A week in the life: day 1

I happened upon a blog the other day & found it crazy interesting how a family lives in NYC and it got me thinking: 10 years from now I may want to remember what my days looked at this point :)  (there's a chance that I'm wrong & I just want to forget this time- in that case, I won't read this! :)) So I'll be attempting to blog how my week a few days go this week.

So today is Monday & it just happens to be J's 4th birthday! Yay! Now that we're up to speed, let's go! :)

3am- woke up to J being up: he peed the bed but C was already helping him (yay!) so back to sleep I go! (another yay!)
6am- C is up so I guess it's time for me too. S got up soon after for a snack so we chat for a few minutes while I feed S & put him back to bed & C finishes getting ready & then he's off to work. I was hoping to work out this morning but since J is on the couch, I guess I'll just get ready for the day. My room rarely gets cleaned because I'm rarely in it so maybe I need to get stuck in there more often? as it's now clean :)
7:30- I didn't get the chance to put away lights laundry last week ("somehow" they always get forgotten in the dryer) & I know everyone's drawers are currently empty so I guess I'll seize the opportunity & bring the pile into my room to fold & put away what I can.
8am- Our floors squeak & groan & pop horrifically so I've been trying not to move too much but I figured it's 8 o'clock now- if they wake up now, they've gotten sufficient sleep :) I like to start each day on Mint.com checking my funds & balancing the budget. I also like to check for any new emails so I did that until S woke up at 8:30.

8:30- The street cleaner starts making the rounds so S & I move the van across the street & as I'm getting my side of the street ready for the cleaner, Z comes bounding out & still in his lion painted face. We had festivities yesterday at church & he chose to have his face painted like a lion- so cute :) J pops off the couch soon after & all declare starvation. I usually keep it easy for breakfast- chopped eggs & yogurt creations- but today is J's birthday: he needs a pancake with a candle :) There was a little tension & panic & regret for a few minutes as all 3 are crying & whining for breakfast but soon we are enjoying.
10- The boys are a sticky mess so off they go to the bath. I try to clean the bathroom down every time they bathe- if I miss a time, I tend to regret it soon after. With 4 (2 with questionable aim) people and only one toilet, our bathroom gets a lot of traffic!

10:30- S is done bathing so we get some one-on-one chasing time. Monday's load of darks are put into the wash.
11- J & Z are now fighting in the tub- must be time to get them out. (yep! an hour in the tub :)) We chase & wrestle & play for a few minutes but overall, it's time to brush teeth & get ready for the day. J decides it's time to comb my hair which is a new enjoyment for them. Z likes to straighten until not a hair moves & sticks to me the rest of the day, J mainly likes to spray until I'm drenched to my toes & barely touches my hair with a comb.

I've tried twice to put S down for nap but he's fighting it so we all decide it's time for school. Since today is a loud lesson (on Mondays we are learning the recorder), it's probably best S wasn't asleep... We studied David & read some of the songs he wrote and then we "wrote" our own with the recorders. I often wonder what the neighbors think when 3 recorders & a tambourine? are making a racket...
















12- After watching S lay on the floor, I finally just put him in bed. He moaned & groaned for a few minutes but decided to give in. I tried shooing Z & J outside but they declared hunger again so we made left over pancakes into pb & Js and chatted some. I started putting the clothes on the line but Z & J aren't cooperating much. A few disciplinary moments take place & both boys declare they want some more books read to them so we snuggle for a few more minutes. They both sound kind of congested and they aren't the most active today; hope we aren't getting sick.

A few months ago C put up a wire in the kitchen to hang the boys' creations for display but last week a sudden idea came to mind to use it for a calendar of their week instead. I meant to get it all put together during the weekend but weekends never go as planned so I enlisted the boys for help since they were asking for an art project anyway. I've been looking randomly for the days of the week headers but I don't want to spend alot on it so I printed them, the boys colored them, & then I glued them to some old party invites I had in the cabinet. I love it when it all falls together! :)
1pm- S is stirring but I want some quiet time & a small nap so I plop the boys on separate couches with their workbooks & head to my bed. It turned out to be a false alarm but I enjoyed my time reading Power of a Praying Wife anyway :)
1:30- Boys show me the pages they worked on & just keep going with it. I finally finish putting the laundry out!







2:30- S is waking; I am still doing books with Z & J. So studious today! A few more emails and then... hide & seek! S loves hiding with me- we make good partners :)
3- We drive to Culligan Water to fill our bottle and then come home for a walk/run around the blocks. It's beautiful outside & apparently the boys were storing up their energy for this :) J on his Strider & Z on his bike with trainers. He hasn't ridden that in months- it was a little weird to see but I could tell he was trying to balance like he does on the Strider. Pretty cool.

4- It's about time to get serious. Wrap up the day. The boys unload the dishwasher- spoon (sword) fights and all. In fact it got a little carried away & turned into wrestling & eventually J got hurt & mad & it was a crazy hour trying to pick up everything, reload the dishwasher, put away the laundry & keep them from fighting/wrestling/throwing things. It's amazing nothing has been broken yet.




















5- I give J the option of not doing Little Chef today. Maybe you want to watch a show instead? Nope- I want to cook with you, he says. So sweet. *Sigh* Z takes over the computer & J and I put together tomorrow's oatmeal while S tries to remove everything from the kitchen cabinets; successfully spilling the baking soda onto the floor... Once finished, we call Grandpa & Grandma back so J can talk with them and then C comes home bringing a cake & a balloon. We dig into the cake & then go outside to roast hotdogs. It was supposed to be brats but we were too hungry to wait that long :)
8:30- S finally calls it a night.
9- read a new book (100 hungry ants) to the boys and tuck them in. *sigh* I love those boys. I also love tucking them in, closing the door, & having quiet :)

9:40- So now. C is sleeping on the couch. Not snoring yet, though :) The boys are off to dream land. I just finished a plate of rewarmed spaghetti because the hotdog did nothing to combat the cake. The dishwasher (loudest one we've ever heard) is doing it's rhythmic thing and the oven is set to start at 5:30am. Care to join us? :)