Someone from my parents church asked me if I did anything other than facebook all day. Which makes me wonder… what DOES one do all day?
I got up at 4 when my husband got up, made sure he had enough soap, knowing he was close to out, he did.
Went and packed him breakfast, lunch, and snacks, kissed him goodbye.
Decided I couldn’t sleep and checked facebook, blogs and email, pondered debt ceiling crisis as there was no CNN update in email. Wrote out message on facebook to 3 local women giving them our address and phone numbers and (hint hinting) that I have a lovely 2 year old that might need emergency babysitting if I go into labor at an odd time.
Got my husband’s extra soap out of the linen closet. Showered and while in there, decided to make this list, tried to figure out how to keep unruly guests out after the baby is born (nicely), particularly since the ones I’m thinking of are in my husband’s partially estranged family. Figured I’d ask the internets for help. Noticed the tub was not draining, mental note to unscrew the drain and dig out hair if I could.
Out of shower, dressed, noted it’s my last pair of shorts (the ones that don’t button) and need to do laundry again.
Try to unscrew the drain. Fail, as it gives me nausea, mental note to go eat something and ask Matt to unscrew the drain.
Gather up all the towels from bathroom, kitchen, other bathroom, cloth napkins from the table, extras from the laundry room, and start washer. Take lint from dryer top and throw it away, start dryer to fluff diapers before stuffing. Clean up laundry room floor of plastic bags from putting meat in freezer, take Keeley’s ‘travel bag’ to the bottom of the stairs, camera to my desk, and see Keeley’s 2 new shirts that are supposed to be pajamas for next year. Consider tossing them in the wash so she can use them now. Reconsider. Take glasses from living room to kitchen.
Back to our bathroom, shut curtain, tidy magazines and other stuff on the counter.
Our room, make bed, start computer to start this list.
Fold load of clothes and put away or distribute to stairs for Keeley’s room.
Tidy my husband’s dresser top, putting dirty clothes in hamper, clean ones in drawers, pick up his shorts from the floor. Take clothes from the dresser and closet, and put them in the bathroom for him for work tomorrow.
Reconsider the pj shirts and take the tags off of them and throw them in the washer.
Back to our room, put box of ‘giveaway’ diapers back in closet, grab laundry baskets and take them and the hamper of dirty clothes to laundry room. Grab sodas and a beer (for Matt) and put them in the fridge- grab a cup of yogurt and back to our room to type the list. Mental note to make orange juice and figure out what’s for dinner. Swing into baby’s room and ponder names, remember that we need to hide them so no one sees them and comments on them later.
Start the list, hear washer sounding funny, go back in just as dryer goes off, take diapers out of dryer, check lint trap and bring them back to the bed. Sit to type list.
Eat yogurt.
Stuff diapers. Take them to bottom of stairs, taking yogurt cup to sink along the way.
Realize I have to pee. Pee. In the bathroom, of course.
Notice the trash can is full. Grab trash cans from our bathroom and the baby’s room (was Keeley’s) general area (it was full of torn, unused or outdated stuff from cleaning the closet in there, take both to kitchen trash and dump them. Redistribute can to baby’s area and wash the bottom of our bathroom one out. Matt cut his hair without lining it with a plastic bag again.
Back to the kitchen. Unload dishwasher and dish drainer, straightening cabinets as I go. Reload dishwasher. Mental note to tell Matt we HAVE to run dishwasher on HEAVY cycle so as to make sure all the stuff in there actually gets clean and I’m not re-running half of it if he turns it on. Side note, must do this gently so as not to piss him off, so he WILL do it again.
Shake out Keeley’s bib, realize her part of the table is sticky, resolve to get cleaner.
Go to get cleaner, realize laundry has stopped, put towels in dryer.
Put our clothes in the washer, add soap, mental note to wait until Keeley wakes up to add hers to the mix to get them ‘all done’ again.
Grab cleaner and broom, grab hamper, take hamper back to our room, pick up her toys from kitchen floor on way back, clean table.
Clean parts of counter I generally cook/serve food from. Move chairs and sweep floor under table, around dining room, and parts of kitchen I tend to cook/make meals at and take cleaners and broom back to laundry room.
Go to make orange juice. Get empty pitcher out of fridge, look at it, rinse and dump concentrate in, start filling with water. Look at lid to pitcher. Realize it’s growing. Curse mentally. Shut off water. Ponder. Call Matt. Decide that if I didn’t see anything growing that it was probably okay. The lid always gets moldy on anything first, right? Shared parental blame, all good.
Check pitcher, see nothing. Get out bleach and a rag, wash lid to juice and then use bleach rag to wipe out the sink. In for a penny, in for a pound, right? Get rid of bleach and bleach rag, wash hands about 3 times until they feel clean, and finish juice. Pour myself a glass of juice, figure it would make me puke first. Drank it. No puke. Poured Keeley a glass, put it on the table along with her place mat. Poured her a bowl of dry cereal, will add milk when she wakes up.
Sit down, look at my feet and realize they are puffy, put them up and start to type out list.
Keeley wakes up.
Grab everything to go upstairs. Put on a huge smile and get down to her level, open her door. She is happy. This is good. Shared big hug and slowly got up. Put her clothes away, books back in the basket, tote bag with the books, made her bed. Gather her clothes and towels from the upstairs, hold her hand coming downstairs. She finds breakfast waiting, another big smile. I put her stuff in the washer, turn it on. Come back and get her to stand up, take overnight diaper off, get her settled back down (with shorts on) and take diaper to laundry room. Come back and wash hands, put milk on cereal, put bib on her and scoot her closer to the table. Grab computer and drink, sit down at table. Start to type out list while making small talk about breakfast.
Hear spoon scratching on table. Look up. Realize milk from cereal is on place mat. Ask her if she wants something to clean it up with. Get up and get it for her. Realize it’s worse than I thought. Somehow it’s under the bowl, place mat, and on the table. Wipe it up and resolve to clean it again before the day is out. Sit back down and continue with list. Realize how much my feet hurt already. Swelling has moved to ankles, not bad, but not good, either. Resolve to turn on tv at earliest opportunity and veg out with my kid until swelling goes down.
Realize it’s only 7:30 a.m. and most people haven’t even gone to work yet.
Regina
Awesome!!! You should have this printed in your purse to whip out and hand to someone next time they ask!! Hope the rest of your day is restful – yet productive!!! Keep growing that baby! THAT’s what you are doing all day! 🙂
Karmyn R
I’m exhausted just reading about what you’ve done while I’m still in bed.
Karmyn R
by the end of your busyness I’m just getting out of bed….and am now so exhausted by reading it all, I think I’ll go back and take a nap.
Sayre
I usually get up around 7 during the summer since I’m up later with the boy in the evening… People sometimes just don’t get how busy someone can be without even seeming to be. I make my job look easy – but I’m the only one in my building who can do it. I’ve been doing it a long time, so I’ve had lots of practice. Your days sound like that. Take it easy when you can… and keep that baby in there as long as possible!
Jennifer
It’s amazing what we do all day while at home!
Sarah at Musings of a SAHM
This is GREAT. Being a mother is a 24/7 job and many people DO NOT realize that.
Deb
This right here is why I work outside the home….My weekends are like this. What you do is an amazing gift to your child and your husband. I hope they appreciate all that you do! Some stay at home moms do nothing though and those women are the reason so many judge and assume you do nothing as well.