A day in the life of...SAHM edition

My time as a stay at home mom is coming to an end and I thought it was time to share another day in the life post before I go back to work in a few weeks. It took us a few months to get into our own groove and things definitely got easier once we were past the newborn stage. Levi is now 7 months old (see my latest update here). I was able to take advantage of a generous parental leave policy and maxed out all other paid (vacation) and unpaid (personal leave of absence) time off to get a glimpse into the life of a stay at home mom. It has been a wonderful experience (so much better in so many ways that I didn't expect) and this day a few weeks ago is a great example of the fun and everyday craziness with the kids. You just never know what to expect. 

This is my third "day in the life of" post. You can read the other two here and here. 

6:23 am. Ava and Noah are awake, which means I'm up too. I change Ava's diaper and we cuddle on the couch for a bit. We have breakfast in the kitchen, tea and zucchini bread for me, bagels and water for them. I check my messages and follow up on a few things. 

6:45 am. Tony gets up, grabs breakfast to go, and gets on the road. The kids are eating slowly, Ava goes potty, then Noah needs to go too...It seems like things are taking forever. I attempt to empty the dishwasher, but don't get far. 

7:45 am. Levi is awake; I hear him making happy noises in his bed. I go get him, change his diaper, and put him on the living room floor to play. 


8:02 am. I emptied, loaded, and started the dishwasher! Ava and Noah are in their room. Noah is supposed to get dressed for the day. We will see. 

8:06 am. I finally convince Ava to put her binky away (she gets to have it at night only). 

8:12 am. Counters are cleared off. Noah is not getting dressed (no surprise there), but at least he is reading quietly. I remind him to get dressed and put Levi in the car seat with his toys so he can hang out with me while I sort laundry. I hear the kids fighting over a toy. 

8:22 am. A load of laundry is in the washer, Levi is still happy, I go check on Noah and Ava. I get her dressed while Noah is hiding under his blanket. Then I get dressed and pick out clothes for Noah, in an effort to speed up the process. 

8:37 am. We go brush teeth. Ava fights me as I try to put socks on her feet and do her hair. Noah finally gets himself dressed. I try to nurse Levi to see if he's hungry, but he's not interested. He gets a fresh diaper instead. 

9:04 am. We put shoes and coats on and are ready to head out at 9:10 am. 

9:19 am. We pull out of the driveway to go to the library for story time. We arrive at 9:30 am. 

9:30 am. We go for a walk along the Centennial Trail, then go to story time at 10 am. Today's topic: sneezing! Story time is 30 minutes of books and songs, followed by 20 minutes of play and/or craft. 

11:03 am. We're on our way back home. 

11:13 am. We are back at home. Levi is super happy. I quickly put clothes in the dryer, then Ava, Noah, and I wash our hands. 

11:28 am. It's lunch time. Everyone is hangry so it needs to go fast. The kids have sandwiches with pumpkin cream cheese, bananas, and grapes. I have more zucchini bread. Levi gets puffs and baby teethers to chew on. 

11:45 am. I make a list for Noah so he knows what's next: wash hands and face, go potty, grab a book, and sit on the couch quietly. It's been a super helpful way of getting him to pay attention to what I need him to do. He now tells me what all needs to go on the list and I draw pictures of it. I swear the process of writing it all down is so much more helpful than the actual list. My main goal is for him to stay occupied and quiet while I take Ava to bed for a nap.

11:47 am. Levi is done and ready for real food and a nap. I wash his hands and face and put him on the floor to play. 

11:55 am. Ava goes potty and poops in the potty for the first time. Yay! We celebrate the milestone with lots of cheering and high fives. She then fights me as I want to put her pants back on. We read three books, I make sure she has her pacifier and her "baby", and tuck her in.

12:12 pm. Ava is down for her nap. Noah is playing quietly. The boys and I go into our bed. I nurse Levi, read Noah a book, then browse a bit on my phone while Levi continues to nurse himself to sleep. 

12:59 pm. Levi is asleep. I roll over to cuddle with Noah. We both fall asleep. 

1:40 pm. I wake up because Ava is at her door crying. I go get her while the boys stay asleep. I put another load of laundry in the wash and fold load #1. Ava colors and plays for a while, then wants to be entertained. 

2:15 pm. Levi is crying. Though he's not done sleeping, I go get him because I don't want him to wake up Noah. Too late...Noah wakes up too. This isn't ideal. All three kids didn't get a long enough nap - they usually sleep at least until 3 pm. I have a feeling the rest of the afternoon won't be easy.
I change diapers, finish folding laundry, we clean up pencils and puzzles, and entertain Levi. 

2:45 pm: Noah asks for a snack and gets an apple. I feed Levi some pumpkin puree. Noah and Ava are playing rough, everyone is a bit whiny and I have a feeling things will escalate soon. Noah asks for more food, I make him a sandwich. While I write up a shopping list, Ava takes every magnet off the fridge and throws them on the floor. 
I organize and label items I want to gift to neighbors through the Buy Nothing Project. Then I get everyone dressed again. 

3:17 pm. We are ready to head to Fred Meyer and are in the car 10 minutes later. I go to drop off some kids clothes at someone's house for their daughter on my way to the store. It's always great to meet new people and chat, but not so much when the kids are in the car waiting. 

4:00 pm. We're finally at the grocery store. The kids aren't exactly helpful. Ava especially keeps running away and thinks it's funny when I chase her around. I get a lot of "encouraging" smiles from other shoppers and a few "they're so cute-s" as I'm telling them not to run. Very helpful (not!); thanks stranger. 

4:40 pm. We are done shopping and drive back home. I send the kids downstairs to play while I unload the car and put things away. I hear Ava cry and go check on the kids. Downstairs, I walk past the laundry room and remember I have clothes in the wash. I put them in the dryer. 

4:58 pm. Levi is not happy and I feed him though I should be working on dinner by now. Ava comes upstairs too, she bonked her head and is upset. 

5:06 pm. Tony comes home. The kids go nuts. Everyone is yelling and screaming, we're all hungry and just done for today. I ask Tony to take the kids downstairs so they can watch a TV show and we can make dinner together. Levi gets some more teething wafers. 

Daddy is home!!! 

5:25 pm. Tony feeds Levi pear sauce and pumpkin puree. 

5:30 pm. Potatoes are in the oven and the grill is turned on. I have a cup of tea and try to relax for a minute. It's nice that Tony and I have a moment to chat and talk about the upcoming weekend. 

5:36 pm. Levi gets his diaper changed and then plays some more on the floor. 

5:45 pm. I nurse Levi and put him to sleep, then browse on my phone a bit. 

6:06 pm. Dinner is ready, I get the kids. We eat hamburgers and homemade french fries. 

6:20 pm. Levi is up. 

6:36 pm. The kids are still eating, picking at this and that. 

6:40 pm. We declare dinner is over. Noah and Tony clear the table; Noah pretends to be a robot as he is taking things into the kitchen. 

6:50 pm. Tony takes Noah and Ava to brush their teeth and to get them ready for bed. I put the kids' laundry away, then start cleaning up toys in their room. We all hang out in Ava and Noah's room for a while and read bedtime stories. Those family moments are my favorite. 

7:28 pm. We say goodnight. Lights are off. 

7:35 pm. Noah gets up to go potty. Naturally, Ava has to go too now. She doesn't really, but I'm not going to say no to using the bathroom, so they both get to go. Then she needs water. Then she says "Noah water!". Sure, Noah gets water. Then it's Ava's turn again. Ugh. It's like she can't go to sleep until everyone has had x sips of water! Finally, they are ready to go to sleep. 

7:50 pm. Levi, Tony, and I head downstairs to relax and watch TV. 

8:20 pm. I nurse Levi to sleep on the guest bed downstairs.  

9:30 pm. I go to bed. Tony goes to take a shower and brings Levi up when he's done. I'm excited I get to start my night off in bed by myself without a little baby attached to me...