A Day In The Life...

I thought it would be fun to document a day in our life. I did this so that when my children are gone and the house is empty, I can look back and remember what a typical day in our household was like. Today was just a regular Monday which includes doing laundry and taking care of the boys. We had some pretty entertaining moments today and I'm glad to have them documented. Doing this made me realize that there are so many little moments in every day, and I've probably forgotten a lot of them from the past. But at least I have these to look back at:

Midnight-Lights are finally out. I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow.
2:46am-Owen's crying, demanding food. I'm hardly concious as I drag myself from bed. I bring him back to bed with me and nurse him there; I am too exhausted to make the effort and return him to his crib, he sleeps next to me the rest of the night. I'm sure this goes against all parenting advice and I will pay for it when the time comes and I try to break him of this habit, but I'm too tired to care.
5:14am-Feed Owen again. Half asleep, I wonder what happened to my baby that would sleep at least 5 hours, and occasionally 8, without waking up to eat. I'm sure it's my own fault and that it has something to do with letting him sleep in my bed. But I still don't put him back in his crib.
7:43am-I kiss the hubby goodbye and wrestle with the idea of getting out of bed. I vaguely recall telling him "Love you," before falling back to sleep.
8:18am-Feed Owen again and remind myself that I'm a champion for nursing this long. The longest I'd gone with either of my other 2 kids was around 3 months...but it sure is exhausting. He takes at least 1 bottle throughout the day & also has babyfood, so I'm nursing less than I was, but I long for nights of uninterrupted sleep. But at least this is what I get to wake up to!

8:30am-Ethan is still sleeping.

8:35am-Kamden watches Ice Age while having chocolate milk & a granola bar for breakfast.

I start a load of laundry, straighten up the house, and make a mental list of what I need to accomplish today. While sorting laundry, I discover 2 pairs of Ethan's underwear inside of each other, as if he'd worn them both at the same time. I wonder if he did this on purpose or if he was just in such a hurry to get dressed that he'd forgotten he already had underwear on...the mystery will go unsolved.
I go back upstairs. Ethan is up, though he's not in his room. But his bed is made!
I discover him in my bed telling Owen, "I like you!" in a silly voice and making him smile.

I head back downstairs to get Ethan breakfast and realize that Kamden is wearing Buzz Lightyear pajama bottoms and a Spiderman top.

By 9:30am I am showered, dressed, and have 2 out of 3 kids dressed...not bad for an hour!

Owen plays in his room & reads an Elmo book while I have Kamden sit on the toilet & I do my hair. He sits for a few minutes and tells me he has to pee. He gets my hopes up, but nothing happens. While he is sitting there, he removes his Spiderman pajama shirt, managing to get the sleeve in the toilet water.
He jumps off the toilet and races off to more important things.
9:36am-Kamden returns to the bathroom, buck naked, and hops back on the toilet, saying he has to poop. Not wanting to get my hopes up again, I help him up on the potty and finish my hair. I hear the sounds of sweet success and congratulate Kamden on his accomplishment.
"I did it!" he says. He flushes the toilet but stays where he is.
Twice more, he is successful and, twice more, he flushes the potty. He insists that each...how do I put this eloquently?..."piece" be flushed down seperatly. I have no idea why.
Kamden insists on wearing underwear and he picks out a pair and puts them on by himself...

The undies are on backwards and, after taking a picture of his efforts, Ethan insists I take a picture of their cars on the 'race track' the boys put together.

9:56am-Switch laundry. I call the eye doctor about my appointment last week to let them know the contacts are working just fine & to go ahead and order my prescription. The man who answers the phone has an Indian accent & asks me to spell my last name. I do so, only to have him repeat it "S-T-O-C-K-E-R?" I tell him there's no "C", just a "K" and he repeats the same spelling back to me, including the "C" again. He asks for my phone number so he can find my file and call me back. I hang up thinking of my maiden name, "Van Leuven" and how when I got married I was certain I wouldn't have to spell my last name for people anymore. It always surprises me how many times people stick that "C" in there or add an "S" to the end.
10:08am-Optomotrist's office calls back to let me know my contacts are in stock and I can pick them up anytime. I wonder why they didn't tell me that last Thursday when I was there so that I don't have to drive back over the hill to get them.
10:22am-Ethan finds me on the computer starting this post and tells me he made dinner. I'm sure glad I don't have to cook & can cross that off my list.

10:38am-Owen is sleeping soundly for his morning nap. Did I mention he is snoring? It's possibly one of the cutest noises I've ever heard & I wonder if I'll always be able to remember the sound or if it will get lost in my memory over the years. I need to invest in a video camera.

10:40am-I go upstairs to have Kamden use the potty. I notice he is in different underwear and realize I am too late as Ethan informs me that Kamden peed on the carpet. Before scrubbing the carpet, this is what I find on the bathroom floor:

Their race track (which is actually a 3-hole golf course they got for Christmas 2 years ago) has now evolved into a small village.

10:45am-Check laundry. Load of jeans aren't quite dry. I wonder how old a kid has to be before I teach him to do his own laundry without violating child labor laws? Then I remember that I rarely allow my husband to wash or dry our clothes...too many articles of clothing have fallen victim to bleach stains, shrinking, or other mishaps. I resolve myself to being the sole laundry-doer in the family, but I'm thankful I have 4 folders (Jeff is great at folding laundry!)in the house.
10:48am-Think about getting on treadmill, but tell myself I should fold laundry instead. Then I remind myself about my 2010 resolution to take time for me & not feel guilty about it & also to be healthier. I also remind myself about the 10 pounds of post baby-weight I wish would just drop off without the work & effort but, "No pain, No gain" right? I go get on the treadmill.
11:23am-Half hour on the treadmill:Check.
While on treadmill I tune into 'Live with Regis & Kelly'. Can't remember the last time I watched that show, but Kelly Ripa is so skinny, she could turn sideways & disappear. I wonder if she ever lets herself enjoy a chocolate chip cookie, or if her life revolves around diets & exercise. I couldn't survive in that kind of a world, but I stick it out & add 10 minutes to my treadmill time.
While watching 'Regis & Kelly', they mention their 'Beautiful Baby Contest'. I briefly consider entering Owen because, obviously, he is a beautiful baby. :)
Instead, I go switch the laundry & see what Ethan & Kamden are up to. Still playing upstairs, though Kamden has moved on to the play food. It seems like food is always on that kid's mind! I hope he marries a woman who can cook.
Owen is awake now, I'm not sure how his sock ended up on his shoulder.

11:32am-Pediatrician's office calls to schedule Owen's 6 month check up for later this month. Holy toledo-my baby is almost 6 months old.
11:36am-I multitask by folding laundry & feeding Owen some bananas. Ethan joins us & entertains his baby brother with a game of Peek-A-Boo and they are soon sticking their tongues out at each other & blowing spit at each other. I love my boys!

11:45am-The boys have moved on to playing dragons. The laundry basket full of clean pants is now the 'fire' and Kamden's dragon is apparently stuck in it. Yes-that is a tv out the window. Last week Kamden got behind the tv stand in our room & pushed it off onto the floor, making the screen various shades of blue, green, & yellow. Good thing it didn't fall on anyone.

11:49am-Ethan comes in asking for lunch. He, of course, requests mac & cheese. He places his Bronco hat on Owen's head.

Kamden joins us. He apparently found a pair of clean underwear in the basket of 'fire' laundry and decided to make a change, even though he didn't need to. This time his undies are on backwards & sideways.


Noon-The boys think they are starving. Now Ethan has changed his request & wants Beef Ravioli & Kamden has a can of Spaghetti O's. I once heard a saying "If we are what we eat, then I'm fast, cheap, & easy." Thank you Chef Boyardee, thank you.
The boys are fascinated by the can opener actually making the cans go around. I sneak some carrot sticks onto their plates, ignoring protests from Kamden. Ethan helps me out by telling him "You won't be strong if you don't eat your carrots."
Kamden replies, "I am strong." I'm grateful he doesn't tackle Ethan in an effort to prove it.
Because we all know he could.
I add some ranch for dipping the carrots in, which probably cancels out the nutritional value of the veggies, but it's enough to seal the deal and Kamden grows stronger by eating one of the carrot sticks...but not before I catch him eating the ranch with his spoon. (He hurt his nose last week when he was carrying a basket full of toys while running through the kitchen. He slipped & scraped his nose on the basket. Today he decided to pick the scab & I have yet to clean up the dried blood. He also has a carpet burn across his forehead from playing on the stairs.)

12:04pm-I consider getting myself some lunch, but apparently the bananas weren't enough for Owen so I sit down to nurse. A good thing about breastfeeding is that it forces me to actually sit down with my baby. I think again about how he will be 6 months old in less than 2 weeks.
12:15pm-Head to the kitchen to make my lunch. I notice the boys have each only eaten 1 carrot but they are asking for more pasta. I tell them they each have to eat their remaining carrot.
While chewing their carrots, they both put a hand over their mouths & give me big puppydog eyes, letting me know that if they don't spit it out, they are going to gag. I tell them to keep chewing & finish their vegetables. Kamden tells me to "Go check on Owen," who is in the other room.
Not falling for his attempt to distract me, I stay in the kitchen fixing a sandwich but, when I turn my back, they stealthily spit their carrots into the trash. Moments later, I notice the chewed up remains & ask "Who spit out their carrot?"
They both look at me with guilty but apologetic eyes. I let it go.
Sorry, Super Nanny, but sometimes you have to pick your battles.
12:23pm-I return to folding laundry, eating my lunch, and etertaining Owen all at the same time. I could use more hands, but am thankful for the 2 that I have.
12:29pm-While I fold laundry, Owen has a deep & meaningful conversation with his stuffed puppy. He also attempts to eat puppy's nose.

12:43pm-Discover boys have finished their lunch...but there is spilled milk to clean up. While I am cleaning, Kamden pees in the toilet! His progress might not be very consistent, but at least it's progress.

Then I tell the boys to come take their vitamins (maybe this will make up for them spitting their carrots in the garbage?) I pour about 7 or 8 vitamins into my hand. There are 3 different colors of vitamins. Kamden grabs my hand after I tell the boys to "Pick one" and tries to eat them all. I quickly pull my hand back & tell him again to just pick one. He grabs one, pops it in his mouth, and runs off to play.
Ethan, on the other hand, is much more meticulous about choosing his vitamin. He stands there for a few moments, looks them over, then wants to know which color Kamden had. I tell him I don't know. I don't because Kamden grabbed it so fast that I didn't see. Ethan then asks Kamden what color he has. Kamden has no idea, it's already in his stomach digesting & he could care less what color it was.
Finally, Ethan chooses a vitamin & they resume their playing.
12:51pm-I finally finish my lunch.
1:04pm-
Dishwasher unloaded.
Laundry folded.
Owen napping.
I think about Owen's tiny little socks as I fold them. I know it will seem like the blink of an eye & there won't be anymore teeny tiny socks, little onsies, or '6-9 month' size clothes in our laundry. Soon there will be dirty laundry from 3 teenage boys...and that's when I'll impliment the "do-your-own-laundry" rule! (Future daughers-in-law, you are welcome!)

1:10pm-See what boys are up to. Not sure, but at least they are being creative & putting the videos to good use. I hear Ethan say "Boom, yeah!" and wonder where he learned that. PLEASE click on this picture to enlarge it & notice how Kamden's bum is hanging out of his undies.

1:15pm-While straightening up the TV room, I find a half eaten candy cane stuck to the carpet behind the couch, part of a stale blueberry muffin, a granola bar wrapper, and one of Owen's missing socks with a Mega Block stuffed inside of it.
1:19pm-The boys are now using sandwich baggies for 'rockets' for their cars.

1:58pm-I finish cleaning out the closet in the dining room which has desperatley needed organizing. See Jeff's soda stash? I've challenged him to stop drinking it & get off the juice in 2010. He said he has to poilish off his supply before he can consider attempting that...

While going through my box of wrapping paper, ribbon, gift tags, etc. I realize that I have an insane amount of gift bags. If you ever need one, come see me...I'll hook you up. The boys come racing by like bats-out-of-you-know-where and I call out "What are you doing?" as they hurry up the stairs. "Getting Kamden's story!" Ethan yells over his shoulder. Moments later, I hear them upstairs, then they are hurring by on their way back. What story did they go find? The little orange Bible Ethan got for free at the Cherry Festival. Later, Kamden sits on the couch saying "Book of Mormon" and pretends to read about Jesus.
I got incredibly dirty from cleaning the closet; my pants have black stuff all over them.
I go see what the boys are doing & find them wrapped up in an inflatable SpongeBob Squarepants bed that my sister & niece gave them several weeks ago. We haven't pumped it up yet, but the boys drag it out every now & then. Ethan looks at me & informs me that they are playing "Mom & Dad". A manly way of admitting to playing "House".

2:05pm-I discover all of the movies are stuffed under the couch. When I tell the boys to come clean them up Ethan says, "What? I thought you weren't going to see." I tell him I see everything. Hopefully he remembers that.
While helping them put the videos away, I discover that nearly every one is in the wrong case. Ethan thinks this is hilarious.

2:07pm-Kamden runs out of the room saying he has to go pee. He tells me, "Don't help me. I don't need help."
I change Owen's diaper, thankful he already did his 'business' this morning. After starting solids, he deffinitley holds his own when it comes to creating a stench.
I get the mail & open the power bill. It's gone up $50 from last month. This really sucks. I wonder how to make my house more 'energy efficient'.
2:19pm-The boys snack on Goldfish crackers & fruit snacks while Owen & I hang out nearby. We all watch a video together as I write in the boys' journals. I started keeping a journal for each of them when Ethan was 2 & Kamden was a newborn. I started Owen's when I was still pregnant with him & write down milestones, things they say or do, or events in our lives. It's been fun to be able to go back & read some of the entries & when they get older, I'll give them their journals so they can see what they were like as little boys. Maybe this will inspire them to take me on a vacation or something...who knows? :)

2:57pm-Set up train track for boys upstairs at Ethan's request. Takes me FOREVER to remember how to do it. Owen starts screaming...feeding time again. I find him with his pacifier stuck to his cheek.

3:37pm-Owen is happy in his jumper long enough for me to get some laundry put away & fix the doorknob on the closet. Apparently the boys were hanging their dinosaurs from it & it fell off.

4:02pm-Owen screams in playpen while I clean spit up from my arm, leg, and the living room floor. Gross. I feel exhausted. Especially when I realize Jeff won't be home for another 2 hours.
4:09pm-Just got a text from Jeff saying he has an appointment at 5 so he's going to be an hour late getting home. Oh joy. Owen is still screaming and NOT happy. Neither am I.
4:13pm-The boys start using their plastic bags from their 'rockets' to put the play food in. (Yes, I know that plastic bags are not toys. But they needed them, ok?)

They take the food upstairs to my room where they have made themselves at home on my bed with their blankets. They have a dog, Blues Clues, and a baby, the tiny Mickey Mouse beside Ethan. He informs me they are playing "Mom & Dad" again.

4:57pm-Owen is happy now. So am I. Kamden comes in with an empty brownie mix box, asking for a brownie. I made the brownies on Friday & they are all gone. Kamden is NOT happy.
Ethan asks for some tape so he can make some pennies stay in one of the plastic bags.
5:29pm-I just finished cleaning up pee. Kamden didn't quite make it to the toilet upstairs and when I walked into the bathroom I smelled the urine right before I stepped in it. The empty brownie box was lying in a puddle, next to Kamden's undies. He now had his 4th pair on and finally managed to get them on the right way. For some reason there is toilet paper in the toilet, though he obviously didn't need it. I wonder if he tried to clean the pee up by himself? I discard the brownie mix box, 409 the bathroom floor, and put Kamden in a diaper. Not quite there yet, but he's getting closer.
5:38pm-I add some pictures to this post. It's a long post. I wonder if people will think I am lame for photographing my entire day. I realize I don't care if people think I am lame. I have a picture of Kamden's bum hanging out of his sideways underwear. And one of Owen with his pacifier suctioned to the side of his face. Not much can top that. I am posting the pictures again because I think they are so awesome.


5:43pm-I think about starting dinner. Jeff is still over an hour away from coming home. Owen is taking another nap & I know it won't last long, so I go start dinner since I have the chance.
While making dinner, the boys bring the play food downstairs & begin getting it ready. They insist they need the hot pads from the kitchen & carry the potato, fried chicken, & other items while saying "Hot! Hot!"

6:02pm-Owen is awake. Told you the nap wouldn't last long. But I made some progress on dinner, so that's good.
The 3 boys & I head upstairs to get some of their mess picked up, then I leave them to finish while I go work on dinner. I put Owen in his high chair & feed him bites of squash in between slicing tomatoes.
6:28pm-Kamden comes downstairs & I realize he is trying to hand Owen pennies. I put a stop to that & Kamden disappears into the closet in the dining room. I hope my work from earlier at getting it organized isn't going to be destroyed, but I'm preoccupied by Owen crying & the kitchen timer going off.
6:39pm-I look in the dining room closet to see what Kamden is up to and all I find is this:

Noticing the bathroom light is on & the door is closed, I open it to find this:

After taking care of the situation, I return to Owen & the boys race upstairs.
6:50pm-Ethan is back telling me that Kamden wiped poop on Ethan's bed. I follow him to their room where he shows me the evidence. Disgusting. After his blanket is sprayed & ready to go in the wash (didn't I just spend all day doing laundry?) Kamden is in his pajamas & sitting on the stairs in time out.
The french fries for dinner were in the oven & the timer went off while I was upstairs. They are now burnt almost beyond recognition. I want to curse.
Instead I dump them in the trash & start over.
Ethan & Kamden start racing and Ethan asks "Mom, do you like me better because I go faster?"
I tell him, "No, I like you the same."
I get the boys' plates ready for dinner. When I turn my back, Kamden takes a bite of his BLT & dumps it in the garbage. I wonder why I bother. But I make him eat it anyway, because it landed on the burnt french fries & I'm not going to let him get away with that. I wonder what Super Nanny would say about me making my kid eat out of the garbage?
7:07pm-The Hero returns. He wonders why I am taking his picture. I tell him it's so I can remember him.

We sit down to dinner & he asks me how my day was. I tell him to read the blog.
There is a brief argument between Ethan & Kamden over who is going to say the prayer.
7:30pm-Dinner is over & cleaned up. I pick Owen up from his high chair to discover he is soaked...but not just in pee. His blue onsie is turning green. I take him upstairs and find myself up to my elbows in poo. I swear, if I have to clean up poop again today...
I give him a bath, then hand him over to Jeff who gets him in some pajamas while I rinse out his clothes, 409 the high chair & sink where I bathed him, and change my shirt. Yes, it was that messy. I even considered taking a picture, but decided to spare you. And I didn't want poo on my camera.
8:00pm-We read a short story from the 'Friend' for FHE, then play a few rounds of duck, duck, goose.



Then Jeff helps the boys brush their teeth & tucks them into bed while I feed Owen.
8:30pm-I add the final pictures to this post & hit 'Publish'. It's been a L-O-N-G day & I'm going to go relax!

8:41pm-I edit this post. I must have offended someone somewhere in the Cosmos because Ethan was upstairs yelling for his Dad. I went up to discover that Kamden had POOPED IN HIS BED. That's right. It's unbelievable, isn't it? I'm still wondering why today, of all days, did I choose to document our life. Seriously. He.Pooped.In.His.Bed. Actually, after viewing the scene, I think what happened is this: He pooped in his diaper. Then, he took his diaper off. Sat down on his sheets & slid off the bed. Thus, smearing poo on his sheets. I found his dirty diaper on the floor near his bed. I found him in the bathroom. I feel bad for the poor boy, trying to clean himself up. But I feel even worse for me. I've seen so much poo today. I think I'm just going to go to bed and call it a day.