I have enjoyed the "day in the life" posts around the bloggy world.  I’m joining in.  Of course this is what I had time to write out. There were many diaper changes, nose wipes, shoe ties, drinks poured and other aspects of physical care that were left off the list.  And since no names are changed to protect the innocent any disciplinary measures needed today (not many) were left off.

Here we go….

4:40 a.m. – My first alarm goes off. I turn that off and go back to sleep. This alram exists for when I go to the trainer. I take my temp at this alarm.

5:30 a.m. – My second alarm goes off. I turn that off. Listen for Dave in the shower and begin a rosary.

6:00 a.m. – Pour a cuppa coffee that my husband thoughtfully made for me, kiss the big hunk good bye and head into the shower.

6:30 a.m. – Showered, made-up, clothed and coffee’d I straighten the kitchen, eat a protein bar and check email.

6:45 a.m. – Twins are up. Sean demands to be taken out of the crib immediately. Bridget has a slower approach to the morning. She prefers a bottle in the crib and playing with her dollies for a half hour or so. Get Sean set up with breakfast (fruit and cereal)

7:00 a.m. – Wake up the olders and toss the contents of the (always) overflowing hamper down the stairs, start the first load of the day. Get Bridget set up with breakfast (fruit and cereal)

Supervise breakfast for the olders.

7:30 a.m. – Kevin comes down and requests a bath. Get him set up.

7:45 a.m. – Erin starts practicing her flute.

Bath over. Get Kevin dressed and fed.

8:00 a.m. – Herd everyone downstairs to get set up for school. Bring my laptop, planner, notebook and MORE COFFEE down too. Reboot laundry.

8:20 a.m. Tear Erin away from flute and find Ryan (who disappeared) and pray a decade of the rosary for the Pope and for the marchers and for Alice’s mom.

8:30 a.m. Older kids doing math. Read The Hungry Coat to Kelli and Kevin.  Listen to Kelli’s narration and then set her up with her handwriting book. Read several car books to Kevin and set the twins up with a barn and a pirate ship to play with.

10:00 a.m. Chat with a friend.

10:20 a.m. Herd everybody back to the school room and resume. Explain analogies to Katie, read a chapter of history to Ryan and answer some three digit multiplication questions Erin had. Hear my tummy rumbling and have a few almonds for a snack (BTW almonds unaccompanied by chocolate and nougat hardly qualify as a snack). Set Kelli up with BOB books and Kevin with sorting bears. Twins commence tearing everything off the shelves in the school closet. Reboot laundry.

11:00 a.m.  Failed attempt to put the twins down for a nap.
Check email. IM with Dave. Return a call.

12:00 p.m. Review concept of "Father Almighty" with Ryan. Ask him to write a narration. Reboot laundry

12:30 p.m. Successful attempt to put twins down for nap. Check narration – perfect. Except for the grammar (he writes the way he speaks which is disordered). I correct it and tell him to rewrite it this afternoon. Sad look.

12:40 p.m. Prep and put roast beef in the oven.

12:45 p.m. Lunch

1:00 p.m. Erin is still on math, Katie is chugging along in math. Ryan finished up for the day and offers to amuse Kevin and Kelli if I make him french fries (in some ways he is an absolutely normal 12 year old boy).

1:15 p.m Give a plate of fries to Ryan to share, make myself a burger with no bun. (God did not intend a burger to not have a bun and I contemplate my fate if I defy God’s will. I then contemplate my fate if I remain chubby. I eschew the bun).

Read a book for a few minutes while eating to take my mind off the bun issue.

1:30 p.m. Reboot laundry. More math for Erin, get Ryan started on chores. Clean upstairs bathroom and empty garbages.  After checking her school work was finished put Kate in charge of Kelli and Kevin.  She reads Strega Nona to them and plays Old Maid. I start a folder for a new writing assignment and begin doing a little research.

1:55 p.m. Set Erin and Kate to quick tidy of the basement. Start reading aloud, Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett to whoever will listen.

2:00 p.m. Call from guitar teacher apologizing for running ten minutes late. This works out because I forgot all about him.

2:15 p.m. Guitar teacher arrives. Twins still sleeping, set up Kelli with felt boards, bribe Kevin with a video game to stay downstairs, Katie plays with Kevin and Erin plays on the computer. Take the roast out.

2:30 p.m. Twins up, set them up in the learning room with Katie, Erin, crackers and cheese. Go up to my room with my notebook a stack of catalogs and magazines. Keep half an ear on the guitar lesson and half an ear on the news.

3:15 p.m. Guitar teacher is gone and I direct everyone to get ready to go. The girls have step dance and Ryan has karate. I am faced with the usual dawdling and nonsense. This does not make me happy.

4:15 p.m. Drop three girls off at dance class. Go to grocery store to pick up some things to accompany the roast. Forget milk 🙁

4:55 p.m. Drop Ryan at the dojo.

5:00 p.m. Pick up Kelli at dance, the older girls stay for another class (BTW the dojo and the class are no where near each other).

5:10 p.m. Get home with the four little people, slice the roast, dish up the sides, put everything in the warming oven. Change a couple of diapers. Get back in the car.

6:00 p.m. Pick up the girls.

6:05 p.m. Pick up Ryan

6:30 – 7:00 p.m. Dish up dinner, clean up dinner.

7:00 – 7:15 p.m. Katie baths the babies, I pajama them and settle them for the night. Erin picks up the kitchen, Ryan supervises Kevin. I put a plate aside for Dave, IM him to pick up milk (thank heaven for a blackberry).

7:30 p.m. Evening prayer. Send everyone upstairs with a book. Start folding all that laundry.

8:30 p.m. Laundry is folded sorted and piled for the kids to put away tomorrow. David gets home, goes up to chat with awake children and has to go out and change a tire, he arrived off the train to find it very nearly flat. Ugh.  He did bring milk though.

9:15 p.m. Dave is eating and I am in my pj’s and ready for some quiet time. I finished the book while waiting in the car at dance class so I’m off to tackle this month’s MS Living for a bit before turning in. 

I hope this wasn’t too boring for everyone. It was illuminating for me.

Have a blessed evening.