A Day In The Life Of.....

There is a local children's magazine that I love to read.   There are two specific parts of the magazine that I really, really love--one is the calendar of events that lists what there is to do every day of the month and the other is 'A Day In The Life Of.'  This article has an average mom or dad itemize what they do in a typical day in their life of raising children.  I've been wanting to capture what an average day is for me now so I can look back years from now and see how much my 'average' has changed. So, here goes, a day in the life of Greta....

8:02 a.m.- Alarm goes off, house is still quiet so I hit snooze.

8:10 a.m.- House still quiet but I get up because I don't want to hear that annoying alarm again.

8:15 a.m.- Make myself coffee and sit at the computer to check emails and read any current events.

8:30 a.m.- Gavin makes his way out of his room and looks surprised to see me up (okay, so maybe sometimes he's my alarm clock.) He has to be immediately snuggled and loved on; once content,  he then wants milk and cartoons.

8:45 a.m.- Take a quick shower to get ready for a swim get-together for our local play group at my friend, Alissa's house.

9:10 a.m.- I'm dressed, working on getting our swim bag packed, getting kids breakfast, swimsuits on, and  doused in sunscreen.  This is where time gets away from me, I want to leave my house by ten, I have plenty of time, but somehow we fall ten minutes behind.

10:10 a.m.- We finally get loaded and as I pulled out of driveway I noticed my right front tire was reading low. I've been telling myself for a few months that I have to get that tire fixed, but, for now, I pull out my air compressor thingie, add more air and we're finally off--at 10:20.  The swim party starts at 10:30. Alas, even the best laid plans...

10:30 a.m.- I know many people will cringe at this, but for me, the car is the best time I have to return phone calls.  The kids are usually quiet and always contained, allowing me 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted talk time.   I call my Aunt Mindy and catch up until I arrive at Alissa's.

10:45-1:45 p.m.- We swim, swim, swim, eat lunch, and then swim some more!  I love hanging out with my friends and their kids.  Play group has been getting together every Tuesday for about four years, it takes a dip in attendance here and there, but overall we enjoy getting together and getting the kids out of the house and experiencing all the city has to offer.

2:30 p.m.- I'm whooped!  We're back home and I tell the kids we're going to watch a movie (a.k.a. nap time for Mom!).  They're content and gathered in one room and I'm able to sit with them and nod off a bit--gaining some much needed energy for the rest of the day.  

5:00 p.m.- Dinner time and another terrible confession: we don't all eat the same thing. I would love to insert an amazing dinner menu of homemade this and that with my kids begging for seconds, but that won't happen here. Steve is eating mainly lean meat and fish, the kids eat leftover pizza, and I have a B.L.T. (although, the Tomatoes are fresh from our garden!)

6:30 p.m.- I recruit the kids to help me clean our car.  It's filled with sand from taking them to the 'beach' last week at Lake Granbury.  Gavin vacuums for about ten minutes, well, five minutes actually cleaning the car and the other five spent suctioning the hose to various body parts.  Harrison cleans the windows and he's done helping, too.  They play outside while I finish the car cleaning.  I would love to blame the messy car completely on the kids, and while most of it is theirs, I do clean up a fair amount of coffee spills and loose papers. 

7:15 p.m.- Harrison and Steve have harvested more vegetables from our garden.  We are about to be overtaken with zucchini so I find a recipe for zucchini banana bread and the kids and I get to baking!  They love helping cook.  They are good at helping gather all the ingredients and pouring them into the mixing bowl.  As for cracking eggs?  They need more practice.

8:30 p.m.- A quick shower for the boys.  With the bread still baking in the oven they settle for a snack of cinnamon toast with the promise of tasting their homemade bread in the morning for breakfast.

9:15 p.m.- Kids off to bed and finally quiet time for Steve and me.

10-ish p.m.- Not my usual bedtime, but I'm turning in early tonight because of a super early OB appointment. Steve stays up to finish the Mavericks game and then watch all the sports commentary.