I read a little "opinion column" article this morning in which the question came from someone wondering, in effect, "What do stay-at-home moms DO all day? And why do they always claim to be so busy? I mean, they just stay. at. home. Right?"
HAAAAhahahahahahahaha
Ok, sorry about that. Now, seriously... does anyone really think that? Am I deluded in my opinion that most people "get" what a tough job taking care of children and a home can be? I'm not
quite a stay-at-home mom, but I'm close enough that I feel qualified to answer the above reader's question. I charted one typical day at home with my kids, and now you, my dear readers, will no longer be in the dark about what goes on in the life of a SAHM (if any of you are something different! Ha.). Yes, we actually use that acronym for ourselves.
6:30 - Hubby wakes me and the Snugglebug up. (Wake-up can be anywhere from 5:00 - 6:30 in my house. The only reason we required "the call" this morning was because Snugs had been up at 8:30, 11:30, 2:30, 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00. That was actually one of her better nights.) I changed her diaper (as she kicked and screamed), and nursed her a bit (though she had nursed most of the night...).
7:00 - Had a cup of coffee, spent 10 mins on facebook, while ignoring the crashing noises going on in the kitchen where the kids were playing, then wrote my to-do list for today and tomorrow (We're having a Halloween party this weekend. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so organized.).
7:30 - Made and ate breakfast, fed the Snugs.
8:00 - Cleaned up the kids and the kitchen, replaced all of the dishes and pans the kids had pulled out of their "permission cupboards" (those crashing noises from earlier), wiped down the table and chairs.
8:30 - Built some block towers, broke up a fight over the blocks, played Wall-E games, wiped the Wigglebug's tush, changed the other one's diaper (kicking and screaming - that's just how she rolls), got both kids dressed.
9:00 - Sorted laundry, stopping several times to break up fights, kiss fingers pinched in drawers, pull Snugglebug out of non-allowed areas... finally had to shut the bedroom door in my 10-month-old's face in order to just get the sorting done. Seriously. What would normally take me 30 seconds, took 15 minutes. But then, once I was shut up in my room alone with the laundry, I found myself slowing down to relish the "time to myself." Yes, that's what I just said. I was blissfully alone, sorting my laundry. SO, then we took the laundry down to the basement to start a load. Built a marble run for Wiggles, entertained Snuggles for a few minutes because she suddenly hates her Exersaucer and is not allowed free reign of the basement (where we keep all the choke-able toys).
9:30 - Nursed my little S, got her down for a nap (kicking and screaming), put on a video for W, hopped in the shower. The clouds parted, a beam of light shone upon me, and the angels sang. Or I just had a few quiet minutes while I washed up. Same thing. By the way, I wonder if anyone else has ever been walked in upon by their son during the exact 3 seconds of their 10-minute shower during which they were washing their *ahem*, then startled and stammered as if he had caught them filming porn while Daddy was at work...? And for anyone who may not have kids and is thinking (@#$%^&?????), NO, I am not going to lock the bathroom door while I'm in the shower. I'm not even going to close it. My 3-year-old might push the couch into the kitchen, climb up on the counters, get a chef's knife, and start cutting off appendages that we wouldn't let the hospital staff near when he was born, and I wouldn't be able to hear him!
10:00 - Re-fueled (mango, which I *of course* shared with Wigglebug.), got socks and shoes on both of us, raked leaves in the front yard, while giving W a little science lesson on the fall... oh crap, Snuggles is up early... pulled the exersaucer outside, got her up and into socks and shoes, and finished raking.
11:00 - Played in the leaf pile (no, this is no longer optional once you have kids), then re-raked the pile. Let Snugglebug play in the leaves for her first time ever. <3
11:30 - Helped Wigs make "hot cocoa" (chocolate almond milk warmed in the microwave... lol), nursed Snugs, made Cheater Soup with lots and lots of "help".
12:00 - 8 mins on facebook while the soup cooked, ate lunch with my little loves.
12:45 - Cleaned up the children and the kitchen again, while helping W get his shirt back on, pulling S off of the bookshelves, dancing around the room "screaming" "NO! Don't color me with a giant crayon!" for W's benefit, then finally re-locating the children to "the surprise room" (W's) to play.
1:00 - Read naptime stories, Wigglebug lays down for a rest.
1:15 - Went downstairs to switch laundry (yes, that's the laundry that I started at 9:00)... oh crap, forgot to bring the Exersaucer in from the front yard... pulled that back inside with one hand, Snuggles on my other hip, THEN switched the laundry while she played in it.
1:30 - a little one-on-one play with S - the first chance for this all day, if you hadn't noticed... poor second child.
1:45 - Nursed Snuggie-bear, tried to get her down for a nap (kicking and screaming)...
2:20 - S finally went to sleep, but W never did, so got him up. Started the diapers on their second wash, let Wigs play downstairs alone for a while so I could clean the bathrooms. Three toilets, three sinks, three mirrors, one tub... sigh. I'll hit the shower another day. I'm the only one who uses it anyway.
3:15 - Sat down for a snack with Wigglebug, read him a book, taught him how to draw fireflies (He needs to work on his fine motor control.).
3:55 - Snuggie's up! Set the kids up playing together, hoping to write this post... stopped many times to break up fights, change S's diaper, put a stop to destructive behavior, start some navy beans on a quick soak, clean up messes, nursed the Snugglebug, heard a mysterious bubbling noise... oh crap, I forgot about the beans boiling in the kitchen!!! Saved them just in time. Added more water to return them to a boil, back to bedrooms to put out a figurative fire this time... oh crap, forgot about the #$%^& beans again! Turned off the heat to let them soak. W's crying - kiss boo boo.
5:30 - Hubby calls. He's on his way home! Haaaaaaallelujah! Cleaned up every single toy my children own... and it's 5:49. Time to cook dinner, clean up everything all over again, do jammies, stories, bedtime, more laundry... :)
