Day In the Life

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Normally, I do a day in the life, but this time, let’s do 24 hours in the life – starting at 3 PM on Wednesday to 3 PM on Thursday!

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3 PM – We are finishing up a rousing round of Hide and Go Seek, which involves Henry asking me what room he should hide in, him telling me where he’s going to hide, me counting to 20, and then me going to find him in the spot he said he’d be in.  Hah.

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3:30 PM – We go to get my car washed.  It is grooooooss on the inside.  So many crumbs.  This is an errand that Henry never minds running with me because, well, CAR WASH.

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4:00 PM – We head to the mall.  Remember how I really wanted these (pricey) shoes? Well, a reader pointed me to Aerosoles (AEROSOLES!), and it turns out that they do have a lot of cuter styles – not just frumpy grandma shoes, which is kind of what I think of when I think of Aerosoles.

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I went to the store because I wanted to see if they were really as comfy as the brand name suggests – and OMG were they ever!  I was hoping they had these wedges in stock (because they are such a good deal!) but settled on these cute wedges in bronze.

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Love the zipper detail in the front!  And seriously, so comfy even though they have a 4-inch heel in the back.

 

4:45 PM – We walk the mall.  Henry finds a friend to play with at the fountain.  After a while, we part ways and go to the mall’s outdoor playspace.  I cut him off at 5:35 when I realize that we’re going to be stuck in rush hour…

 

5:45 – 6:15 PM – Sit in rush hour as we drive four measly miles home.  Boo!

 

6:20 PM – We come home and find the Husband mowing the yard.  I make Henry a quick dinner, and we all sit on the back deck while he munches away.

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6:45 PM – I go upstairs to pump, and I eat a ton of cheddar crackers while I pump.  Then I get Claire ready for bed and put her to sleep by 7:20.  Meanwhile, the Husband plays with Henry in the backyard, gives him a bath, brushes his teeth, and puts him in bed by the same time.

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7:30 PM – I eat dinner that the Husband made earlier (tofu, potatoes, broccoli with BBQ sauce) and do about an hour’s worth of work, mostly bookkeeping stuff.  I do not like working after the kids are in bed, but since Claire’s naps are so short, I haven’t found a way yet to squeeze everything in and not have to work at night.

 

8:30 PM – The Hus comes and sits at the desk for me and we talk about our plans for the deck.  We have been saving money all year to buy new outdoor furniture.  I also want a big sun sail to shade the deck.  We online shop for a bit.

 

9:30 PM – We go upstairs and sit on the couch. I eat dark chocolate and read this week’s Book a Week.

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10:00 PM – Pump another bottle. Dream feed Claire. Stay up way too late afterwards doing absolutely nothing.  Fall asleep by 11:00.

 

2:30, 4:30, 6 AM – Wake up to feed/comfort Claire.  Rough night!

 

7:30 AM – Wake up for real.  Nurse Claire.  I can hear the Husband and Henry downstairs playing.  We all hang out and talk for a bit.

 

8:30 AM – Make my smoothie.  Drink it while putting Claire back down for her first nap.

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8:45 AM – Claire is asleep and Henry is occupied with the Husband, so I use this opportunity to get dressed and pack my purse and gym bag. 

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Claire is still asleep so I try to get some work done. I do emails and other easy tasks.  I also print out my Ironman April tracking sheet <—anyone else getting started?!

 

10:15 AM – Drive to the gym. Put kids in childcare. Find out my bootcamp class was canceled – WHOMPWHOMP.  Glad I have my swimsuit in my bag!  Go to the pool.  Get ready to get in and my old, crappy goggles break completely.  Spend 5 minutes trying to fix my goggles.  Give up.  Go looking through the lost and found box for a loaner.  Find some other goggles to wear.  I feel like the universe doesn’t want me to work out!  Swim 750 yards.  Sit in hot tub, enjoy my alone time, eat a snack, shower, and get dressed.

 

11:45 AM – Drive with kiddos to Carter’s.  They need some summer clothes.  We have a Carter’s Outlet near us, everything is currently 50% off, and there are always coupons online!  Love it.   Henry actually needed shorts and Claire “needed” (<—as in mommy wanted) a romper.  Because a baby in a romper = awesome.

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5 Pack Body Suits

Essential 2-Pack Packs

Polka Dot Rashguard Bathing Suit

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Cotton Print Romper

Chambray Romper

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Black cotton shorts

Blue cotton shorts

Striped shirt

Big Brother shirt

Undies

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Mint shorts

Khaki shorts

Astronaut tee

 

12:45 PM – Head to toy store so we can put together a TOOB of animals for Henry’s little friend’s birthday party.  Henry picks out a racecar for himself.  I must be feeling very patient because when we get back to the car, he has buyer’s remorse and decides he wanted the fire truck instead, and I actually unload everything and everyone and go back to exchange the racecar for the fire truck.  True momma love right there.

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2:00 PM – Return home for lunch.  I have leftovers.  Henry has a peanut butter sandwich and an orange.

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2:30 PM – Pump a bottle for Claire.  Direct Henry to his room for quiet time – it’s a major battle today.  Put Claire down for her nap.

 

2:45 PM – Start ripping into the remainder of the chocolate bar while writing this post!  Also eat a bunch of crackers.  Tackle some other writing projects.  Hear Claire wake up at 3:06… Too early!  Wahhh.

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What did you do yesterday?

{ 13 comments }

 

  • Laura April 3, 2015, 9:38 am

    Could you do an update on raising a vegetarian child? I know you said you’d let Henry make the decision when he’s older about remaining a vegetarian or try meat if he wants. I’m curious what he thinks about it right now? Like if you’re at a bday party and there’s pepperoni pizza there, is he curious and does he want to try it?

  • Katie April 3, 2015, 10:44 am

    First– I love that you’re reading a book a week. That’s awesome (especially with your schedule!). I try to read at night and fall asleep after a few pages (or paragraphs, depending on the day).

    And, I had a pair of Aerosole wedges that I *loved* for 4 years. Finally had to retire them. Always like seeing a peak into another mama’s life.

  • Katalina @ Peas and Peonies April 3, 2015, 11:08 am

    Oh God your days are intense, you always inspire me at how organize you are. I have a almost 2 year old boy, and my mil lives with us watching him fulltime since I work fulltime usually 10 hours a day. My mornings are not that hectic, I spend time with my boy, after me and hubby go together to work, we both work downtown NYC, my crazy day at work starts, if I am lucky to leave at 5 or 6 I call it a very early night and rush home to spend time with my boy. We eat dinner, watch a cartoon, take a bath, I sing to him, put him to bed at 8pm, and after I work another 2-3 hours on my blog. Take a shower and go to sleep. I try to squeeze my workout sin the morning, or at lunch time, since we have a gym in the building. Also, trying to make sure that I workout during the weekend since that’s when I have more flexibility. I tend to cook on weekends as well, during the week my mil does it, or sometimes I will just make something in the slow cooker.

  • Erin @ Her Heartland Soul April 3, 2015, 2:22 pm

    What a fun day! I love that Henry tells you where he’s going to hide.

  • Eva @ All Books Considered April 3, 2015, 5:09 pm

    Oh that book is so good! Hope you like it!

    Cute shoes!!

  • Liz April 3, 2015, 5:26 pm

    I just bought that chambray romper for my little one, too! Gaaaahhh, I just can’t with Carter’s stuff…Way. too. cute.

    By the way, can I just tell you how insanely helpful I find these day in the life posts as a new mom? They used to just be entertaining but now I find them REALLY useful to get a sense of what scheduling can be like for babies at different ages. The fact that you did all these things with both Henry AND Claire in tow gives me so much hope that I will one day be able to go out into the world again (my little is 4 weeks old right now, so I am having a very difficult time imagining being able to actually go the gym/mall/grocery store/anywhere outside of my house).

    • Caitlin April 4, 2015, 12:45 pm

      It gets a lot easier! Congrats 🙂

  • Kelli April 4, 2015, 8:16 am

    Your days look so much like mine 🙂 I love it. I never thought I would feel so productive shuffling around kids all day!

  • liza April 4, 2015, 10:18 am

    Can you explain quiet time? Isn’t that really just time out, and more of a form of discipline? I have seen a few bloggers do this and am confused by it.

    • Caitlin April 4, 2015, 12:44 pm

      QT is just alone and quiet time in his room. He doesn’t have to nap but he can if he wants to.

      • liza April 4, 2015, 11:23 pm

        Serious question: it’s okay to leave a toddler alone in a room? I’m not trying to pick on you, I am really just curious. As a speech-language pathologist who works with young toddlers, I would never leave a toddler alone in a room. I turned my back on one for 30 seconds and he had put a crayon so far in his ear that we had to go to the hospital.

        • Caitlin April 5, 2015, 5:39 pm

          In his bedroom? Yeah, totally. The entire room is childproofed. I would never leave him in certain rooms of our home alone because they aren’t, but his room HAS to be safe for him to be alone in there (he is, after all, alone in the morning and night and can get out of his bed whenever he wants).

          Haha a crayon in the ear is HORRIBLE!!! Kids are so curious about stuff like that. I am sure he could get into trouble in his room if he really tried but it would be challenging.

  • Kara April 6, 2015, 12:27 pm

    The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my favourites!

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