A day in the life of us

Occasionally - annually, or a little more often - I log a day of regular life for us, just as an exercise, and to track how things change over time. The last one I did was last October, so I thought it might be time to have a go again...

So this was Tuesday, in the life of us.

4am
6-year-old presents herself at my bedside, having had a nightmare. I comfort her and bring her in between G and I for the balance of the night. It takes her a while to get comfy, and when she does, it's with her limbs splayed to their furthest reaches, which includes a foot in the small of my back.

5:15am
I finally drift back to sleep, balanced on a pencil-edge of bed and slightly cramped.

6:15am
C wakes for the day. At 2 years 9 months, it's finally the norm for her to sleep through the night, albeit with an early waking time. I go fetch her from her room.

6:20am
I take C out of her night nappy, get her on the toilet, then we sit down to do her morning breastfeed.

6:45am
I head to the kitchen to make breakfasts and lunches. G and E, the 6-year-old, are still sound asleep in my bed. 8-year-old A has gotten up, however, and is curled up on the couch with a blankie and a book. C starts to play with her duplo blocks.

7am
I call A and C to the table and the three of us eat - Weetbix and fruit for the kids, gluten free muesli for me, washed down (for A and I, anyway) with hot tea.

7:30am
I send A in to wake the sleepyheads, both of whom are not enamoured of getting up, but do eventually. I finish packing the lunches and do the dishes, some left over from last night, some from A, C and my breakfast.

7:45am
A is dressed for school and back reading. G is showering, E is eating porridge, and I suddenly realise I haven't heard from C in a few minutes. This is never a good thing.

7:50am
Giggles guide me to my bathroom, where several toys are being washed in the sink, with about two-thirds of a bottle of expensive shampoo to make the "bubbles". Le sigh.

8am
G leaves to catch the bus to work, while I finish cleaning up the bathroom and chivvy E along to finish her meal and get ready. I then chase C around the house several times before I can catch and dress her. I then brush & put up everyone's hair, to the usual daily accompaniment of wailing from Miss 8, who has bum-length hair, a low pain threshhold and hates sleeping in a plait. YOU DO THE MATH.

8:30am
We do the always-ridiculously-protracted shoe-putting-on dance and finally leave the house about 8:40. On the plus side, we're not late, everyone's reasonably happy, and there have been no meltdowns. I call that V for Victory in the morning.

8:45am
C and I drop the big girls to school then proceed to our Tuesday morning kinder gym class, which she deeply, deeply loves. Class doesn't start til 9:30am and thanks to being on time at school, we're early, giving us 20 minutes to chill out in the parent room and read stories.

10:15
Kindergym class finishes and we head for the shops, after a detour to drop off a bag at the Brotherhood shop.

10:45
We arrive at the shopping centre and park. We have a monster shop to do, so C and I have a talk about how we're going to behave at the shops. She nods very seriously. We'll see. Shopping with toddlers is pretty much a crapshoot in my experience.

11:20
C is being lovely; adorable, helpful, cheerful, listening to everything I say, not grabbing at anything, and STAYING WITH ME AT ALL TIMES. In fact, she's the picture-book child that everybody vaguely assumes they're going to get when first they fall pregnant. To say this is atypical for C would be an understatement of epic proportions, but man, I'll take it.

12:00
Finally through the checkout, I sign my credit card chit, wincing slightly (it was a pig of a shop) but pleased to be finished so painlessly.

12:20
C and I arrive home. I make her lunch and turn on a Hooley Dooleys DVD for her while I unload and put away Mount Grocerymore.

1:00
Groceries are away, DVD is over, lunch is eaten, it's time for C to take a nap.

1:30
Or not. Yeah, probably not, if she's still messing about half an hour later. I lift her out of her cot.

1:45
C is being fairly high-needs (being tired will do that to you). I abandon any thought of working on my Nano book, quickly finish yesterday's blog post, and sit down with her to read stories and play with her plastic animals.

2:30
As she is happily engaged in play, I creep off quietly to put out & bring in washing from the line.

2:45
We leave to go get the big kids from school, swinging by the library to drop off books on our way.

3:30
Home with the big kids. They both decide to go to their room to engage in some kind of secret sister business, I think involving Christmas. C, at a loose end, is a bit whiney until a neighbour kid knocks on the door wanting to come in and play. The big kids decline the offer but C is enthusiastic.

4:30
The neighbour kid's hour visit has been a godsend, as she's amused C while I've prepared dinner, sorted washing, answered email, and had a cup of tea. I feel like I ought to pay this kid for babysitting services rendered :-)

4:45
C and E go outside to play with the dog and bounce on the trampoline. A hangs about in the kitchen, chatting to me as I cook and half-reading her book.

5:30
The kids and I eat. Baked salmon in lemon-lime juice, roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots, broccolini, macaroni pasta, and artichoke hearts. (Of the kids, only A attempts the artichokes; they're more an adult treat). I read Grug books (for C) and chapters of Trixie Belden (for the big kids) while we eat.

6:15
Ice cream for dessert!

6:30
Bath time. The big kids take it in turns in with C while I scrape plates and wash up.

7:00
All are scrubbed, pjed and clean-toothed. I sit down with a book to do C's bedtime feed. She is super tired. A turns on her computer to have her half-hour screen time. E reads a book.

7:15
G arrives home and heads kitchen-ward to heat his dinner.

7:30
I lift a deeply-sleeping C off the breast and into bed, and signal to the big kids that it's time to swap on the computer. E starts her half-hour while A hangs around G and I, chatting, and getting us to compile quizzes for her to do. (What can I say ... she loves it).

8:10
Big kids are finished on the computer and should be in bed. I turn on my computer and open my Nano book to start writing.

8:15
Big kids are NOT in bed. One has itchy eyes, one has a funny tummy. Claratyne and Panadol are dispensed.

8:30
I start writing, aware of how tired I am.

10:00
After a considerable amount of pissfarting, I actually finish the 1,000 words I wanted to do and hit the halfway mark at 25,000 words. I cannot possibly not tweet this, so I do.

10:05
I stumble into bed, "to read".

(I am informed) 10:15
G turns off the light and takes my book from my fingers where I've clutched it as I fell asleep.

And THAT was our day!

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. 16 down, 14 to go!