A Day in My Life

Today my morning started off not so great.  Firstly, as usual, the alarm went off when I wasn't ready for it.  I hit the snooze button not once, but twice, then had to rush to have the world's quickest shower and dress before my day home opened.  Then, as children began to arrive, and I had to move quickly to feed and dress my own children and get my 7 year old out the door for school, I discovered that some of my day home children were, for lack of a better word, cranky.  Early naps for them, and lots of coffee for me and a quiet table top activity of plasticine and cut out tools has given me a moment of quiet and reprieve.  It won't last long.

Even now, as I type, I have to keep reminding my 2 year old not to eat the plasticine, and I can hear one of the babies stirring over the monitor.  In half an hour I will begin preparing lunch for 5 children, probably forgetting to feed myself until later in the afternoon when my stomach reminds me that I too need more fuel than just coffee.  Then my afternoon will be comprised of cleaning up after the little ones, who inevitiably throw a lot of the food I have so thoughtfully prepared for them, keeping in mind that I need to give them a meal with 4 food groups and healthy ingredients, onto the floor.  Whether my 2 year old will nap this afternoon or not is a bit of a crapshoot.  If she does, we'll have some quiet, if not, she will be nice and cranky by supper time, and yet more food will end up on the floor.  You have no idea how many times I sweep and wipe and mop my floor every single day.

Then, because it's a beautiful day, I will take the kids outside.  Three children under the age of 2, and one 4 year old, all needing boots, mitts, jackets, snowpants, and all of their gear on just to walk four or five steps to my back yard takes about twenty minutes.  Then, I let them run around, play, get dirty...all except for the littlest baby who will eat things off the ground if I put her down.  But she doesn't want to be held either, and doesn't want to sit in a stroller or wagon...so it's a constant keep-my-eyes-peeled-for-random-objects-in-her-mouth kind of afternoon.  But, this is my job.  It's what I do.

Next, craft time.  With family day approaching, my theme this week after Valentine's is families (duh).  So, we will make some kind of family themed craft, which will involve glue, markers and a great many other messy, have-to-clean-up-again kinds of things.  And of course, I will have to make sure the babies don't get a hold of the markers, oh my.  That is always a disaster.  This is why they make washable markers...

Then, after nap time is over and crafts are finished and cleaned up marginally, my 7 year old returns from school with all her boisterous noise and energy.  This is the craziest part of my day, hands down.  The time between 3:30 and 6:00 when my day home is closed is always nuts.  I have to make sure kids are changed, fed snacks, entertained and packed up ready to go for their parents, while doing dishes (because let's face it, I haven't even touched them yet today and I have to have some clean plates for supper) and cooking a meal.  PS.  I hate cooking.  It happens every single time that a parent arrives in the middle of something bubbling over on the stove top or charring black in the pan.  You're welcome family.  Enjoy.

After supper is a frenzy of cleaning, homework, showering children, stories, bed, sanitizing toys, bathrooms, surfaces, and planning for the next day.   I try to get all this done by 9:00, so I can actually sit down and have some time with my husband, watch a few television shows, work on writing projects, or sometimes, I just fall asleep on the couch.  And of course, the whole time, I am making sure I'm connected to whatever social media outlet I use... Have to be plugged in at all times. 

That's pretty much a day in my life.  And, I can't really complain.  While it's busy, and I'm usually really tired, it's worth the effort to soak in the moments I treasure with my kids and my family.  Today, so far has been hectic, (it's actually taken me the majority of the day to even finish this post), but I am thankful.  It started off on a sour note, but that doesn't have to dictate the whole day.  So there it is.  Another day I am thankful to be alive. 

"Doesn't matter if glass is half empty or full, what matters is whether you have a glass." Octavia Spencer