I often think at the end of the day.
"Why am I so tired?"
"If I kept a list of what we did today I would know why I'm exhausted!"
"Maybe if I shared this list with someone, say my husband, I would receive more sympathy."
I have read two blog posts recently that were lists of sorts. One made my sides hurt from laughter, the other giggle at the pure truth of life.
So I'm making a list. One to make me laugh and to remember activities of daily life that exhaust our bodies and enrich our souls.
A typical winter Tuesday at home with my 41/2 and 3 year old boys:
7am: awake to a little voice saying, "Mama, it's morning! Can I have my breast milk?". 5 minutes of quiet in bed.
7:05: "OK Mama, let's get up. You go first, I go last!" I say, "shh, big brother is still sleeping"
7:10 We begin a little dance. We try to keep the early bird brother (with his booming morning voice) somewhat quiet, so that big brother (who likes to sleep in and wake up slowly) has a little extra time to wake up ( hopefully on the right side of the bed). This is somewhat crucial. Waking to brothers booming voice too early can mean a day of torture for all of us.
7:15: Fill sink with water (big brother had a difficult time falling asleep the night before). Let little brother play in sink for 30-40 minutes. The water may or may not be running this whole time depending on how important quiet is and how important I feel water conservation is compared to my sanity. I make coffee and try to drink it before it gets cold.
8:00: Eldest awakes. He finds us in kitchen and melts into my arms. I give him a long cuddle and several kisses until he is ready to play with brother.
8:15. I have breakfast prepared, (quick oats with chia, coconut oil, and maple syrup) and I get to drink my second cup of coffee hot with food while both boys sit like gentlemen and eat their breakfast. I smile.
8:30- 9am: Feed Chickens. I no longer close the chicken door at night unless it is really cold. The run is fox proofed and the poor girls would more than likely be stuck inside much later than they prefer. I trust boys to play in basement while I give chickens new water, grain, and food scraps. I come inside to some new discovery. Today big brother was on trapeze by himself and little brother watering the plants with a little trail if water drops from sink to plants. No harm done.
9:30: I pick out clothes to put on. Both boys use potty. Eldest likes to take his time and be independent. This means after doing his business I will find one of the following: remnants of my eye shadow in sink. Earrings perused. Or a washcloth or towel used to clean his backside.
9:45 All dressed with teeth brushed, beds made, boys both happily playing in the living room. I think I might be able to put my makeup on and brush teeth by myself. I pick up my toothbrush and suspect unusual activity. Search for new toothbrush. Can't find one. Get peroxide and run hot water to clean toothbrush before cleaning my mouth. By the time I finish brushing my teeth I have two helpers to apply makeup. They would both like to have eyeliner and eyeshadow applied to them. I somehow remember to put some on myself.
10am: Time to play outside. Boys would rather play :"Mama's the bad witch" and hide from her by pulling all the blankets out of their bedrooms (the beds we made 30 minutes ago) to hide from the bad witch. I could now decide to be the bad witch who gets really mean because the blankets are all over the living room. Instead, I ask for a spell to please turn mommy into a good witch. They do, and the good witch says, "we can clean up the blankets later, let's put our snow pants on and play in the snow."
10:15 Snow Clothes are on eldest. He goes out to ice mountain. (Ice mountain is literally that. We have shoveled the driveway snow into a mound at the front of the house. Both for fun and to preserve the snow on warm days. It really is no fun whatsoever to have a cold day and no snow to play in.)
10:25 Snow clothes on youngest. He goes out to play on ice mountain. I start to put snow pants on. Then go check if more coffee. Coffee is cold. I go outside.
10:40 We move to back yard. Collect 3 eggs, put inside basement door before they freeze. Boys play on fort and slide. I continue to snip apple buds from branches we pruned a couple weeks ago. I put branches in a bucket of water in basement. Little brother has had at least one fall, face down, in the slippery snow. I wonder if the neighbors hear him wailing. I pick him up and lift him into the apple tree. He pretends it is a plane and he is going Michigama. Big brother thinks this looks pretty fun. Leaves fort to climb into tree too. He has his own idea of where they are going. Pretty soon a dispute erupts. I remove both from tree.
11:00 We go back to ice mountain to play. I sneak inside to figure out what I will feed us for lunch. Nothing I can easily warm up. I pull out the pannini press and plug it in to warm up. And gather supplies of turkey, cheese, bread, mayo. Some apples from fridge. Go check on boys.
11:20 Little brother ready to come inside. We hang wet clothes on hook over heater. Big brother upset that he is alone outside but not ready to come in.
11:25 Little brother starts to wash hands in bathroom sink. Sink starts to fill up and he comments, "What is that gunky stuff mama". I'm not sure and don't really want to deal with it, but I go to the basement and get my very cool sink snake tool.
11:35 Big brother comes in. He senses through the door a tool and a project. I explain that they can watch but they need to stay back because yucky stuff is going to come out. As I pull black goo and hair from my bathroom sink and wipe it on a paper towel, their faces show wonder and disgust. I say, " This is why I ask you to only run your toothbrush under clean water" . They understand. After a very engaged decluttering of the pipe, I must clean the sink. I clean the sink with all three cleaners and sprays I have. Boys are still speechless over goo. I returned my really cool tool to the basement with my little guys trailing behind.
12:00. We don't really want to eat, still thinking of goo. Eldest says, " Was that really what happens to soap and toothpaste?". The pannini press has been on for awhile. I am glad I choose pannini. Had I warmed something on stove, it would probably be burnt or boiled over....
12:15 We eat panini and apple slices. Boys are so hungry they sit like gentleman at their little table devouring their food and talking of birds, fortunately not of sink goo. I smile.
12:30 Boys take plates to sink and off to play in living room with little cars. I load dishwasher and turn on the kettle for a cup of strong black tea.
12:35 I turn off kettle realizing I will not be able to enjoy a cup of tea while hot. I help both boys in the bathroom. ..... Warm washcloths to face.....
1:10 We cuddle on couch with a blanket and books.
1:20 My eyes are heavy, little brother is resting his head on my shoulder, big brother is wide wake and wants more of the story. I want only to close my eyes, but I read.
1:45 If I can't close my eyes I must have a cup if tea. I tell boys they may have one 1/2 hr show of Mr Rogers. They shout Hooray! There is some discussion of which device we might watch this on. They all work at varying abilities. If I want a full 1/2 hour episode the laptop is in order. I turn it on and wait, boys clamber into my lap. I wiggle free still watching computer boot ( is that even still a term? Has technology transcended so much that we no longer boot up?) Anyway, I turn on the kettle. Computer finally ready. I put in the secret webpage to Mr Rogers on PBS. It is secret because I can only find it if I go into history... We pick out an episode on Celebrations and the boys relax into the chair to watch Mr. Rogers talk, engage, pretend.
1:55 I sit to drink my strong black tea, alone at the kitchen table.
2:00 After a good attempt I grab my IPAD and "check in". Weather, email, etsy, leaving FB for last.
2:25 "Mama it is finished!, Can we have another?" I have no activity to transition too. I was just reading about making my own deodorant on FB. I'm tempted to turn another on. I tell myself we did have a good long playtime outside. But I choose to swim up river. I turn off the computer to tears. I take out the crayons and paper. I suggest we finish birthday Thank you notes. No followers. I mention we can use scissors and stamps. Little brother takes the bait. Big brother is still upset and begging for more computer time. I ask myself why I turned it on and remember that cup of tea. I turn on the kettle. Big brother finally joins little brother. There are no Thank you cards being created, just a lot of small cutting. I'm OK with that.
2:45: I make a pot of tea for the boys. (Chamomile, honey, cinnamon, milk) I cut a slice of birthday cake for each of us and a scoop of mixed fruit. I eat mine too quickly with no tea, and stand up to get dinner in order while they are still eating. I measure and rinse rice. Then I put on stove ready to start later. I check veggies and left over pulled pork, then put them in part of fridge where I won't forget. I take out leftover dough from fridge for an activity later.
3:10: We clean dishes, pick up paper from floor, and sweep kitchen floor. Dustpan is full and I just swept floor yesterday. While I finish floor, boys have taken out many toys in living room.
3:20: "Time to potty and put on snow gear". I am somewhat ignored. Big brother is building blocks. Little brother is playing cars. Both contentedly. I look at the clock, too late for tea. I pick up a cookbook and sit down for a moment to contemplate my stir fry sauce.
4:00: We manage to put most of toys away, use potty, and dress for cold.
4:15 Play outside: We take food scraps to chickens, collect 1egg, play in fort, climb trees, get mail, talk to our neighbor as she walks her dog. At some point I sneak inside to turn on rice. Boys are on top of ice mountain when Papa pulls in.
5:30: Husband home. We transition inside to wash hands and make dinner. Boys play in living room with Papa, while I cut veggies, warm pork, and make a sauce.
6:00 Eat dinner. We did not have a late snack so everyone comes straight to table, we say a quick blessing and it is quiet for a few moments.....
6:30 After dinner boys bring dishes to sink and go play. I load dishwasher, go check chickens and give them a bit of leftovers, then take a shower by myself.
7:30 Bath time. Eldest takes shower with Papa. Little brother gets teeth and face washed, PJs on. I read a story in rocking chair. He has some breast milk and goes to sleep quickly.
8:00 Big brother is clean, dressed and teeth brushed. We light candle in his room, read three stories, turn off the big light and I cuddle in. We review the day, I share something kind he did today, then he rolls over and drifts into sleep. I close my eyes and drift into sleep as well.
12:30. I awake, brush my teeth and go to my bed.
1:30 I awake to little brothers voice, "Mama, where are you?", I lay down with little brother.
3:30 Big brother crawls in with us and quickly falls back to sleep.
4:30 I awake and count on my fingers for how long I have slept. Seems sufficient, I awake to a new day..... Or maybe I sleep.
I may have left out a few things. It took two weeks to write this and that Tuesday now seems vague in my memory.
