Day in A Life - December 2016

The last time I wrote a Day in a Life post it was last April, I was largely focused on Ballet, and the kids were 3 years and not quite 2 years. My seasons of life change quickly, so I wanted to capture another Monday that is fairly typical of how our life rolls right now.

The kids are now 4.5 and 2 years old. I'm working on a play in addition to Ballet. When I captured this day, the kids were doing a winter camp at the rec center which will be over before Christmas. Still homeschooling, and apparently doing chores at breakneck speed. 

Here we go!

6:45  Wake up when Matt hands me the thermometer. #NFPlife

6:50  Have breakfast with the kids while Matt gets ready for work. Matt made awesome food and Irish breakfast has been the go to lately for me. (Thanks honey!)

7:00  Matt's out the door to work. Gotta have an early start if he wants a morning run.

7:15  Finish up breakfast and clear the table.

7:20  Get the kids dressed

7:30  Get myself dressed while the kids have free play until lessons

7:35  Put two loads of laundry into the washer. Therese insists on coming down to help. By which she means sweep.

7:45  Empty the dishwasher, and remind everyone what time it is.

7:55  Five minute pick up of toys and books

8:00  Lesson time. Today we're doing our Family Formation Little Lambs lesson on Latin prayers. Take away: while Therese might slur her English, her Latin is crystal clear. I'll roll with it.

We're working on how to properly hold a pen and write on paper. Therese is mostly just trying not to stab holes into the table. #HulkBabyProblems

8:15  15 minutes is about has much attention as I can expect for table work. John was interested in what Rome was when we were talking about Latin. I decide to let him watch something age-appropriate and related to Rome. A quick search of my super-duper helpful Homeschooling with Netflix facebook group and came across a recommendation for an episode from Torchlighters about St. Perpetua. We have a winner!

The activity involved making a paper doll with movable joints that allowed the kids to make their doll do the Sign of the Cross while we were learning it in Latin.

8:20  Taking advantage of John being occupied, quick run down to the laundry room to swap into the dryer. I take out the diaper covers to air dry, and do a fast round of bed making.

8:25  I start writing up the Dicken's Fair adventures from yesterday.

9:00  Finished the Dicken's Fair blog post right when the kid's show ended. Score!

9:05   Grabbed laundry out of the dryer with mini-helper Therese. She's in solid toddler helper phase, so she gets to carry her rug back upstairs. She was so happy about it! Yup, this phase is awesome.

9:10  Folding time, kids have free play.

9:20  Done folding and the kids come to put away their clothes. I know it won't stay nicely folded but the habit is what's important. At least that's what I tell myself.

9:25  Quick make up for me while the kids get their shoes on. I let them try first then help or coach as needed. Therese is so close!

9:30  Out the door for morning walk! After many days of rain, we finally have a nice sunny morning.

10:00  Drop the kids off at winter camp at the rec center around the corner.

John started instructing Therese in the "right" way to play with these toys. Therese proceeded to do whatever she was going to do anyway. #BusinessAsUsual

10:06  Back home. Put the kettle on to boil and turn on the new diffuser.

My husband won the diffuser and a bunch of oils at his office Christmas party. I'm having a fun time playing with them. I think I want to make a foot scrub or soak with this one!

10:20  Done with Matins, now to make tea before continuing onto Lauds.

10:30  Finished with Lauds. Tea time! Catching up with some of my favorite ballet vloggers while I have my tea and cheese.

If I pray on the floor I find it easier to focus and not have my mind wander.

10:45  Goodbye vloggers, it's workout time! I've been feeling like I'm losing a lot of strength since I can only sporadically attend ballet class with my current rehearsal schedule. Today I'll be focusing on legs and core.

Yoga mat + Theraband is about all I ever use. Sometimes the back of a chair as a makeshift barre. Keeping it simple.

11:15  Finished workout. Now to stretch and go over lines for rehearsal tonight. I find stretching at the same time helps with memorization.
           Also playing the Giselle soundtrack. Because I'm covering the creation of Giselle in my ballet history book right now. #UnitStudyForGrownUps

11:50  Time to go pick up the kids from camp!

12:15  Back home with the kids. Make lunch and my next batch of herb tea.

Today's menu: leftover spaghetti and meatballs with a green salad.
Pretty much all of our lunches are comprised of leftovers.

12:35  Because spaghetti + toddler = super messy, we have serious post-lunch wash up time.

12:40 Done with lunch. Reading time! Magic School Bus anything and Little House in the Big Woods are John's current loves.

1:00  Naptime! I've been making it a point to really relax for the first hour of nap so I'm going to go have some Netflix/Youtube veg time.

          Apparently I missed a Doctor Who Christmas Special!

          Verdict: It was kind of weird - even for Doctor Who. Now we know.

2:00  Ok I'm back. Typed up the morning of this post, and start on my email and social media updates.

2:45 Kids are up from nap!

3:00  Snack time for the kids. I do a quick tidy.

3:15  Just realized I've had my dress on inside out ALL DAY! I would be shocked no one said anything, but then again I walked around doing errands in full Victorian get up before Dicken's Fair yesterday and no one found that worthy of comment either. Oh Berkeley...

3:20  The kids have decided they want to play dress up in their room and will have a fashion show for me later. I guess I'll load the dishwasher then....

3:25  Ok dishes didn't take long. Make coffee!

         New Project! Overnight Lussekatter (aka. St. Lucia Buns) for St. Lucia Day tomorrow!

3:45  Therese decides she is done with John's plan and joins in the baking adventures from my back in the Ergo.

4:00  Matt's home! He stopped by the stores to get the last ingredients for dinner. It's Stromboli making time!

Whenever I make pizza dough, I make a double batch and then freeze half. Love having quick homemade stuff ready to go!

4:15  Stromboli in the oven!

4:20  John insists on finishing our chapter from Little House in the Big Woods. Cuddle time!

4:30  When your evenings are working time, late afternoon becomes your evening. Wine, coffee, and chatting with the husband while dinner bakes. #LifeisGood

5:00  Dinner time!

5:30  Dinner over. Matt helps me run lines while the kids "read" (i.e. make a giant mess with books.)

6:00  Monday Night Football for Matt so I go off to our room to say Vespers.

6:10  Vespers done. Now to read a little Homer before I leave for rehearsal. I'm currently working on the Iliad as part of my poetry study. I suspect I will be for a long while...

6:30  In Uber for the ride across town to the rehearsal space.

6:40 Quicker than usual to get here! Which means mattress moving duty. (We rehearse in a mattress store. There's a story.)

7:00  Rehearsal starts

8:05 First scene done

8:45  Second scene done. I'm not in the next scene so I have some study time. Probably should have thought to bring Homer. I make a note to remember to bring it tomorrow.

9:15  Break! Lounge on mattresses time!

The view from my mattress lounge spot.

9:20  Next scene which comes with a set change. We're covering more material than what we were originally called for now. Yea progress!

10:04  Rehearsal over. Time to move the mattresses back.

10:10  Heading out. So grateful I have a cast member who lives so close to me. Yea carpool!

10:20  Back home, with a little time to hang out with the husband.

11:30  All showered and ready for bed. Goodnight!
     

I won't have the winter camp child care break past the beginning of this week (and probably not that since they're both coming down with a cold), but for the past month-ish this is a pretty typical Monday. I do a lot, but I feel like I have a good balance of mothering time, prayer time, work time, down time, and time with my husband.

In order to write these posts I carry around a notebook and pen all day and jot down what I do and when. I would recommend it to Stay At Home Moms, especially those convinced they don't do much in a day. You're probably doing more than you think.