Today, I’m going to give you a glimpse into my real life, without a fancy camera, without staged or touched-up photos, just raw footage of a typical day in our household. If you’ve ever been curious what life is like with three kids, here’s your chance to find out. I’m on maternity leave at the moment, but as you’ll see from this post, I have plenty to keep me busy.
7:30 am- My alarm wakes me up. This is actually a rare event; usually Ayla wakes me up much earlier than this. Tony is supposed to leave for work around 7, but he has slept in too. I flop my arm over to his side of the bed and lazily give him a nudge.
“Honey, it’s 7:30,” I announce, my voice raspy from sleep (or maybe lack of sleep).
He jumps out of bed and somehow manages to get ready and give me a hurried kiss as he runs out the door before I even have a chance to get my coffee.
7:45 am- Ayla wakes up. I pick her up and take her into the boys’ room to wake them up. They get dressed while I put Ayla into her high chair and give her some breakfast. On the menu today for Ayla, we have Cheerios and cut-up banana, with a sippy-cup of water. For me, coffee and Special K with Red Berries. The boys soon join us and grab bowls of cereal too. We like our cereal on weekday mornings. We save the fancy stuff like pancakes and waffles for the weekends, when we have more time.
8:00 am- Time to get myself and Ayla dressed. Ayla is such a squirmy worm whenever I try to change her. I think she’s made it her goal in life to avoid being clothed as much as possible, a trend that I can only hope doesn’t follow her into adolescence. Cole helps pick out her clothes and keep her distracted while I struggle to get her pajamas off, diaper changed, and clothes on as she persistently crawls away. It’s not an easy task, but eventually we get it done.
8:15 am- While the boys are brushing their teeth and getting their bags ready, I quickly throw on some clothes, put in my contacts, then sit down with Ayla to nurse her before we head out the door. It’s not a long nursing session, but enough to hold her over until we get back. I pull my hair back so Ayla can’t grab it, but she grabs the skin on my face instead. Ouch! It reminds me that I really need to clip her nails.
8:30 am- We’re in the van and ready to go to school.
A veil of fog is draped over our town. The air is so thick with it that I can see the tiny droplets suspended in the air and feel the cool mist on my face. We walk from the van to the school playground where the boys play until the bell rings, then rush to their line-ups. I hurry to get to each of them to sneak a quick hug and kiss before their teachers usher them inside.
I always wear Ayla in a carrier when we go to school. I can get it on and off faster than unfolding a stroller, and she stays content much longer when she’s snuggling close to me.
Soon we’re back in the van. I strap a happy Ayla into her car seat and head back home.
Then I notice my cat’s food dish is still full from the day before, and she’s a miserable heap on the floor of our living room. She hasn’t been feeling well for a few days, ever since we gave her cortisone for her asthma. I call the vet and schedule an appointment for 11 am.
9:44 am- I sit down at my desk with a fresh cup of coffee (since I only had time for a few sips of my first cup) and homemade cornbread with jam. Then I start to work. I’m on maternity leave from my job as an insurance underwriter, but I’ve started doing a couple hours of work from home.
10:00 am- I hear Ayla crying. That wasn’t much of a nap, but unfortunately that’s typical for her. It makes it hard to get anything done. I really wanted to get at least a half-hour of work in, so I try to distract her.
I put her in the exersaucer.
Not happening. On to plan B: Baby Einstein and fruit puffs. Ayla is happy and I get another 15 minutes of work done.
10:15 am- I need to unload the dishwasher, so I put Ayla in the Jolly Jumper to keep her out of trouble.
Total freak-out. She just does not want to be confined at all anymore. I pick her up and she’s all smiles again. She has me wrapped around her little finger, I know, but how can you not love that little face?
10:53 am- I have one unhappy cat and one cute baby ready to go to the vet.
It doesn’t go well at the vet. We discover Luna has kidney disease, anemia, and is very dehydrated. The cortisone shot seems to have triggered her to feel unwell, but it didn’t cause these problems. She had been sick a long time and we didn’t realize it. The vet wants to do more tests to find out exactly how sick she is, and also wants to get her hydrated with an IV. Estimated cost: $480.76. Booo.
But I love my cat and want her to get better, so I leave her to stay overnight at the vet’s office.
We get home at around noon. Ayla is rubbing her eyes again, so I breastfeed her and get her down for a nap, hoping it’s a longer one that the last time.
12:35 pm: Lunch. This photo is definitely not as nice as the ones I take with my Rebel, but the food tastes great. It’s leftover tuna melt and yam medallions from last night.
After lunch, I take a shower, post a sad Facebook status about my cat, make a cup of tea, and finally…blog!
2:19 pm- Ayla wakes up. Now that’s more like it! She actually had a good long nap for once.
I nurse her and at 2:40 pm we head out to get the boys from school.
2:49 pm- The bell rings, and Bennett comes out of the school to greet me. We wait for Cole. And wait. And wait. I see some of his classmates are already out, but there’s no sign of Cole. I start to get a little worried when he’s still not out at 3 pm, so we go into the school and I check his locker. His bag and his outdoor shoes are still there, so he must be in the school somewhere.
Finally, he comes down the hall. He tells me he was getting his eyes checked and he needs to pick out glasses. There’s a vision care program with a mobile optical unit parked outside the school where they’ve been testing all the students’ vision and giving them free glasses if they need them. This is perfect timing, because I just found out that he lost his old glasses (he only wears them in class, but somehow still loses them a lot).
We go to the mobile unit and Cole picks out these ones, to match his deep brown eyes.
3:22 pm- We walk back to the van. The boys can’t resist stopping at this tree and climbing it. Every time.
3:54 pm – Everyone is getting hungry, so it’s time for a snack. Ayla has strawberries and a few fruit puffs. The boys and I eat toast and jam. Afterwards, I nurse the baby while the boys run off to play somewhere.
4:49 pm- I put Ayla in a wrap on my back so I can work on dinner. This is one of her favourite places to be. I like it too, because it keeps her out of mischief. Just look at her there, probably thinking up ways to get into trouble.
Tony gets home from work while we’re in the kitchen. He greets us, then disappears to unwind before our meal is ready.
5:30 pm- Dinner is on the table. Tonight I didn’t really have anything specific planned. I just needed to use up vegetables in the fridge, so I made a creamy pesto spaghettini with vegetables and chicken. The Whine Critics give it a thumbs-up.
Creamy Spaghettini with Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, diced
1 head of broccoli crowns, cut up
1 large chicken breast, cut into 1″ cubes
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk
2 heaping tbsp pesto
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 of a 300g pack of whole wheat spaghettini
Directions:
- Heat oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Add chicken and cook until opaque.
- Add red pepper and garlic. Cook until tender.
- Combine milk and flour, then whisk into skillet.
- Bring to a boil, whisking constantly until sauce has thickened.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in pesto and Parmesan cheese.
- Meanwhile, boil the water and cook spaghettini according to package directions.
- Add broccoli to the boiling water and pasta in the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
- Drain the pasta and broccoli, then add them to the skillet. Toss to coat.
Serves 4.
5:56 pm- The boys have Beavers tonight. They put on their uniforms and head out the door with Tony.
While they’re gone, I put the baby into her pajamas. Then I clear off the table and get the dishes done, with “help” from Ayla.
7:10 pm: The boys come in the door after Beavers has ended. They get the pajamas on, brush their teeth, and then we read stories.
Ayla gets right in on the action. She listens as Cole reads his book, and she really loves Bennett’s singing. I took this adorable video of Bennett singing his French songs.
8:00 pm- It’s bedtime for the boys. We tuck them in, give them hugs and kisses, and say goodnight.
8:30 pm- Ayla falls into a blissful milk coma after I breastfeed her. She’s down for the night…or at least until about 3 am.
Once the kids are asleep, Tony and I finally have a little time to ourselves. We make tea and settle into bed to watch a movie together.
So there you have it; this is my crazy but wonderful life right now. I’m trying my best to soak up every moment, because I know it won’t be long before I’m back at work and I’ll be missing these days of being home with them. Kids grow and change so quickly and our routines must adapt along with them, so what is normal for us today may be totally different in the months and years to come. It’ll be interesting to look back at this post and see how much our “typical” day has evolved.
This post is part of the West Coast Parent Bloggers “Day in the Life” post jamboree. Please visit these other great bloggers who are participating. I can’t wait to read about their days!
Comments
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heather painchaud says
LOVE IT!!! And may I say that you look absolutely fabulous running around with those three cuties?! You go momma! TFS! xo
Heather van Mil says
I am in awe! I have my hands full with 2 and lots of help from hubby. Go you!!
FashionDayLee says
A recipe too? You’re just too good! I always have trouble thinking of something on the spot. If I don’t have a meal in mind, it gets put off, and then it gets lazy. Nachos anyone?
Shawna says
What a great post Megan. I love that you and Ayla get so much mommy and me time. She seems like a little sweetie and her big brothers seem to take such good care of her. PS. I want to eat dinner at your house, just saying ????
Kerstin Auer says
Boo for the cat. We never had pets and just recently got a dog and I got insurance for him because I’m dreading the vet bills. But once you have them they are part of the family, right? Sigh.
Your post is awesome, a great glimpse into your life/!
Megan@Food and Whine says
Thanks! LOL! It definitely took some training with the lunches but they’re pretty good at it now! I actually wrote a post about it for YMC: http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/food/eating/20131025/how-to-get-your-kids-to-pack-their-own-lunches
Megan@Food and Whine says
Yeah, it sucks! But you’re right, they’re part of the family. Unfortunately we had to put Luna down the day after this happened so it was pretty rough. We have 2 new kittens now, and we got pet insurance for them this time.
Megan@Food and Whine says
Thanks! Yes, I’m really liking this age gap where both the boys are in school so I have more time with the baby. It almost feels like my first baby all over again.
Megan@Food and Whine says
Lol! Yeah I haven’t been very good at meal planning lately so I end up making stuff up a lot. Ooh nachos, that’s a good idea!
Megan@Food and Whine says
Thanks! It can be pretty chaotic at times for sure, and hubby works long hours, but I’m hanging in there!
Salma Dinani says
Wow, you seem to have a really good handle on balance. I’m definitely in awe of parents with three children. The thought frightens me a bit but you seem to be doing awesome!
Brooke Takhar says
A perfect snapshot of your beautiful family – seriously every one of you is ridiculously good looking. I love that there is so much positivity here – it jumps right off the screen.
Megan@Food and Whine says
Thanks, you’re so sweet!
Megan@Food and Whine says
I was frightened too at first but it’s been really good with three kids so far. The baby’s a handful sometimes (more than her brothers were), but the two older ones are very helpful. Plus, they’re both in school full time, yay!
Megan@Food and Whine says
Haha, oh yes, I used to feel that way too when the boys were younger.