The S t a n g e r Story: February 2017

A day in the life

With 4 little ones we have a regular routine that saves my sanity every single day. And I love having a schedule to strive for, obviously things are different every day and some days it's all out the window. But I'm a strong believer that a routine keeps peace in our home, because we all know what to expect. Well for the most part. Today went like this...

6 AM

As always I wake to a door shutting and the toilet flushing. Bella's awake. She's the earliest riser. And it's the beginning of the end of my snoozing but I live in the bittersweet moments of shut eye a little longer. Bella comes up dressed and ready for school, minus the bed head. She asks for my phone, and takes it to her bedroom to watch a show.

Shea's alarm starts going off every 15 minutes around this time as he continually hits snooze.

7 AM

Finally I shove him out of bed (literally, he tells me to do it or he may never make the train). By this time Piper has probably started to stir or scream.

Sydney has woken from her claimed spot on the floor (we're trying to get her to stop coming in our bed each night so now she chooses the floor or our closet...).

So as I get ready for the day. Shea brings Piper up (if she's screaming) as he leaves and she gets a diaper change and plays with Sydney.

Connor also wakes and is dressed (or half dressed or still in pajamas) and asks to go on the computer, so after doing his xtra math school assignment on the computer (that's the rule every time he goes on the computer he has to do xtra math first) he plays for 30 mins. Most days Connor just runs down stairs to snag the tv or sometimes I have to wake him, he's the latest sleeper of the kids but not by much.

7:30 AM

After I'm ready I get a load of wash in (this is essential and I do it religiously because if I get backed up on wash my world quickly all unravels). Then I get Syd and Pipes dressed for the day. And I try to make Syd go potty. I bring yesterday's load down to remind me to fold.

Now it's off to the breakfast rush. By this time everyone has turned ravenous and if I don't get food out fast it starts looking like an ugly mutiny pretty quick. So pop tarts and dry cereal it is. Pipes gets a bottle of formula and some cereal/puffs (if we went shopping recently she gets a waffle instead). I hear bits and pieces as they play and chase; today it's a princess, a troll and a puppy.

Now I get Cons lunch prepped and in his backpack, then backpacks get set by the door. Now it's on to hair, so after a little whining Syd and Bella both pull free and while it's less than perfect it'll do.

8 AM

Now I start making the brush teeth and shoe call which lasts about 15 minutes. I check the weather and make sure we have coats to match the temp and we're off. 8:15 ish.

8:30 AM

Of course there's always something Connor forgets he needs and we have a long buckle in process so we don't actually pull out of the driveway till now.

Con gets dropped off first and then we're off to wait for preschool. If I'm smart the tablet is charged and Sydney plays on it while Bella comes up front to work on a workbook for the 15 minutes before Pre-K.

9 AM

Okay the unbuckling begins and we walk Bella up to school and if we're very lucky;

Sydney doesn't drag her feet,

my arm isn't dying with carrying Piper,

Sydney doesn't pull her hand out of my grasp and bolt screaming "I run so fast",

Piper doesn't start screaming,

Sydney doesn't have a tantrum about wanting to go in or play on the playground,

and we get back to the car without me huffing and puffing.

But I'm rarely that lucky. So we usually make our way home with someone crying. This is quick errand time; so either I get get gas or mail or go for a short shopping trip. But my favorite days are when I just get to run right home and stuff everyone back in the house and crash. While the girls snack on breakfast leftovers, play and watch TV; I return any texts I've gotten last night or this morn, check up on bills, switch wash to the drier, fold the clothes, do a quick vacuum and my stomach starts reminding me I still need breakfast.

10 AM

I use my late breakfast time to READ; a book (1 a month year goal, going so well!), an article (I have about 50 parenting or marriage ones open on my phone), the Relief Society lesson (I teach and little by little I gather material, ideas, scriptures, quotes, etc. to use) or if I'm being really smart I read scriptures.

11 AM

I unload the dishwasher with Syds help and start prepping the girls lunch and getting Piper some lunch which is usually a fruit/veg applesauce pouch, crackers, bits of whatever I'm prepping for the girls and a sippy with water.

After lunch is prepped and set I offer Sydney to eat now?

We listen to music as she snacks or plays with Piper as she eats.

11:45 AM

My alarm goes off it's, pick-up Bella time! I tell Sydney to go potty and we get shoes and jackets on and we're out of the house, we hurry to buckle up and leave. We get there just in time and make our way to the door. (During winter temps I had some wonderful ladies in the ward who have kids in prek with Bella who helped a ton and walked Bella up and walked her to the car, it made drop off and pick up so much nicer with baby and tot in tow.) But with the warmer weather Sydney likes the walk and I don't mind it.

12:05 PM

Bella's teachers (she has a bazillion since she goes to prek through the high school program), always see me walking up and send Bella at full speed out to greet me.

Sydney loves running to greet her and they even grab hands and act all cute and friendly for about 30 seconds. Till Sydney wants to run and Bella starts forcing her to hold hands and then they start fighting as we finally get to the car, Bella can't wait to tell me about school and wants to start dumping all her stuff in my lap, we try to refrain from that till we get home and in the house though. While I drive Bella talks about her day:

B: Noah got in trouble. Today we played hideyournationM: Hibernation?
B: We went in the halls and dressed up as our teachers and then hid in the corner. I'm starving we had black cranberries...
M: Blackberries?
B: ... and pretzels for snack and I hate them. Mom you should have told me you liked them, I gave mine to Hollis (her best friend at church and school). Next time I get them I'll tell my teacher to save some for you to have and bring you them.

We get home!

12:30 -1 PM

LUNCH is set and if Piper is awake I give her a bottle to top her off and then it's off to nap and Sydney is quick to follow. The goal is 12:30 PM or before 1 PM. While we wait for NAP we listen to the primary mix I have saved on YouTube in an attempt for my kids to actually know some, the girls love it! And I love hearing them sing bits and pieces randomly throughout the day.

1 PM

After post lunch clean up it's Bella's free time and mine! Bella watches TV, plays on the computer/tablet, reads, or plays puzzles, and half the time she falls asleep because lets face it she is wiped. I try to record things for the blog, and eat/netflix and then...

3 PM

My alarm goes off and after I hit snooze once or twice, I may have snuck in a nap too if I am lucky, we're off to pick up Con! On the way we call Shea or Amberlee, if no one answers we rock out! On bad days I put a show on in the car and get there really early for pick up. Connor jumps, gallops, races, or slumps to the car; and he fills me in on his day. But only through quick worded responses as I have to pull everything out of him and half of the time it is made up...

If it's Friday we head to the park for 30+ minutes. If not I hear lots of whining about it not being Friday. And usually a few "this is the worst day ever" thrown in. But usually by the time we come home and park time for the week is threatened everyone is content playing out back or in the basement for a bit. Usually 10-20 mins before after school battles begin.

4 PM

Connor WASHES HIS HANDS and watches one show while he has a snack (my aim is for it to be healthy -which he's usually game for- but let's be honest if he's not in the mood and he has no lunch leftover -that's after school snack #1- then I'm fine if it's a fruit roll up). Then we start on the dreaded HOMEWORK with Connor. Its a battle most nights but in fairness it's a lot; red reading folder and yellow (reading intervention) folder, xtra math (if he didn't do it in the morn), sight words (every other day), and writing (the part he HATES). Bella works on an independent workbook. Usually it's letter writing practice, or scissor/paste pages. She loves every second and rarely ever asks for help or complains.

5 PM

Dinner prep begins. I'm usually still struggling through homework as dinner starts. It's bewitching hour at it's fullest so I'm totally at my wits end. But I try to keep it together. Connor and Bella go in the basement to practice basketball (Shea has worked with them and taught them basics and encourages them to practice every weekday and if they do so Saturday they go to the school and practice at the big hoops and get sodas). They LOVE it, mostly. It's great for me because it encourages them to play in the basement together and Sydney usually goes down too and they all usually end up just playing.

If he hasn't already Connor has to take out trash and recycling (his chore).

5:30 - 6 PM

Dinner is served! Sometimes Shea is home but mostly he's not. After dinner kids get into pjs and we watch a show as a family, sometimes we have treats (usually popcorn, fruit or junk) if the night has gone well and dinner was eaten. Piper gets a bottle to top her off.

7:30 - 8 PM

It's brush teeth time. And we say family prayer and read scriptures/recite articles of faith. And Piper and Syd go down. Syd gets a story and I always have to remember to have her go potty (she's wearing undies to bed now). She whimpers a bit but usually goes down with not too much of a fight.

As always a week or so ahead the kids were jumping with excitement to pick out valentines. After buying them they were itching to make them that night...

Sydney was in bed but made hers the next morning.

SO EXCITED!

They partied it up on Valentines Day! Connor had a Valentine's Day Exchange and Party at school and the girls had one that I organized for the ward that morning, of course I was sick and couldn't be there but it seemed to be a hit anyway and they all loved it!

We watched Princess Bride that night and exchanged our valentines to eachother CHOCOLATES!

(Unfortunately the stomach bug hit us and we had to postpone valentine leftovers and a photo op till we felt much better and could all enjoy it!)