfast– Scrambled eggs and strawberries- a toddler favorite. As long as they are not touching on the plate.

9:30-10:00

I have learned that right after breakfast is their most alert time; they’re fully awake and ready to learn. We usually  do a learning activity after breakfast- yesterday we read some books, practiced counting and did some singing- happy campers! It changes later on…

10:45- 11: 30 Then we (them, not me- why am I still in pajamas??) changed into real clothes to go outside- it was a beautiful day yesterday. In the process, Lily seemed tired, so she went down for her nap. Sidenote: Here’s where it gets tricky- when can I do the dishes and clean up from breakfast??

11:30- 1:00

It was a gorgeous day and we played outside for a looong time. Lily joined when she woke up. Do your toddlers get in the water table? I tried to show him the kids on the box do not get IN it, you’re supposed to stand next to it, but…

Yes, we are having a treat snack. Mini-cones from Trader Joe’s- so cute. They tried to dip them in the water table, so they only had one bite each before the trash, sigh.

1:00-2:00

Around one we headed back inside for lunch, tuna salad for mom and tuna sandwiches for the kiddos. I cut a bunch of veggies a few days ago so I can throw salads together, otherwise I will eat snacks all day and no real food. I used a fancy plate because why not? We read another book together while they’re still in their lunch mode.

2:00-3:00

I was tired by 2:00 and feeling my patience unravel a bit. While the kids were happy, I hadn’t had a chance to do ANYTHING in the house yet, and truth? I was still in my pajama/athletic wear from the night (ok and the day) before. Y’all it’s not easy. The kiddos played together in the playroom for 30 happy minutes- I FINALLY had a chance to do the breakfast dishes, clean up from lunch, and I was JUST going down to start laundry when… The peace ended.

3:00

Full meltdowns are on! About this time I’m starting to question my major life decisions. As you’ll notice the barn is on the floor and that always means bad news. Last week, out of nowhere, the twins decided to stop napping. It makes for a rough afternoon. They used to sleep at 1:00 every afternoon, so I’m figuring it out.

4:30

Everyone was still cranky, I was making attempts to get everyone calm again, when… The phone rang! My husband arrived home a little early- this NEVER happens. Never. And somehow it happened on a day that was tough. Since it was beautiful out, we loaded up the kids and went for a drive. Don’t worry, I found a moment to put real pants on. Of course, they fell asleep, for better or for worse, but we went to grab some food and to one of our local parks. No pictures of this time because it was mostly busy, busy, busy.

7:30

We arrived home just in time for pajamas. He entertained and does clothes changes and I get all the nighttime stuff ready…

 

8:30

Annnnd…. Everyone is asleep. We are pooped! There was talk of watching t.v., but we didn’t make it.

Toddler days are crazy, but for all the meltdowns and messes, there are lots of hugs and silliness and somehow it balances out. By the way, if you come to my casa and it’s only halfway in order, now you understand:-)

There you have it… A day in the life with three under three!

It’s Tuesday and I’m already on my second cup of coffee. Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

This post is linked up with Jenn at www.peasandcrayons.com- a great website about vegetables! What I Ate Wednesday is a group of healthy-eating people who get together to share their healthy creations- even though this is what we ate Monday. Pop on over to the link up to check out great recipes and healthy ideas!