It's been super duper long since I last posted but after a couple of "Schedule" posts from friends, I felt compelled to save my daily schedule as a reminder of what A Day in the Life looks like right now. So for posterity sake, here's our typical schedule during the week...
On mornings that my ex has the kids, he drops them off to me before he goes to work (he has to be there at 6:00am). The bracketed text is for those days - it rotates every week, either MRF or TW.
[5:15 - get a text saying they are in the driveway
5:15-5:20ish - go down and take Babe out of his arms while he puts Bud down. Bud walks himself up and I carry Babe up. She can never fall back asleep so I put her movie on for her. Surprisingly, Bud falls back asleep almost every time
5:20ish - crawl back into bed and be super anxious about my alarm going off in 20 minutes]
5:40 - Alarm goes off
6:05 - finally give in, turn off alarm for the 4th time, get out of bed
6:05-6:25 - shower, dress, prep breakfast and other quick chores (e.g., putting away last night's pots and pans)
6:25 - wake up Bud and send him downstairs with his clothes for the day and his book (currently the 5th book in Rick Riordan's Heros of Olympus series) to put in his back pack
6:27 - wake up babe and carry her and her clothes downstairs
6:30 - after they decide what they want (cereal or waffles), I make it for them and start making their lunches. Get their lunches into the back packs and make sure everything is arranged and ready for them.
6:45 - 6:55 - force them to take their last bites of breakfast and corral them (literally) into the bathroom to get dressed and brush teeth.
6:55 - assist the kids getting their winter gear and back packs on.
7:00-7:15ish - If it's cold out, we wait for the bus inside. This requires me to keep my eyes on the corner that we can just barely see from our front window. (This is because if we aren't outside the driver will often just drive right by. Anxiety is high when it's cold.) As soon as I see the bus I send them running outside. Sometimes we are fooled by the "fake bus" (aka. some random charter bus, probably a senior citizen or disability service) and they come back inside to wait for the real bus. Then we see the real bus coming a couple minutes later and off they go to school.
7:15ish-7:30 - eat my own breakfast while checking Facebook and Instagram, if I have time I finish up any leftover chores, brush my teeth, and add my extra layer of clothes (it's always cold in my office so I require two layers to avoid frostbite).
7:30-7:40 - start my car, then go back upstairs to say goodbye to LC (the jerk gets to sleep in. Being a D1 coach has many advantages). Grudgingly, I get back out of bed and head to work.
8:00-4:30 - working hard for my money. This includes using my lunch hour to do homework. (This is my last semester!! CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!)
On nights I have the kids:
4:30-5:00 - I pick them up from my ex. On Monday's, Babe has dance so I meet them there. The other days I pick them up from his house.
5:00 - Go to the store to buy stuff for dinner, or if a miracle has happened and I prepared in advance, head home to make it. (Rarely have I planned in advance. I know I should but it doesn't happen.)
5:00-5:30 - Make dinner while the kids do their homework and/or play. Minecraft for Bud, dolls for Babe
6:00ish-7:30 - (if I'm on the ball we can eat by 6 but more often it's later than that) Eat dinner, clean up from dinner.
7:15-8:00 - the kids play before I tell them to get in the shower and ready for bed. They mostly shower on their own but I have to rinse the shampoo and conditioner out of Babe's hair. Bud usually likes me to be in the bathroom when he's showering but I usually slip out to finish up the dishes or other chores.
8:00-8:15 - Have the kids call their dad to say goodnight. Then LC and I take the kids upstairs, get their movie playing and set the sleep timer (Yes, I realize this qualifies me for every Bad Mom award but it's the only way they stay in bed. #tryingtosurvive). Hugs and kisses all around and then we head back downstairs.
8:15-10:00 - do homework, watch tv/hang out with LC. Invariably, one or both of the kids comes down and says they can't sleep. Sometimes they get a dose of melatonin to help, other times they are clearly stalling and they get sent back up, reminding them of relaxation techniques to fall asleep.
10:00-10:30 - get ready for bed, climb in and play on my phone until I can't keep my eyelids open (usually not a long process), toss out my contacts and zonk out.
On nights I don't have the kids:
4:45-6:00 - Arrive home, sometimes start dinner, other times we eat leftovers or go out.
6:00-10:00 - do homework, watch tv/hang out with LC.
On Thursday's LC and I play in a volleyball league about 40 minutes away. Nights with the kids I have a babysitter stay with them while we go (my cousin who goes to a local college...I hate that this is her last semester!). We play anywhere between 6:00-9:00 so her responsibilities change depending on our game time. She might need to feed them dinner or just needs to sit in the house and do homework while they sleep.
Currently, I'm LC's guinea pig for his jump training regiment. (To see if his training works for everyone or just him.) This means I do a leg work out every Tuesday and Friday. It only takes about 15 minutes so it's not that intrusive and we do it whenever we can fit it in...sometimes before the kids go to bed, sometimes after. I'm trying to do other stuff too but it usually isn't that consistent.
Weekends are always crazy, with the kids or without. If we don't have the kids, we spend Sunday afternoon/evening with LC's family and play pick up volleyball from 7:00-9:00. If we do have the kids, LC heads off around 3:00 and me and the kids stay back. LC's hometown is a 1/2 hour away so volleyball until 9:00 with them isn't feasible. We usually have a relaxing afternoon of game playing and enjoying each other's company. After they go to bed I take advantage of the time and get lots of homework done until LC gets back.
You'll notice that nowhere in this schedule do I include getting laundry done. That's bc my awesome boyfriend gave me the gift of doing the laundry for 33 weeks for my 33rd birthday. Holla!
So that's what our days look like for now. I'll try to do another one in the warmer weather since that changes the whole game.
Lily
