Not Back-to-School Hop: Day-in-the-Life Week

The Not Back to School Blog Hop topic for this week is A Day in the Life. So yesterday I kept track of what we did all day. It was pretty typical day at home, with no outside activities planned.

7:50 I get up, My alarm was set for 7:00, but I kept hitting the sleep button this morning. I read my Bible and eat a breakfast of leftover omelet and homemade bread toast. Exercised with a 15 min. abs workout video.

8:30 Lucy and daddy get up and have breakfast together (it's one of daddy's work at home days) while I walk 1.5 miles on the treadmill. Lucy empties the dishwasher. She forgets to clear her dishes from the table, so she owes me $.25. I'm charging her each time she forgets this chore, since it's been a chore for years and she can never seem to remember it! After paying me, she counts the money she has left in her bank. She's saving up to buy a hamster. I owe her $3 of allowance money, so I give her a 10 dollar bill and she has to make change (math!).

9:30 Lucy wants to practice her babysitting skills on Matthew (she's only 8 1/2 years old, but she's dying to be old enough to babysit). I tell her I'll pay her $.60/hour, or $.1 a minute (more math!). They play quietly in the playroom while I dye the roots of my hair and shower and clean up the breakfast dishes.

Lucy and Matthew are still playing quietly (miracle of miracles!), so I do some internet research on freezing chili peppers and tomatoes. I have to do something with my harvest soon.

10:45 Matthew wants me now. He's pooped his diaper and it's a huge mess, so he has to take a bath. He's really getting too big for diapers, but has been very resistant to potty training so far. I send Lucy up to get dressed and do her hair. While she's been playing with Matthew in the schoolroom/playroom she's made an airplane out of a paper towel tube and construction paper, from a craft book I picked up at a used book sale (art!).

11:00 Lucy does some grammar and math while I keep Matthew busy and answer her questions. Matthew does: markers, cutting, gluing, and then a computer game that's too hard for him, so he needs a lot of help with it. I manage to give Lucy her spelling pre-test.

11:30 Everyone is getting hungry, so I head to the kitchen to make Annie's Mac & Cheese. Matthew snacks a bit, then heads back to the computer. Lucy's involved in some pretend play while the mac & cheese cooks. I check my email and respond to a fellow poet who had a question about a poem I sent to her yesterday.

11:45 At lunchtime I read aloud from The Golden Children's Bible, The Story Book of Science, and The Book of Virtues while the kids eat. Then they play while I eat lunch.

1:00 For daddy's lunch break we all head outside. I push Matthew in the stroller and Lucy and Daddy ride bikes. It's a beautiful day, one of the hotter days in this unusually cool summer. Matthew finds some acorns for his nature collection.

2:00 Matthew watches a short video about using the potty while I go through the mail and finish up the lunch dishes. Then he wants to read a toy catalog before his rest time. Then I put him in his room for his rest. His rest involves making a big huge mess with toys in his room, and listening to stories on CD. At rest time Lucy finishes up her schoolwork that she can do independently, while I have some time to write poetry. I'm working on writing my second book of poetry, while shopping my first book around to publishers.

4:00 After rest time Matthew watches another short video (Kipper) and has a snack while I go over Lucy's work from the afternoon, and then make dinner. Dinner is easy tonight: pasta with bottled sauce and mozzarella cheese, garlic bread, and ice cream for dessert.

6:30 After dinner daddy takes the kids to play outside while I clean up the dishes and around the house, and change my clothes. At 7:30 I head out to an open mic, where I read some of my poetry to an audience of about 25-30, and hang out with some friends.

12:00 I get home past my bedtime, but I'm starving so I have a quick snack and then head to bed.

It's been a nice, relaxing day, and the evening out was a nice break. Lucy got quite a bit of schoolwork accomplished, though I didn't get to some of the things we do together, including history. I'll add it to the list for tomorrow.