Our Five Ring Circus: A Day in the Life of a Mom of Four Kids

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

A Day in the Life of a Mom of Four Kids

A Day in the Life of a Busy Mom of Four

Life with four kids is busy! So busy that I almost wrote 6 kids, because my mind is always racing and focusing on the next task on my to do list, and I can't think straight. Sometimes it feels like I have 6 kids. And sometimes it feels like 6,000. I know I will be able to sleep someday (and have a chance to be bored) so I opt to embrace the chaos, and keep moving! If anything, life is always entertaining and each day is an adventure!


I've always loved reading day in the life posts, but could never commit to one since our schedule is drastically different each day and season.  The thought of sharing each moment throughout the day always overwhelmed me as much as the daunting amount of tasks I have to accomplish each day, but I finally decided to just dive in!

This Fall, I'm going to attempt a Day in the Life series. One post per week until I accomplish all 7 days of the week. And if it goes well, I just might attempt to do it in Winter, Spring, and Summer, too! I figure that as much as my schedule overwhelms me, I'm going to actually miss the busyness one day, and wish it all back!


Just An Ordinary (Fall) Mom Life Monday


6:15 AM:  Alarm goes off. (OMG, no! Not yet! I just fell asleep at 2 AM thanks to a nasty case of insomnia.)

Mom Life

6:16 AM: Wake up Dylan for school. Thankfully, he jumps right out of bed, but occasionally, there are days when he fights me. Those days are the worst!

6:16 AM - 6:35 AM: Hang out with Dylan while he eats breakfast and gets ready for school. Sometimes I stare blankly at the wall because it takes me a while to wake up, and other times, I immediately get to work on writing blog posts or catching up on my overwhelming email inbox. Today, I opt for staring.

Motherhood

6:40 AM: The bus arrives to take Dylan to school. It's still dark outside, and that is awful. Just saying.

6:40 AM - 7:20 AM: Continue to write, send emails, and catch up on reading a few of my favorite blogs! Sometimes, if I have a bad headache (which unfortunately happens at least once a week), I will head back to bed for 40 minutes. (Side note: My laptop is disgusting thanks to Liam constantly trying to grab it!)

Blogging

7:00 AM: Grant wakes up for work.

7:20 AM: I wake the girls up for school.

7:20 AM - 7:50 AM: My morning becomes a whirlwind! Breakfast for the girls, put lunchboxes in backpacks, fix hair and make sure they get dressed and out to the bus stop on time.

Motherhood

Motherhood

7:50 AM: The morning chaos woke Liam up on this particular day. He runs into the living room with a huge smile on his face. The Tiny Tornado usually sleeps until at least 9 AM, so we are very surprised to see him up and moving. (There went my peaceful morning after everybody leaves!)

7:50 AM: We head down to the bus stop (our driveway), and Liam trails behind us!

7:55 AM: The bus arrives to take the girls to school.

8:00 AM: Grant leaves for work. It's just me and Kip for the rest of the day!

(Anybody tired yet? Just me? Okay, moving on!)


8:00 AM - 8:30 AM: Liam has breakfast and sits next to me while I work.

Down syndrome blogs

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM: I clean up from the morning chaos, check for new emails, pay bills, and make a few phone calls while Liam plays.

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM: I take a shower, and get ready for the day ahead. I set Liam up with a few OT activities on the bathroom floor, so he can work on his fine motor skills while I shower in peace!

9:30 AM - 9:50 AM: I gather up all the stuff I need to leave the house and get Liam dressed.

9:50 AM: Race out the door for Liam's dentist appointment, with my breakfast (AKA a smoothie) in hand, and my hair still wet. As usual, we're running a few minutes late!

Mom Life

10:00 AM: Arrive at Liam's dentist appointment. He charms the staff and high fives a fellow homie with an extra chromie within the first minute of arriving. The kid works the waiting room like no other!

10:05 AM - 10:30 AM: Liam gets his teeth cleaned and checked. He sits very patiently on his own this time, instead of on my lap! Everything looks great, and he hugs his dentist for a full minute before she can even leave the room. On our way out, he cheers up his friend, who is upset about an upcoming dental procedure, with a big hug!

Down syndrome awareness

10:35 AM: We hop in the car and head to the grocery store. Liam is thrilled to be sitting in his sister's forward facing car seat, since we are only driving a very short distance. (Yes, he's 4 and still rear faces. He's a little dude!)

Mom Life

10:45 AM - 11:35 AM: We tackle our grocery shopping list. It's much quieter on a Monday. I usually go late Saturday night (my favorite time) or Sunday afternoon, but that wasn't an option this weekend. I make a mental note to take advantage of Curbside Express pickup, where they do the shopping for you and bring out your groceries when you get there!

Down syndrome bloggers

11:40 AM: I surprise Liam with the donut he desperately wanted in the grocery store! He's not thrilled when I tell him he has to move out of the forward facing seat he sat in for the ride through the parking lot.  He can't do it for real until he gets a neck x-ray!

Down syndrome awareness

11:45 AM: I stop to get gas. Thanks to the fuelperks that I get from grocery shopping, I manage to keep it under $30 to fill my beast of a car!

11:50 AM: Finally head back home!

(Who's ready for round two?!?)


12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Unload the groceries from the car, put away all the groceries, and separate snacks for school lunches. Start cooking lunch so it will be ready when I'm done. Meanwhile, a toy-nado occurs in my living room.

Nothing Down About It

Down syndrome awareness

School Lunches

1:00 PM - 1:15 PM: Fill out our Meal Plan board so the kids aren't constantly asking me what's for dinner (notice all of our weekly activities), and clean up some messes. (Just as lunch is finished. Of course. I guess I'm mopping my floors earlier than planned!)

Meal Plan

Mom Life

1:30 PM: I sit down to have lunch with Liam. It's my first meal of the day!

Downright Perfect

1:45 PM - 2:00 PM: Liam runs off to play, so I read a chapter in my book, then clean up from lunch.

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM: We go outside so Liam can play. It's a sweltering 90 degrees, but we take advantage of every nice day! I play with Liam, but also start preparing for THIS post and write lunchbox notes for my girls. Before we go in, Liam gets some PT on the trampoline!

Down syndrome blogs

Down syndrome blog

2:30 PM: We go inside to get a drink, do a quick round of flashcards, and read some books.

2:45 PM: Dylan arrives home from school. I would typically share a picture, but on this particular day, he was mad at me because I wouldn't drive him to the park to hang out with his girlfriend. I love tweens!

3:00 PM: Naptime for Liam! Sometimes, it's my favorite time of the day. Yes, it's a bit late, but we had to push back his naps when he started afternoon preschool last year. But just look how sweet he is!

The Lucky Few

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM: I clean up the toy-nado and put away some laundry.

Motherhood

Motherhood

3:30 PM - 3:50 PM: I take advantage of the last few minutes of silence and do some blog reading while drinking my hot tea. Since Liam is asleep, it's time for the bunnies to come out to exercise! We got some fun mail to go through, too!

Mom Blog

3:50 PM: Lexie and Lily arrive home from school, and the nonstop talking begins! They tell me every single detail about the bus ride to school, their day at school, and the bus ride home. Lexie is super excited because she went to the book fair at school!

Sisters

Childhood

4:00 PM - 4:45 PM: The kids sit down to do their homework. Dylan and Lexie do almost everything on their own, but Lily still needs me since we have to work on spelling words, sight words, and reading.

Life with Kids

4:45 PM - 5:00 PM: I answer my afternoon emails and read a few more blogs. There's never enough time to fit in all my favorites these days! I also submit a sponsored content for review. Meanwhile, the big kids go outside to play and play with the boy bunnies.

Rabbits

5:00 PM: Liam wakes up from his nap and the house is no longer clean.

5:00 PM: I start cooking dinner. Sports and activities are really messing with dinnertime these days! WHY do activities start at 5 and 6 PM?!?

5:15 PM: Grant arrives home from work. He usually doesn't get home until 6, but he left early since it's soccer night.

5:15 PM - 5:50 PM: The most chaotic time of the day! Seriously, I can't even tell you all that happened in this time slot. It's kind of a blur!

5:55 PM: Race out the door for Lexie's soccer practice. We're late as always, and didn't get the chance to eat dinner. It's such an awful time to try to get out the door!

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM: I sit in the car and watch Lexie practice. I also take advantage of the (kind of) kid-free time to get some work done. Lexie's team practices until after dark. I debate running around the perimeter of the field since I didn't get my morning workout in today, but I quickly veto that idea!

Soccer

7:45 PM: Arrive home and eat my re-heated dinner alone. Now this is the life! (HA!) While I eat, I catch up on my DSDN volunteer duties for the day, then read another chapter in my book. I'm desperately trying to finish a book I have been reading for months. It's just very descriptive, and since I only have time to read while I eat, it makes me nauseous!

Real Mom Life

(Is it bedtime yet? For me?)


8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: The stress finally gets to me as I try to accomplish the last few tasks on my to do list. I definitely lose my temper more than once. (Just keeping it real!) I pack 5 lunches (my most dreaded task), clean up from dinner, and sit out Liam and Lily's outfits for the next day.

School Lunches

9:00 PM: It's time for Liam to go to bed! He's not thrilled, but a story with his big brother cheers him up!

Down syndrome awareness

9:00 PM - 9:30 PM: Finish up my to do list, clean the house (AGAIN), and get ready for bed.

9:30 PM: Tuck the kids into bed. Lily has to go to bed, but the two oldest are allowed to read for a bit. Lexie actually reads, but I have no doubt Dylan decided to sneak in a few late night texts to his girlfriend.

Mom Life

9:30 PM: Climb into bed to watch TV. Grant and I decide to start watching This Is Us, and I spend the next 40 minutes crying. We follow it up with a much funnier Parks & Rec! Of course, our time is interrupted quite a bit at the beginning, because Liam decided to get out of bed and leave his room multiple times. It's a fun new phase we're dealing with!

Netflix Stream Team

11:00 PM: Lights out! Although I should be excited to finally get some sleep, my mind just won't shut off. Instead, I'm already thinking about what I DIDN'T finish and what I have to tackle tomorrow. I'm planning on waking up at 5:15 the next day, and I know it's going to take me a while to actually fall asleep. (Just for the record, I did wake up at 5:15 today, and it did take a while!)

There you have it! Just an ordinary day in the life of a busy mom of four kids, with a side of mom blogger juggling! Sometimes I don't think I did enough throughout the day, but it helps to look at this list and see what I actually DID accomplish! One thing is certain: my days are never boring!


Stay tuned for next week's Day in the Life post!

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12 comments:

  1. My days are like yours sometimes...it's always that time when the kids are coming home that is just so hectic! I love Liam's shoes, and the picture of him sleeping, so cute!

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  2. Oy vey! And I thought my days were hectic!! <3

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  3. Okay, you take the cake for the most hectic day in the life post ever! I love these posts, but I just feel like a ran a marathon. Haha. I'm exhausted all the time and I only have TWO kids. I can't imagine what it would be like with four! You truly are Supermom!

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  4. I am exhausted just reading this! HOLY SMOKES! And good for you for being real and sharing the good and bad parts of your day. I'm impressed with all you can juggle.

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  5. As a fellow mom of 4 kids I hear ya!! You definitely get more done than I do, I do know what you are talking about when you turn around and a chunk of time is gone and you have no idea where it is. How do you like that book? I read it too and it was very descriptive and some nights I didn't have the capability to focus on all the specific details.

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  6. Love this post! It made me tired just reading it and made me not so sad about the fact that all of my kids are in school! Ha! Love love how Liam was at the dentist, that is just too sweet! I think I might have to do a post like this, so fun!

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  7. One day I'll write a day in the life of post, but you're right. Every day is so different; what's normal? I completely agree with your frustration of having after-school activities begin at 5 p.m. Quite honestly, it's the after-school activities that eat up most of our time as a family. It's hard to "savor" the memories when the days are so busy, but kudos to you for doing it. You are AMAZING!

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  8. I love the picture of the girls with their rabbits, so cute! Could you please post the un-cropped version, I would really like to see Lily's panties, especially with her legs spread that wide. I bet the crotch of her panties is pulled super tight over her vagina, and that would be an amazing view :)

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  9. Liam is so cute napping.

    I hate packing lunches too. If I'm going to have a really busy work day (I often work 12 hour days, but then have the next day off) I will double pack lunches just so I'm not stressing to pack lunches at 11:00 at night.

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  10. Oh my goodness, the pics of Liam at the dentist and napping are priceless! I know exactly what you mean about wanting to visit other people's blogs more. I'm in that place right now too. Sounds like you are a busy mama!

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  11. I'm exhausted just reading this.

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