Keeping it real on a typical day

I get the “how do you do it working so much and having three kids” comment. All the time. And really, sometimes I have no idea how I push through each day. Especially during non-sleeping nights. I….I just do. BUT it is not without frustration, annoyance, guilt, tears and even spats. I am human. I have flaws and they show. Just don’t tell my husband, ahem.  Because, I am perfect when it comes to him ;)

A typical day for me starts around 530 am with an alarm. 3 to be exact. One is mine. The other 2 are husbands because the man likes to sleep. I take the puppy out. Get all the things together for the day. Coffee, yummy coffee. Or tea, if I am in the mood for that. Or sick, cause really, who does not like tea when they feel like poo?! Potty and throw in a load of laundry. Dog comes in.  10 year old out of bed. Breakfast. Babies up and fed. And then I log onto work. Or if it is a daycare day then I take the little 2 to school and then log on. Glamorous, I know!

While I am working, Dom finishes getting ready for school. The babies have a sitter or are in daycare. I worky work work work. On my first break, I change out the laundry. Let the pup out. Grab a snack. And bam, working again in the blink of an eye. Lunch time consists of me getting lunch, changing out the laundry and getting a shower. Most days I have a bit of time to check in on the internets too ;) while the pup is outside doing her business. Then it is back to work for the afternoon. Last up is my 2^nd break which I again change out laundry. Take the dog out. Back to work till dinner time! (sometimes I change out a diaper or two, play with the babies or even put them down for a nap)

Then it is the rush to make dinner. By this time, the kids are all whiney. They are tired and hungry. They want held.  The gate is usually being shaken repeatedly. Gary wrangles the kids while I cook. Sometimes, Gary cooks while I deal with the cranksters. All depends on the day, the meal and our moods. We eat dinner as a family. Then Gary and I split the cleaning up of dinner and kids. And we try to get everything ready for the next day. Make lunches, set up the coffee, bottles washed, dish washer ran. (but hey we have 3 kids who need us so sometimes this is not all done)

Dominic always has homework. The kids get bathed. There is play time with the kids and the puppy. Stories and TV go on with some relaxing in there. Then if it is a good night, Charlie is in bed by 8 and Logan by 8:30. Dom is in bed at 8:30 with lights out around 9ish.

Then Gary and I have to clean up the messy living room. Sometimes there is folding of laundry. And I will be totally honest that it ONLY gets put away on the weekends. HA!  And then there are nights where we only get what is necessary for the am done and then go relax and watch a TV show or two! I am usually asleep by 11:30 so that I can get up in 6 hours and repeat. Who needs 8 hours of sleep? Ha not me. YEAH RIGHT. I would kill for 8 hours of straight sleep. Has been so long that I cannot even remember what that feels like!

So my day is pretty packed full. I am tired every night. Insomnia in this house is rare.  

So when people ask me how I do it all, I just tell them that I do what I have to do to get by. I wish I could be a stay at home Mom so that things would not be so stressful and I wouldn’t be pulled in 6 different directions at all time.  But hey, I have an unused college education to repay. So the time for me to stay home is not now and I am *mostly* okay with that. I just remind myself that I know I would get bored once the kids were a bit older and more self-sufficient.  I just keep telling myself that they are only this small for a short period of time. Someday I will miss the mess, stress and funny that they are so I need to suck it up. (in more ways than one) I keep on swimming each day. Treading water to keep my head above the sea of work.