A day in the life . . . post

Well I have seen some of these posts in blogs I read, so I thought I would do one myself.  Here is what Tuesday looked like for me. 

4:15am - Aidan wakes up crying.  I go to feed him and put him back down to sleep.
5:52am - My alarm goes off.  Don't ask me why I set it for such random times.
6:01am - My alarm goes off again.  Oops.  I typically don't hit snooze because I know Adam gets woken up every time it goes off.  I jump out of bed, grab my running clothes and hit the bathroom to change. 
6:10am - I am out the door (yep, 9 minutes, I don't mess around).  I have my gear and I am headed for a nice solo run.  I plan to do around 6 miles and do a nice and easy run. 
6:11am - Didn't know this at the time, but Aidan woke up when I shut the door.  Oops again.  Sorry babe for that one.
7:00am - Back from my run, I walk in to hear everyone is already up and moving.  Hope has a light that comes on at 7:15am, which means she is supposed to stay in her room until then.  Guess Aidan woke her up so the likelihood that I will get to do abs and push-ups is slim.   I run into the kitchen to start making bread.

 I decided homemade sourdough bread would be a nice teacher gift for Hope's preschool teachers as well as the co-directors at the school.  Each bread takes 3 hours so I have to get started if I want to finish today.  I get the first one in the bread machine and head upstairs.  Adam gives me a look that says I hope that was the best run of your life because the kids are up and have been and I am tired.  I tell him it was an amazing run and thank you for handling the home while I was gone. :)  I change everyone's clothes, diapers, etc. and head back downstairs.  I have a big water to drink after my run, and now the coffee is made.  Yum!  I typically drink 2 cups.  I decide to do smoothies and sourdough toast (bread I made on Sunday) for breakfast.  Everyone loves smoothies, but Hope usually doesn't finish hers.  Aidan on the other hand, would probably kill hers as quickly as he finishes his.  Mine is a green monster smoothie with kale and vanilla protein powder for some extra protein.  I made toast, half with Earth Balance butter, and half with the rest of the (my version) of the kitchen sink nut butter. 

8:55am - Aidan is down for a nap, and I have loaded the kitchen table with markers, paper, and coloring books.  But before we can start any coloring, she reminds me that she needs "tail nosh" (toenail polish for those of you who don't speak Hope).  I run and grab the polish and give her one coat of presto pink.  It's perfect because now she will be busy coloring and it will give her toes time to dry.  I decided to have Hope draw and color a picture for the Udi's Let's Doodle Lunch Sandwich box. 

It's also good because I am in the kitchen cooking up a storm.  Since I don't work on Tuesdays I usually spend a significant amount of time in the kitchen.  I have a lot on my plate in terms of cooking today, but we will see how much gets done.  Bread #1 is still baking.  Next, I soaked some adzuki beans the night before, so now I have to cook them for an hour, give or take.  And of course, I have to restock my kitchen sink nut butter so I start roasting my nuts.  I continue to go back and forth, helping Hope out and managing my tasks in the kitchen.  After my beans cooled, I made this little ditty from Scott Jurek's interview on Runner's World. 

Check out her picture! 

I was so impressed she stayed inside the lines so well (yes, I helped her outline the rainbow and the flower.

11:00am - Aidan is up and changed and we head out to the park (and of course I started my second loaf of sourdough bread).  Now you would think things would be a time I could sit down for the first time since 5:52am, but it's not if your son climbs likes mine.  He is a crazy climber.  I am constantly over him making sure he doesn't go head first down something too steep.  After about 40 minutes of climbing and swinging, we have a quick snack (banana and water to share) and head to the grocery store.  We usually alternate going to the farmer's market and the grocery store once a week.  This week it's the grocery store.  I grab a cookie from the bakery for Hope and then try to work like a mad woman to get through the store before anyone has a meltdown.  We obviously get most of our produce at the farmer's market and then just refill at the grocery store, but mostly get the things we can't get at the farmer's market (think laundry detergent, garbage bags, etc.).  Sometimes the variety is just better at the grocery store, like my almond milk. 

1:00pm - We are home.  I throw all the bags in the kitchen and immediately start working on making lunch for everyone (I for one, am starved).  The kids had avocado dip, Kashi crackers, shared a pear, and pirate booty.  I had a big spinach salad with chickpeas, red bell pepper, broccoli, and homemade croutons and more water.  I put away the groceries after lunch, and the kids played together in the playroom (it's the living room which is not far from the kitchen).  After the kitchen is cleaned up for the second time, I head to the playroom to join in on the fun.  We usually play until Aidan shows signs of being tired.  This happens at 2:35pm.

2:55pm - Aidan is down for his second nap, Hope is in her room playing quietly, and I am ready to fold some laundry.

It's really hard to fold Aidan when Aidan is around.  He throws everything I fold, so it's best for me to sit down on the floor when no one is around.  I usually put on the tv and watch something OnDemand.  Today I decided on last week's Revenge.  I have really cut down on everyone's tv time in the house (myself included) so this is the first time the tv has been on all day.  I watch my 48 minute show (thank you for limited commericals) while I fold laundry and read a few blogs.  I also start my 3rd loaf of bread, and start prepping dinner, a bean salad inspired by this recipe I found on Whole Foods website that uses adzuki beans (cook them once, use them twice is my philosphy). 

4:00pm - Hope's light is on in her room, she is done with her quiet time (she naps maybe once or twice a week now, not everyday like before) and Aidan is up.  I take the folded laundry upstairs and put it away while the kids hang out in Hope's room.  Then we decide to hit the backyard with the kiddos and play with our water table. 

Really, I am now hoping to sit down for 5 minutes and relax.  Of course, I have 15 pages left in my current book, and I am dying to know how it finishes.  I also had marinated some chicken for Adam and decided to surprise him and actually grill it.  So since we were outside and he never makes it home in time for dinner, I could cook it early. 

5:45pm - Dinner is served.  Bean salad and corn for me and the kiddos, Hope had a little of Adam's chicken.  Sparkling water to drink.  Last bread is in the machine.

6:20pm - Decided that Hope needed a special treat for her picnic at school tomorrow so decided to make Muddy Buddies mix.  And it could serve as a little treat for tonight too. 

7:00pm - Hope breaks a snow globe which take sme 20 minutes to get all the glass cleaned up.

7:20pm - Upstairs for bath.  Adam calls to say he is going to be late.  Awesome.

7:55pm - Aidan is down for the night.  We do bath, teeth, pajamas, sometimes a book (he isn't into books at all), and then I do still nurse him 2-4 times a day and usually at night before bed.

8:15pm - Hope is down and I head back to the kitchen.  Yikes, what a mess!  I clean the kitchen and make lunches for everyone for Wed.

9:15pm - My feet are killing me.  I take a nice long shower (yep, first time I have had time to shower today).  Adam gets home, eats and heads to the office to work some more.

9:50pm - I pour myself into bed and I had tivoed Real Housewives of Orange County so I watch it.  I know, it's a guilty pleasure for sure. 

11:00pm - I am asleep.  Adam comes to bed and wakes me up.  Ugh!

12:22pm - Aidan wakes up.  Not thinking I go in and nurse him. 

3:15am - Hope wakes up calling me.  I go in and lay with her for a little while.

4:00am - Aidan wakes again.  Ugh!  I go in there.  He is teething so I feel bad.  I nurse him again.

4:45am - Hope has a nightmare and is crying for me.  I go in there and pull the covers over me.  I'm not going anyway.  I decide to just sleep the rest of the night with her.  And her screaming wakes Aidan up so Adam has to get up and tend to him (no nursing involved that time).  :)

6:40am - Aidan is up for the day.  I go in and nurse him and we start the day.  Yes, I am exhausted!