Our Typical Day

Warning: This post is way to long and boring for most readers. It is for my own records. I am really bad at updating baby books.

Truth be told, no day around here is typical. People have asked me how having 3 little ones is different then 2. I guess it is what I expected. The biggest change is that there really is no "me time". I am needed from 5:00am to 10:00pm. Parenting sure takes all of the selfishness out of a person.

I love schedules. I love predictability, but I also love last minute plans. Throughout the week I also try to have friends over, attend a playgroup, Bible Study, visit Target, go to parks, and hang out with family. I especially love the occasional date nights with Mark. Below is a typical weekday in the Richard house. I do feed a baby every 2 1/2 hours, but documenting a feeding schedule is much too boring. My little girl has a big appetite!

5:00am-6:00am- Reese wakes up to eat. I unfortunately mumble and groan to myself that it is too early. I then realize I can use this opportunity for time alone to actually think, spend time in prayer, and drink a cup of coffee by myself. The day always goes better when I choose to stay out of bed.

7:00am- Riley wakes up and usually wakes Quinn up. Riley loves breakfast more then any meal of the day. She can eat 3 bowls of Total every morning. By the way, Total is one of the most bland cereals ever made, but I force myself to eat it. The kids watch PBS kids while I occasionally take a shower. Yes, it is a little scary leaving them alone, but I will not get up at 4:00am to get ready. Nothing too dramatic has happened.... yet.

8:00am- Kids get dressed and brush their teeth. I set the timer and make them play alone in different rooms. They are so used to being together that they have a hard time being alone. I love watching them be individuals. Riley usually chooses to have a tea party with her princess dolls and Quinn puts together his train. After alone time, they play together pretty well.

9:00am- Ideally Reese goes down for her nap, but she is not much of a napper. I try to keep the other 2 quiet during the next hour in order for Reese to sleep. She tends to sleep only 30 minutes in the morning. If you know our family, our kids are quite loud. Riley and Quinn have preschool time. The dollar store has some awesome workbooks for this time. Riley works on matching, letters, and numbers. Quinn draws a few lines and is done. Riley loves this time, Quinn not so much. I usually just let him play with toys. Riley recites our weekly Bible verse. She then quotes her verse to Quinn throughout the day. For example, when she wants Quinn to play with her she tells him, "Quinn, the Bible says to be kind to me."

10:00am- Reese wakes up. Riley and Quinn watch Sesame Street. I take a shower if I have not been able to yet. Don't worry, I put Reese in the bathroom with me to keep her safe.

11:00am- 1:00pm- Chaos. Use your imagination to picture these 2 hours. There seems to be an overabundance of screaming, fighting, and crying. I sometimes break a sweat making lunch.

1:00pm- 4:00pm- During these hours I do everything I can to get all of my kids to sleep at the same time for at least an hour. Since Riley and Quinn share a room, I have Riley sleep in our bed and Quinn sleep in their room. Riley usually falls asleep pretty quickly. Our room is boring. For the first hour, I put Quinn in his bed for what seems like a million times. I miss his crib. Reese and Quinn usually finally fall asleep around 2:00. Our house typically has 3 kids sleeping from 2:00- 3:00. During this time, I turn off my phone and refuse to be productive. I do things like close my eyes, eat chocolate, and read blogs. Riley wakes up around 2:30 or 3:00. She then practices using her quiet voice. It is very hard for her, so if it is nice I send her outside. I try to start dinner before the other 2 wake up.

4:00pm- 6:00pm- Ditto to the previous 2 hours of chaos.

6:00pm- 8:00pm- I hold a fussy baby. We eat dinner and spend time with daddy. I attempt to load the dishwasher and clean the house before bed. Riley and Quinn have to help clean. Chores can never start too early. The kids take baths and we read books.

8:00pm- 9:00pm- The older 2 kids go to bed, however Mark and I usually have put them back in their beds every few minutes for the next hour. Have I mentioned I miss Quinn's crib? I hope and pray our consistency some day pays off.

9:00pm- 10:00pm- Reese fights sleep. Sometimes she falls asleep, sometimes she cries the entire hour. Mark and I take turns trying to keep her happy in order to keep the other 2 asleep.

10:00pm- Reese finally falls asleep. Mark and I look at each other and wonder how in the world we made it through the day. I go to bed. I love this time. I am so thankful for the luxury of a nice warm bed at the end of a tiring day. Mark enjoys having some much needed alone time.

There you have it. I am looking forward to reading this in 5 years to see how things change with time.