A Day in the Life of a Stay at Home Mom

Thursday, April 18, 2013

7:30 Lena wakes up. I turn on the TV in anticipation of Lucy waking up and start nursing Lena.

7:43 Lucy climbs into my bed.

7:58 Change Lena’s diaper and notice she soaked through her clothes.

8:00 Pick out some clean clothes for Lena.

8:01 Lucy throws a fit that she wanted to pick Lena’s outfit.

8:03 Help Lucy pick a new outfit for Lena. Get Lena dressed.

8:05 Snuggle with Lena.

8:08 Put on bra, grab some clean undies for Lucy.

8:09 Lucy cries that she wanted to pick out her own undies. Let her pick her own undies.

8:10 Start down the stairs. Lucy cries that she wants me to hold her hand down the stairs.

8:11 Put Lucy’s undies on. Put Lena in bouncer.

8:12 Help Lucy make a waffle.

8:17 Lucy cries that I got the waffle out of the toaster when she wanted to do it.

8:18 Lucy spills her gummy vitamins all over the floor. I pick them up.

8:20 I start to peel a banana for Lucy. She cries that she doesn't want a banana. Convince her to have some strawberries. Tell her she can’t have sugar with them.

8:21 Cut up strawberries while Lucy cries for me to go upstairs to get her water bottle with her.

8:22 Find a vitamin on the floor. Eat it.

8:23 Distract Lucy from the water bottle by offering to turn on the TV. Find Caillou on Netflix.

8:25 Brush my teeth and put my contacts in. Lena starts to fuss in the bouncer.

8:27 Lucy shouts from the living room that she needs a drink.

8:28 Move Lena to the swing. Get Lucy a cup of milk.

8:31 Make coffee.

8:33 Feed Lola.

8:35 Make toast – see a 2 liter of Dr Pepper and talk myself out of having a glass with breakfast.

8:37 Fast forward through a part of Caillou Lucy doesn't like.

8:39 Notice my antibiotic on the counter. Try to remember if I’ve taken it this morning. Decide I haven’t. Take it.

8:40 Pour coffee.

8:41 Find another vitamin on the floor. Put it back in the bottle.

8:42 Try to remember which glass is mine. Pour some milk. Notice we’re almost out. Note to self: buy milk.

8:44 Sit down on the couch with my toast, the banana I had started peeling for Lucy, and milk. Lucy asks for a bite of my banana. Hand it to her and she says, “I just want the whole thing.” (Strawberries still untouched.)

8:45 Get on the computer

8:46 Get on facebook – realize it’s Tayton’s birthday. Note to self: buy a card.

8:55 See a reference to Earth Day and the date April 22. Realize that’s Kristy’s birthday. Note to self: buy a card.

8:57 See something Mark Driscoll said on Twitter. Feel guilty for not doing my devotions in a long time. Note to self: make time to read Bible today.

8:58 Find Blue’s Clues on Netflix

8:59 Find Caillou again when Lucy decides she doesn’t want to watch Blue’s Clues

9:00 Find Arthur on Netflix. Girl can’t make up her mind.

9:04 Remember I left my coffee on the kitchen counter. Go get it. Refill Lucy’s cup while I’m up.

9:11 Read an article about how to get your baby to sleep through the night by 8 weeks. Feel guilty that I’m still nursing Lena every 2 hours and she’s by no means sleeping through the night.

9:14 Talk to Niki on the phone while searching Pinterest for a David and Goliath craft.

9:29 Lena wakes up, Get her out of the swing,

9:33 Lena starts to scream. I try to nurse her while balancing the phone on my shoulder.

9:35 Lucy finds Luke’s Bible Study notes on the couch, rips them in half. I yell at her.

9:39 Lena pulls off screaming. I hang up with Niki, switch Lena to other side.

9:40 Lucy asks to watch Caillou. I find it on Netflix and tell her she can watch one more episode.

9:43 Lena is screaming her pained scream. I give up on nursing her. She pukes all over herself and me.

9:45 Change Lena’s diaper, notice she stinks, remember I haven’t given her a bath in a while.

9:47 Throw away the remnants of Lucy’s breakfast. Eat her untouched strawberries.

9:50  Finish cold coffee.

9:52 Check facebook again.

9:55 Turn off the TV finally.

9:56 Take Lucy to the bathroom.

10:00 Give Lena a bath (with Lucy’s help.)

10:10 Lucy sings to Lena while I get her dressed.

10:15 Attempt to hold a fussing Lena while browsing David and Goliath crafts online with Lucy.

10:17 Lena starts screaming. Pace with her while repeatedly telling Lucy not to touch the computer.

10:19 Pop some bubble wrap with Lucy.

10:22 Put Lena in the swing and look at David and Goliath crafts again.

10:26 Read the story of David and Goliath to Lucy. Explain that God can help little people do big things. Emphasize that David starts with D.

10:29 Print David and Goliath coloring page.

10:30 Set Lucy up with her paints, take care of Lena’s bath tub.

10:34 Paint with Lucy. Sing “Only a Boy Named David.”

10:43 Lucy helps me start a load of laundry.

10:49 Back to painting.

10:54 Go upstairs to “have a sleepover” with Lucy. Pretend to be scared every time it thunders so Lucy can console me.

11:10 Niki calls for help with a survey she's filling out about the theology and life of our church.

11:14 Lucy goes downstairs to find Grandpa.

11:23 Lena wakes up.

11:28 Lucy says she’s hungry.

11:29 Put Lena in bouncer.

11:30 Help Lucy make a cheese roll-up. Lena fussing in bouncer.

11:36 Hang up with Niki. Take Lucy potty. Lena fussing louder.

11:40 Start nursing Lena. Find Martha Speaks on Netflix for Lucy.

11:41 Lena pulls of screaming.

11:42 Get Lena calmed down and latched back on.

11:43 Lena pulls off screaming.

11:44 Switch sides.

11:47 Lena pulls off happy. We talk. I smell her sweet head.

11:57 Lucy wants another roll-up. I put Lena on the playmat.

11:58 Lucy makes a roll-up (with some supervision).

11:59 I clean up Lucy’s mess.

12:02 I notice my antibiotics on the counter. Take another one. (Supposed to take 4 a day.) Lena starts screaming on the playmat.

12:04 Talk and sing with Lena. Lucy helps.

12:12 Switch TV to news

12:14 Change Lena’s diaper

12:15 Dad comes inside and says it stopped raining so Lucy can go out.

12:16 Put rainboots and coat over Lucy’s pajamas. Send her out with Dad. Lena is screaming.

12:18 Console Lena. Cuddle with her on couch.

12:22 Get on facebook

12:27 Lena starts to squirm. Put her in swing.

12:28 Warm up some leftover lasagna and pour an ice cold glass of Dr Pepper.

12:32 Sit down to eat. Play a fun game and pat myself on the back for my Biblical knowledge. More facebook.

12:56 Niki calls again.

12:58 Lucy and Dad come inside. I ask Dad some questions for Niki.

1:00 Take pictures of Lucy’s curly hair. Get her to finish her cheese roll up.

1:08 Put pictures on facebook.

1:15 Take Lucy upstairs for bed.

1:16 Throw her wet clothes in the laundry basket and realize I forgot about the laundry I started hours ago.

1:17 Grab myself some clothes to wear. (Yes, I’m still wearing my pajamas.)

1:18 Lucy insists on wearing footie pajamas to bed.

1:19 Realize we left her binkies downstairs. Go down to get them.

1:20 Begin the “tucking-in” process.

1:26 Come back downstairs with the girls’ laundry basket.

1:27 Check facebook again.

1:29 Text Niki about Ty’s graduation open house invitations.

1:35 Switch laundry over, start a new load.

1:37 Check on Lena to make sure she’s still sleeping.

1:38 Take a short shower because the washer is stealing all the hot water.

1:51 Clean up all the messes we made this morning.

2:01 Pour another glass of Dr Pepper, fill a plastic cup with puppy chow, and sit down on the couch.

2:03 Turn on Parenthood on Netflix. Facebook.

2:20 Clean the puppy chow off my fingers, my clothes, the computer, and the couch. Note to self: no more puppy chow on the couch.

2:28 Start sweepstakes

3:13 Lena wakes up.

3:17 Turn off computer, change Lena’s diaper.

3:23 Nurse Lena.

3:26 She’s done nursing. Turn off TV. Sing to her for a while.

3:37 Lena starts screaming. Pace with her.

3:39 She pukes all over herself and me. It’s chunky.

3:41 Go out on the deck to marvel at the warm air and flooded fields. It’s too windy for Lena.

3:43 Come inside and commence pacing and singing.

3:49 Put her on the playmat so I can go to the bathroom.

3:50 Go to the bathroom and realize I forgot about my laundry again. Switch it over and start another load.

3:54 Come back out to the living room to Lena playing happily on the playmat. Realize Word autocorrects playmat to playmate so every time I write “Put Lena on her playmat,” it looks like I wrote “Put Lena on her playmate.” Lol. Sit here giggling for a minute.

3:58 Email Justin a KFC coupon and tell him to bring home dinner.

4:00 Text Niki about Sparta flooding

4:04 Fold and put away some towels that were on the rack.

4:16 Check facebook

4:17 Lucy scares the daylights out of me when she appears next to the couch saying, “Hi, Mommy.”

4:19 Take the girls upstairs and get Lucy dressed.

4:23 Clean all the clothes off my bedroom floor. Play upstairs with Lucy for a while. Chat about how she wants to be a mommy when she grows up.

4:40 Come downstairs, put Lena in the swing.

4:41 Look at the flooding pictures online while Lucy begs me to clean the bathroom with her.

4:47 Go out on the deck with Lucy and take a few pictures of the flooded field.

4:53 Give Lucy water in a spray bottle and some paper towel. Let her go wild on the bathroom floor while I clean the toilet, sink, and mirror. The dryer finishes while we’re in there, so I switch over the last load of laundry.

5:03 Turn on the news and read some books to Lucy.

5:43 Lena wakes up

5:45 Change Lena’s diaper.

5:46 Justin gets home with KFC.

5:47 Put Lena in the Bumbo on the table so we can eat.

6:01 Argue with Justin about all the fishing accessories he’s buying for himself.

6:13 Nurse Lena in bed.

6:15 Lucy starts climbing all over me.

6:23 Lucy spills a water bottle all over the bed.

6:29 Come back downstairs.

6:30 Pace the floor with a fussy Lena. Talk to my parents.

6:31 Take another antibiotic.

6:44 Fold 2 loads of laundry while Justin entertains Lucy upstairs and Lena plays on the playmat. She actually holds onto a rattle for a while.

6:57 Pace with Lena a little bit more.

7:00 Put Lena in the swing. Turn on Wheel of Fortune.

7:29 Justin gets the Little People dollhouse out for Lucy. She plays with it by herself quietly (!) while I check email, facebook, google reader, Pinterest, and my blog stats (end up reading Lena’s birth story).  Watch Jeopardy.

7:47 Play with the house with Lucy.

8:07 Move my van to make room for all the cars in our driveway. (Lucy helps.)

8:14 Get a snack for Lucy. (Hulless popcorn)

8:25 Head upstairs to put Lucy to bed. Put her jammies on, pray for Aunt Kaley, tuck her in, turn on her tape, turn on her Dreamlite kiss her sweet head, go back downstairs.

8:45 Get some more popcorn and another glass of Dr Pepper. Watch the last half of an Office re-run.

9:00 Watch 2 episodes of Parks and Rec.

10:00 Hear Lucy calling for me. Go upstairs. She says she’s cold. Put her blankets back on. Kiss her sweet head. Go back downstairs.

10:05 Talk with Mom and Dad for a while.

10:15 Hear Lucy calling for me. Go upstairs. She says her bottom hurts. Smooth her hair, rub her back, turn on another tape for her, tell her to try to sleep. Turn on her Dreamlite. Go back downstairs.

10:28 Talk with Justin for a few minutes. Get on the computer.

10:40 Find a rerun of Jeopardy on TV. Watch it while I check facebook, email, twitter, pinterest.

11:10 Browse real estate listings.

11:27 Realize how late it is. Bemoan the fact that Lena is doing her long stretch of sleep right now and I’m going to be up with her every 2 hours until morning.

11:28 Take 8 pills: 2 fish oil, magnesium, vitamin B, prenatal, birth control, paxil, and antibiotic. Take contacts out.

11:35 Scoop Lena out of her swing, change her diaper.

11:37 Nurse Lena

11:40 Realize I never made time to read the Bible today. Feel guilty.

11:50 Head upstairs to bed!