2:00 a.m. – Natalie has a nightmare. I sit up, wait a second for the blackness to disappear (I have orthostatic hypotension and can’t get up too quickly or I pass out.) and then stumble into the nursery. I hold her close for a second, wipe her tears and tuck her back in.
2:10 a.m. – Since I’m up, I use the bathroom.
3:00 a.m. – Insomnia has set in for the night. As a sufferer of adrenal fatigue I do get pretty decent sleep but if someone/thing wakes me up between 1 and 3 a.m. my whole cycle is off and I’m normally wide awake. I bum around online, do some reading on my phone, work on some social media work and try to not wake my husband. I might as well be productive, right?
4:45 a.m. – I am finally getting tired again so I shift and try to get comfortable. I finally nod off.
5:45 a.m. – Husband’s alarm goes off. I normally wake up to his alarm but after having a rough night, I manage to sleep right through it without even realizing.
6:30 a.m. – I wake up in a panic thinking my husband overslept. This is a common occurrence on bad insomnia nights unfortunately. I calm myself down and proceed with the morning. I check e-mail and get back to work, scheduling social media posts for my blogs as well as the NICUPS that I volunteer for.
7:00 a.m. – Lily walks in. It is definitely not time for her to wake up yet. I try my hand at therapeutic limit setting to get her to comply with getting back in bed and it works. I learned this technique at a free seminar her school district offered. (Don’t worry; I’ll be back to blog about it too!)
7:15 a.m. – Lily walks back in. I again give her choices and set the limit and she is quickly back in bed.
7:30 a.m. – I get up for my shower. I dry brush, wet my hair, wash my face and I’m done. I only wash my hair twice a week so today is a quick shower.
7:45 a.m. – I get Lily up and get Natalie and Sophia (they’ve been awake about 20 minutes chatting and laughing in their cribs) out of bed. Natalie cries because I got Sophia out of bed first. Lily picks out their outfits. I change diapers and get them dressed. Sophia refuses to put pants on.
8:00 a.m. – Breakfast time. I make a spinach-based smoothie for all of us to share. Each morning we eat a fresh fruit and a grain (whole grain, low gluten) of some sort. Today we choose zucchini muffins with homemade pumpkin butter on top and cut up honey dew melon.
8:45 a.m. – We clear our dishes to the sink and I start an activity for the girls while I load the dishwasher. Today they look at a Where’s Waldo? book.
9:00 a.m. – I package up some clothes I sold online, clean off my desk, wash diapers from the morning and pick up odds and ends around the house while the kids have free play. They’ve gotten out their large Little People Princess collection and are actually sharing and playing nicely together.
9:30 a.m. – Yoga time. We do group stretches and pretend to be animals. We practice hopping on one foot and then the other and we leap across the living room and practice counting.
9:45 a.m. – I switch laundry. The twins play with blocks while I fold laundry and put it away. Lily is in her room getting dressed.
10:15 a.m. – Home visit from Lily’s preschool teacher. Today we are painting. I get out smocks for the twins and place mats for the table. We talk about mixing colors and using the muscles in our fingers. We read a story that goes along with the activity.
10:45 a.m. – We clean up the paint. Lily’s teacher is very helpful and kind with the twins, helping clean everyone up. We discuss dates for our next visit.
11:00 a.m. – Lunch time. I serve one grain (whole grain, low gluten), one protein, sometimes dairy and 2-3 fruits/vegetables. Today we have a rice cake topped with organic [sugar free] strawberry jam, a handful of cashews and pumpkin seeds, a mix of dried blueberries and cranberries, a clementine, string cheese and apple slices.
11:30 a.m. – We clean up our dishes. I change diapers for Natalie and Sophia. Everyone brushes teeth and we put on shoes. I pack a snack for Lily’s school day (heirloom cherry tomatoes).
11:45 a.m. – Out the door! We leave early for school today so we can play on the playground as the teasing temperatures are letting it feel like spring today. We don’t even need jackets!
12:15 p.m. – School starts. We say goodbye to Lily and head back home.
12:45 p.m. – Naptime for the Natalie and Sophia. I check diapers again. We read a story and I tuck them both in. I grab a small snack of plantain chips. I get out my laptop to get some writing done. Today’s topic is international fraud. I live an exciting secret life.
2:45 p.m. – I finish up my work and put it away. I wake up the girls. I check and change their diapers. I rinse the few from the last two changes and off we go to pick up Lily.
3:30 p.m. – All picked up and the van packed up again. Now we are off to the bank. As a secret shopper, I am assigned to a drive thru transaction this month, thank God! I quickly make our deposit. Lily is excited that she gets a few stickers from the teller.
3:45 p.m. – Back home. Even on cold days, we play outside after school, even if it’s only for 10 minutes. We NEED that sunshine and exercise. Today, though, we stay out awhile.
4:15 p.m. – Hubby arrives back home. We corral the kids back inside where they watch a movie. Strawberry Shortcake is the choice today. I leave for my acupuncture appointment.
5:00 p.m. – Acupuncture starts. Ahhhh, BLISS. Daddy is at home serving spaghetti squash and marinara for dinner. It’s a favorite with the girls, so he shouldn’t have too much trouble. When they are done, he’ll clean up and take them downstairs to play. I’ll still be in acupuncture in BLISS.
6:30 p.m. – I get back home and re-heat the leftovers to eat. I make a salad and toast some rice bread to butter and sprinkle with garlic salt. I guzzle down some water. Acupuncture always makes me so thirsty!
6:45 p.m. – BEDTIME. We direct all 3 girls to clean up the living room and then their bedrooms. We change into jammies, get new diapers, turn on their sound machine, read a story and tuck them in.
7:00 p.m. – Daddy takes care of bedtime with Lily so I hear them going through their steps as I sit on the couch catching up on Facebook and email. He reads a story to her and practices her homework (a very short 3-4 page book with simple sentences to encourage learning to read).
7:30 p.m. – All are in bed. I sit and talk to my husband. We decide to watch some recorded TV, so we watch The Walking Dead followed by How I Met Your Mother. Both were recorded earlier this week. I snack on a handful of dates and a few Hershey’s Kisses while I work on a new lapweaving project. I am still learning. I got the materials after Jeremy’s grandma passed this month. My goal is to sew the squares together to make an afghan.
10:00 p.m. – Time for bed for the grown-ups. I stumble through the hallway after taking out my contacts since Sophia broke my glasses a few days prior. Yes, my vision is really that bad. I make a few plans on my phone before turning on my pink noise app and going to sleep hoping to actually get to sleep through the night.
Our days are full and plenty times chaotic, but we love them. Our hearts have not always been this full, so we don’t take a second for granted.
First time here? Like Mumbling Mommy on Facebook to continue the conversation!
While you are here, you might also enjoy these posts:
It’s Not Me, Really: Living With a ‘High Needs’ Baby
Nothing Easy About Parenting
10 Things I Never Want to Hear Again (But Hear Every Day)
Category: Family Free TimeTags: day in the life
