This post is just for me. I share it with you because sometimes the mundane is oddly interesting. Perhaps what goes on in my house may encourage you to know that you are not alone in the mess and mayhem, the scurrying and squabbles.
I do this a couple times a year, in a notebook. It helps me see how times have changed, the children have changed, how I’m growing, what exactly I do all day when, at the end of the day, I look around and can’t find a single room that offers sanctuary from the kid clutter, even though I thought I had the kids pick up (a couple times!).
And maybe, when the kids are grown, I’ll look back at my notebooks and weep softly for the crazy chaos that I’ll never have again.
5:41 a.m. “Mama. Mama? Mama!”
Uh-oh. Denton is awake. Debate going up to the guest room (his crib is next to our bed). Wait–feigning sleep, barely breathing. Go back to sleep (I think) or at least a close approximation thereof.
6:30– Cadrian slams open the door to our room. Sunlight streams in. Prairie dog baby pops up. Two boys in the bed, ” ‘nuggling”. Denton liberally distributes kisses and barely pulls my hair at all.
6:45– up and at ’em
Play “Where’s Cadrian? Where’s Denton?” while they hide in the closet and the cubby by the dresser while I get dressed and make the bed. Tickles, kisses, tosses on the bed. Start to put away clothes from yesterday.
7:00– Kevin asks me something. Go to kitchen so I can hear him. Write checks and notes for Samaritan Ministries, pray. Cadrian carefully puts stamps on them and letters I wrote yesterday and licks envelopes. Kevin gets me coffee and the boys their shakes and bananas and cereal. Peels me an egg.
7:20– Sit at table together discussing our house addition and Samaritan Ministries newsletter while Denton eats K’s cereal. There’s a hole into the kitchen for a heat duct, but right now it’s windy and COLD. Ask K, “Will you bring down the heater?” Denton answers, “No!”
7:35– Go out to “summer kitchen” with K while he gets into boots and coveralls. Discuss sinks, attic, bathroom shelves/arrangement. Cadrian asks several more times for a story.
Brielle and Aviana appear. Hug A & B.
7:45– read C story-help him find “airplane clothes” which must be in the laundry–reminds me to switch laundry
8:00– A reading Mrs. Pepperpot’s Outing
BCD play with Mr Potato Head with minimal bickering
B reads “My Bible Book” to boys
8:15– discuss debate club and Friday’s play date—share some almond mix with D
8:20– clean kitchen counters, table high chair—fold Kevin’s clothes–start dryer–Kids wild dancing to Geography Songs–load dishwasher–clean off chocolate “Nobody” spilled in fridge a few days ago–clean up detergent “Nobody” spilled between washer and dryer a couple of weeks ago—sweep floor—slice lemons and limes to freeze–change Denton’s stinky dipe–put B in time out for squeezing C–fix hair–talk to furnace guys about storage space in attic crawl space
9:15– make more coffee–talk with girls about next Presentation Day–prevent D from destroying C’s train tracks–prevent D from getting into CD’s
9:30– make cape out of tee shirt for C–he doesn’t want it; he wants green–B loves it–make mask–find green fabric! (note to self: Get to Goodwill)–sew cape for C–he doesn’t like mask–make them pick up all the laundry they dumped–face paint masks for C and B—A wants flowers, and a headscarf like Chava in Fiddler on the Roof—D finds chocolate eggs in my bag (how/when did those get there?!) Ate 2 or 3 while I was painting–send B & C outside to play—return to find A & D snuggled on the couch under a blanket reading.
10:20– fold laundry—intermittently play with D—fix slow clock—now A has on Christmas music; at least it’s calming
10:40– start lunch–boil potatoes–direct Super B who wants to assist making Shepherd’s Pie–finish putting away clothes in my room—put away clean laundry
10:50– talk w/ plumber RE: bathroom arrangement (toilet, sink, shower)
11:00– call K to make sure he agrees with what I decided
11:10– make mashed potatoes in food processor—get Pie in oven
11:20– change D
11:30– direct B to pick up all the shoes on the porch—send C (who is hindering her work) off to find jump ropes and put them away—direct B to shake rugs and sweep–she doesn’t need much supervision anymore and seems to really enjoy this task
direct A to match socks and put away some of the laundry
11:45– finish sweeping porch, put away winter things, switch out summer bin, write in daily diary I’ve been keeping since February
11:50– dish up food and drinks
12:02 p.m.– BOY! It’s QUIET when they’re eating and the workers aren’t drilling/sawing. I didn’t realize how loud it’d been!
12:06– banana dessert or cake. Oh I want some! But not as overwhelmingly as when I first drastically cut back on sugar
12:07– Out of nowhere, B says, “Boy, I”m surprised Gigi and Opa are still alive!”
Me, “why?”
Her, ” Because you’re their kid and their kids are really old!”
Aviana, “People don’t usually die until their grandchildren are grown up.”
12:08– eat a few bites of banana dessert, but stop myself from demolishing the whole thing. I guess that’s progress.
12:10– Get cleaned up from lunch. Do dishes
12:20– read “Who’s that Knocking on Christmas Eve?” and “Peter is Just a Baby”
12:45– change D, sleep sack him, K puts him down for his nap–talk with K and plumber again about bathroom placement–come up with yet another plan
1:00– read “Peter is Just a Baby” again
1:10– Aviana wants to listen to a book on CD but can’t find the ear phone adapter
1:15– I look in stereo cabinet
1:20– I look in/on computer armoire
1:25– I look in electronics box in storage (and note that belly barely scrapes through closet door which only opens 1/3 of the way)
1:30– I look in Kevin’s music room
1:35– I give up in annoyance and give her the portable DVD player. Find charger after two attempts.
1:40– Take homeschool/book catalogs, computer and notebook upstairs
1:45– Furnace guy comes wandering in looking for inlet for furnace
1:50– Check emails
2:00– Check Facebook–send a few birthday greetings
2:15– Upload pics from camera
2:25– Upload addition pics to FB; for some reason they are huge, which makes organizing album extremely frustrating
2:30– Read article about PPD–traumatic birth experience lends itself to PPD, something I’ve always wondered about regarding B’s birth and the months afterward
2:35– Looked up some more baby names; found one I really like!
2:40– Leah (my sister) calls Man! So good to hear her voice. Had a really good conversation despite
2:50– C coming in crying (bumped his head)
2:55– B coming in crying (bumped her head)
3:00– A coming in saying D is crying
3:05– D coming in crying (just because he’s awake)–he calmed down quickly though (this time) so I thankfully don’t have to get off the phone
3:15 ABC ask if they can walk through the field to the cemetery 1/2 mile away (permission granted)
3:17 Help C with his shoes
3:30 Get off phone–never did look at homeschool stuff/catalogs
3:35 Phone again–talk w/ K about how to pay furnace guys
3:45 Phone again–it’s the furnace guy
4:00 Stop messing around online
4:05 Find our favorite meatloaf recipe
Realize that I can no longer make “lil cheddar loaves” because of B’s dairy allergy; decide not to throw recipe away. Find a different meat loaf recipe
4:15 Go back up to computer, find link through friend’s Pinterest for correct proportions for Peanut Butter Smoothies
4:20 Cut up all the bananas in the house for the smoothies
4:25 Call Kevin to see if he can pick up bananas on his way home from delivering bull
4:30 Measure rest of ingredients
4:35 Kevin shows up at door–I didn’t know he was already back. I guess no bananas for breakfast.
4:40 Get done flirting with him
4:45 Check bananas–not yet frozen
4:46 Start on meatloaf–get distracted by giggling with Denton. He’s hiding in cubby hole between counter and cabinets and I’m “getting him”.
5:00 Get “meat muffs” in oven (meat loaves cooked in muffin tins, Aviana named them this when she was 2 or 3)
5:05 Wash potatoes
5:10 Go downstairs. Think I hear a cat mewling inexplicably. Get more potatoes.
5: 15 Wash more potatoes, get water boiling, get them boiling
5:20 Kiddlets are back. Let them watch Magic Schoolbus
5:25 Back to basement for carrots. Think I hear cat again. Realize I do hear cat! B locked barn cat in cat carrier–this explains all the cat hair on her I noticed earlier–release cat and carry cat and carrots upstairs
5:30 Get carrots boiling–go upstairs to check on kiddlets–notice D is super stinky–can’t find any wipes–realize wet flannel family cloth work wonderfully–why haven’t I been doing this all along?!–rinse diaper with shower sprayer into toilet–still rinsing when kiddlets all appear to supervise and offer ICK commentary
5:35 Get them going on tidying house
Fresh diaper applied. Notify B if she doesn’t stop bellowing, she’ll have to be in charge of dining room AND family room before she gets dinner. Know she’s just tired and hungry.
5:45 Tell C what to pick up and put away in kitchen
B is doing a great job!
5:50 Finish vacuuming edges. Instruct A to pull out all the toys that creep under the couch, and put them away.
5:55 Direct handwashing
6:00 Kevin calls to say he needs to go spray so he’ll be late. (Right now!? Pout. I’ll take care of everything. Again. Sigh. He’s really very sweet; “I know it seems like that, but it can’t be helped…” I know…I know.)
6:05 Fill plates, get everyone sitting–get milk/water for everyone–sing Aviana’s prayer–admonish C to cooperate and hold hands with his sisters.
6:10 Take away D’s milk so he doesn’t put meatloaf in it–C wants to sing “Fank You Gheezus” –admonish girls to cooperate with him–resist the temptation to ignore my babies and read at the table and veg my brain, even though it has been a mightily wonderful day, my brain is full and tired and I don’t want to participate anymore
6:20 Get girls unloading dishwasher and putting all the dishes away, not just on counter
6:25 B wants smoothie in “fancy glasses”–I consent–girls play “cheering each other” (toasting)
B cries because I tell her to put “fancy glasses” away
Talk to her about trust–she has to trust me–If I say she has to put glasses away and I said she can have fancy glass for smoothie, she has to trust my plan. Just like God put me in authority over her and I have to trust in His plan. Just like Abraham, Moses and Jesus trusted in His plan–she has to trust my plan even though she can’t see the whole picture or understand this part in the plan (I had the smoothies already in different fancy glasses in the freezer)
6:30 Help C eat the last few bites of meatloaf
6:35 Finish clearing table and load dishwasher
6:40 Get everyone sat back down–distribute smoothies (1/4 c pb, frozen banana,3/4 c almond milk, 1/4 c oatmeal (grind first in vita-mix))–Unbelievable how good they are–NO Sugar!
6:48 Denton has done a splendid job both eating his smoothie and dispensing it all over face, spoon, hands and chair–wipe him down as well as high chair, wall and counter
6:50 Jama time
6:55 Start brushing teeth
7:00 Start reading stories. 4 McDuff stories, 1 Bible story
7:15 One by one, pray with them and send them off to bed. Little Rascal Denton is hiding behind couch. Kevin shows up. Eats, executes super fast shower.
7:25 Cadrian has snuck upstairs. “Cadrian get down here this instant or you’ll get a spanking!”
7:25 Marriage Mentoring couple shows up. They’re getting married in January. Emotional session.
10:00 They leave–we go upstairs to show K remodel album and pics of superhero day–look at pinterest, fb, email–talk about addition, baby names, mentoring–he likes smoothie
10:30 Bed
I loved this! Thanks for a peek into your daily life. I found your blog from the Samaritan newsletter. Have a great day!