A Day in the Life (with *just* 2)

Via Marcia's blog, I saw that the theme for this week's QOTW at Multiples and More is to describe a typical day in my life. Normally, I would think this is a bit boring because my life is not so exciting when you write about it in that hour to hour way. However, I thought it would be a nice little time capsule to see how things change once Tater Tot comes along. I have this vision that he will fit in to our routine and we will fit into his and everything will (eventually!) run very smoothly. We shall see...

• What is your schedule like? Do you work outside the home or stay home with the kids?

I am at home with the kids. Most days I'm happy about this. Just not all :) Here is our weekday schedule (when Daddy is off in some exotic place, like New Jersey or St. Louis)

6:30am I wake up. Well, I get up. Usually, I'm already awake. My internal clock is set to go off at 5:30 these days. I blame Matteo and summer sun. I head downstairs, let the dog out, get the kids milk ready, eat breakfast, check email and listen for Sebastian and Collette, who are probably awake but not making enough noise yet. Some days, I have to make a batch of oatmeal, which last 4 or 5 days.

7/7:30am I hear S & C gabbing away (or crying, depends on the day) and head upstairs. Feed the dog and go into the nursery to start the day. Give the twins their milk, get them out of their sleep sacks and hang out for a while, playing, reading books and listening to Matty in the Morning.

8:00am By now, we are downstairs. I have the kids watch TV and play with their toys while I get their breakfast ready. Its always oatmeal with fruit mixed in, usually bananas but we have done apples, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, mangoes, raisins, peaches, etc.

8:10/8:20am Twins eat their breakfast

8:30am I clean up breakfast while they play. sometimes they watch more TV, sometimes not. Depends on their moods and mine. And the weather. If its nice out, they can play outside while I clean up and do important things like check Facebook and read blogs. And of course, I play with them. I can be a good mom, too.

9:00am Go upstairs to get the twins dressed. I try to get dressed when I get up but this doesn't always happen. Depending on our plan for the morning, this is either rushed or lazy.

9:15/10:00am Anywhere between those two times is where we will head out for the morning, if we are leaving the house. Tuesday we have EI at home from 930-1030 so we don't leave until later. Thursday we have EI playgroup at 945 so I try to be in the car by 920. Other days, we have play dates, run errands or go to a park and I always leave the house during the time block.

11:30am Come back home and get lunch ready OR have lunch out.

12:00pm Lunchtime! The kids eat and if there is time, they watch some Wiggles before nap.

12:30pm Nap time! I use this time to due chores. Mondays are for mopping, Tuesdays for vacuuming, Wednesday for dusting and changing sheets. In addition to those weekly chores, I do cleaning in a particular part of the house for a week (this upcoming week is the play room and the den). Also, depending on my mood, I may do some cooking. In between, I give myself breaks to write/read blogs, check email, etc. Or, if I'm really tired, a nap.

3:00pm Twins wake up from their nap. We play around in their room for a bit while they drink their milk.

3:30pm If we have errands to run, play date, or other outing, I will start heading downstairs so we can pack up the car. Otherwise, we go upstairs (3rd floor) to the play room and play up their for a while.

4:45/5:00pm Come back home (if we were out and we're not eating dinner out - we usually don't when I'm alone) OR come downstairs from the playroom. I get dinner ready while the kids play. I often recruit Yo Gabba Gabba to help keep little hands and feet out of the kitchen while I'm getting things ready.

5:30pm Dinnertime. Sometimes they eat quickly, other times, not so much. Either way, when they're done, we hang out and play downstairs (where we already are) and, weather permitting, play outside. I also clean up dinner and declutter in general.

6:30pm Head upstairs to get ready for bed. Every other night is bath night. After bath (if there is one), we get dressed, play a bit, brush teeth and then read some books. Lights out no later than 7.

7:00pm I'm off mommy duty and can relax. Ha! This is usually when I cook for me or for upcoming days. More cleaning may need to be done now, depending on how bad things got during the day and/or how much I slacked off during nap time. I eat, check email, check FB, read blogs, etc. Not too much TV these days as nothing is on. Very different case in October when I can barely keep up with my DVR. If I have a book, I might head to my bedroom early (8ish) to do some reading.

9:00/9:30 Head to my room for the night. before I go upstairs, I make sure all the dishes are in the dishwasher and that the toys are all put away. Also, I let the dog out one last time before we go up.

9:30/10:00pm Get ready for bed and hit the hay. If its early enough and it needs to be done, I will fold some laundry while watching TV. Lately it's the Rachel Maddow show as nothing else is on and I love her. Total girl crush.

• Do you follow it very closely?

Yes. Pretty boring but blissfully predictable for the kids and me. Spontaneity may have once been fun, but is mostly just scary now. For me anyway. Kudos to those of you who can do spontaneous on your own with little ones in tow. Me, I would run over someone's grandmother to make sure we made it home for nap time.

• How much (or how little?) "help" do you have?

I don't. Not during the week. My mom and my sister do visit but it's not part of our routine and does not help me get things done. We just get to enjoy their company and hopefully do something fun with the kids that I wouldn't want to do on my own.

• What chores do you do on a daily basis?

Dishes, picking up toys, cooking (almost), laundry (every other), sweeping (every other, maybe more if the kids got the place really dirty), carpet sweeping (just the dining room rug), toilet bowls, and pick up doggie doo.

• My favorite and least favorite parts of the day?

My favorite part of the day is either waking up the twins or putting them to bed. Both are relaxing and rarely rushed. I also like hanging out in their room - it's very calming. My least favorite part of the day is getting lunch and dinner ready. The kids freak out as soon as they see me head toward the fridge, acting as if they haven't eaten in days. Makes it hard to focus on the task at hand. I'm sure there is a way for me to do it ahead of time, but part of me thinks that they need to understand the fact that food does not magically appear, that it has to be cooked/prepared for us to eat it. And that it takes time.

I wonder what I will think of this list in a month or a year from now. Will adding #3 throw this all out of whack? Or will we find a way to get back to this predictable little life?