May 28, 2009 - A Thursday at the Wilde house

"What does a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) do during the day?" "Doesn't it get boring being home all day?" "How do you keep busy?" These are all questions I asked before I had kids and questions I've been asked countless times since having children. It's always hard to know how to respond because so much of what I do is routine, unremarkable, and hardly worth mentioning (like laundry). Then several months ago I read a blog post that documented a day in the life of a mom. "What a great idea!" I thought to myself... And it has only taken me until now to actually do it. :) And so - without further ado - I present the following to all of those who wonder what a typical day is like for a SAHM. Enjoy.

Thursday - May 28, 2009

6:00 a.m. - Wake up to Justin's first alarm. Remember that I forgot to run the dishes the night before so there won't be any clean sippy cups when the boys get up. Stumble downstairs to start the dishwasher and then return to bed.

6:15 a.m. - Justin's second alarm goes off and he gets in the shower. I lay half-awake thinking about what I need to do today.

6:30 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. - Finally get up, floss, brush, and jump in the shower. Justin and I exchange "good mornings" and because he's running late I say our morning prayer in the shower while he stands just outside the door. He leaves and the sound of the door closing downstairs wakes the boys. They show up in the bathroom as I'm halfway finished with my shower and start playing with whatever they can reach on the counter. Eddie then appears in my view with the toilet brush in hand, sucking on the bristle-end. GROSS - but not the first time it has happened. I jump out of the shower, take the brush, and lock it in the toilet room, leaving a huge puddle in my path. I quickly throw down a towel to soak up the water before the boys start slipping and get back into the shower. I finish up, get out and dry off. I'm halfway dressed before Jack comes in to tell me that Eddie is drinking Jack's mouthwash. I run to the boys' bathroom (which is usually locked) and confiscate the mouthwash. Luckily, I don't think the flouride level is noticeably down from the night before. While I'm in there I load their toothbrushes with toothpaste and then help them brush their teeth. Return to bedroom and finish getting dressed. Make my bed.

7:00 a.m. - Go downstairs with Eddie and feed baby girl who has been waiting very patiently for her breakfast. She's such an angel! While feeding her I get Eddie settled with a small bowl of Cheese-Its. (Hey - he's getting his molars and hasn't been eating lately. I'll take what I can get!) Jack is still upstairs "camping" in the guest room. I let the cat in from the garage.

7:25 a.m. - Jack finally comes downstairs and has dressed himself! I love it when he does this! He chose his Bumblebee Transformer underwear, Eddie's red Hawaiian print shorts (that used to be Jack's, but are now a little too short for my taste), and an oversized Cars t-shirt that I usually use as a pajama top for him. But I keep my mouth shut and tell him I'm proud of him for getting dressed all by himself! I give the boys granola bars and bread (neither like their bread toasted - I'm not being lazy!) for breakfast. Eddie picks out all of the chocolate chunks in his granola bar and crumbles the rest on the kitchen and living room floor. He does eat all of his bread. Jackson eats 3/4 of his granola bar and all of the bread sans crust. He puts the discarded crust into a bowl that is housing his pet of the day - a small beetle he found by the door. Wonderful. Check the forecast - High of 82 degrees with scattered thunderstorms throughout the day.

7:35 a.m. - Jack's beetle is missing. I have to visit the restroom and Eddie decides just as I sit that now is a good time to get naked. Not being in a position to put a diaper on him before he has an accident on the floor I encourage him to come into the bathroom with me and tell him to get in the bathtub. I'm aiming for containment. But he doesn't want to get in without water so I reach over and turn the faucet. Jack hears the water and runs in because he wants to take a bath, too. I'm finished with the bathroom, but both boys are so excited to bathe in the downstairs guest bathtub that I can't say no.

7:45 a.m. - Justin calls to say, "good morning." :) We chat a little before he has to get back to work.

7:50 a.m. - Boys are still in the bathtub making a mess and having fun. I use the time to vacuum the living room.

8:00 - 8:20 a.m. - Time to get the boys out of the tub. I walk in and am overpowered by a familiar scent that I can't place right away. Bubbles have magically appeared in the tub and I think they must have put hand soap from the sink into the bath water. But it doesn't smell right... Then I see what Eddie is holding - the cat shampoo. I had given Bumblebee a bath the night before and forgot to put the shampoo back under the sink. Oh well - if it doesn't hurt a kitten it can't hurt the kids, right? I put a diaper on Eddie and a fresh diaper on Norah - then set Norah on her play mat for some tummy/play time. After some tickling I go upstairs to get Eddie and Norah clothes for the day and start a load of laundry while I'm up there. I quickly fold the load in the dryer and put it away while noticing Bumblebee has taken refuge on Justin's shorts and laugh. He'd love that (insert sarcasm).

8:20 a.m. - Bring clothes downstairs and dress Eddie after chasing him around the house to catch him. Norah is next - I'm thankful she doesn't run yet. :) Isn't she cute?

What a smile to start the day off with!

She's ALMOST rolling over and does this move where she'll roll onto her side and then just stay there like it's just too much effort to go all the way. Still cute. :)

She's almost got it!!! This was her first outfit of the day. It didn't last long.

I sweep the kitchen and dining room and then vacuum the stairs which were somehow covered with Eddie's Cheese-Its while I was folding the laundry. The boys are watching Curious George - the only PBS cartoon they'll watch. I ponder the futility of vacuuming.

8:40 a.m. - Text Julie to see if I'm still watching her son, Josh. Play with Norah and then put her down for a nap. She's fussy so I rock her and marvel at how beautiful she is and how big she's getting. Try to put her down again, but she's clearly unhappy and uncomfortable so I take her back downstairs with me. The boys are playing in the guest room because Curious George is over. I can hear them taking the books off of the bookshelf and decide it's not a battle I want to fight while trying to put Norah to sleep. I hear crying every now and then, but nothing to warrant a visit from mom. I realize I need to change my jeans because I'm wearing my "post-pregnancy" pair and they're too big. I'm showing crack every time I bend down. I regret throwing away my pre-pregnancy jeans (even though they had holes) and regret even more that I'm so cheap that I don't want to buy a new pair that fits.

Norah is sill fussy and it's very unusual. I give her a dose of Mylicon and that seems to help. I change into my second pair of jeans and they're too big, too. I wore them yesterday and they have the "been worn for a day" stretched out feel. I grab a belt and call it good.

9:00 a.m. - I load Norah in her car seat and get the boys downstairs. I give them their vitamins and put my vitamins in my pocket for later since we're running late. I load the boys in the van and a frantic search for their flip-flops ensues. Four pairs between the two of them and I can't find ONE! I finally find a pair of Eddie's in the car and a pair of Jackson's upstairs in the guest room under the mattress (where else would they be, right?). I run downstairs and remember my hair is still un-brushed and slightly damp so I run some Bed-Head hair paste through it hoping I can pull off a "beachy windblown" look. Turn off lights, grab a diet coke, eat Jack's remaining granola bar, and head into garage with the shoes. Notice the cat bowls are empty so I fill the food bowl and take the water bowl back in to fill it. Get into car and announce it's time for morning prayer. (It's the only place I have all of the kids in one place and immobile. I think about 90% of our morning prayers are said this way.) Jack decides he wants me to say the prayer today and I excitedly tell him "sure!" because I want him to learn that saying the prayer is a cool and exciting thing. We drive to Nellie's house where Sprout School is this week. I tweeze my eyebrows and do my minimal make-up while stopped at the red-lights on the way.

9:36 a.m. - Arrive at Nellie's. I have to bring all of the kids in because it's time to feed Norah. Nellie and I discuss our new Etsy shop and other Hucklebaby related items. I burp, change, and load Norah back into her car seat. Jack is super excited because Miss Nellie is teaching them about rainbows today!

10:18 a.m. - Eddie, Norah and I finally leave Nellie's house and head to Michael's to find buttons and ribbon to finish a dress I'm making for Norah. I take my vitamins on the way - chasing them with my Diet Coke. At least I held off until after 10 a.m. before opening it! I find lots of cute ribbon, but no buttons at Michael's. Decide to head to Hobby Lobby to see if I will have better luck there.

10:35 a.m. - Arrive at Hobby Lobby and not only find buttons, but also some cute new fabrics to play around with and a bag of gummy bears for Eddie.

11:11 a.m. - Leave Hobby Lobby and head to Wal-Mart. We pick up juice, juice, and more juice, crackers, and Diet Coke and Diet Root Beer. I resolve to quit drinking Diet Soda some other day. We stop by to say "hi!" to the lobsters and the fish. It reminds me of when Jack used to love doing this. :) I love having Mommy/Eddie time.

12:09 p.m. - Late getting to Nellie's house to pick up Jackson. Norah has been screaming and I don't know why since it's not time for her to eat. I give her a binky and she quiets down, but I know something is not right with her.

12:32 p.m. - Get home and Norah starts crying as we pull into the garage. They boys are both passed out in their car seats which is normal for Eddie, but not for Jack. I carry Norah's car seat in, then carry a sleeping Jackson in and lay him on the couch. He doesn't wake. I bring Eddie in and wake him up because he hasn't eaten lunch yet (Jack had eaten at Nellie's) and I'm determined to make him eat a normal amount of food today. I feed Norah and make Eddie a little pizza on a tortilla for lunch. He eats the cheese and some pepperoni, but brings the tortilla back into the kitchen and tries to put it back in the bag. I get him a much wanted sippy cup of water/juice. Jack is still snoring on the couch and I'm amazed that he's actually napping! He stopped taking naps almost a year ago! Norah finishes eating and I burp and change her diaper and clothes since she's soaked her onesie with spit-up. Meanwhile Eddie tries to give Bumblebee his lunch. I take the food and Eddie then tries to put Bumblebee in the baby swing and otherwise torment him. (Out of love, of course!) I catch Eddie and change his very full diaper and the cat snags a couple of the pepperonis on Eddie's plate. I ask Eddie if he's pooped knowing he hasn't... I just like to hear him say, "No. No Poo!!!"

1:00 p.m. - Put Eddie down for his nap with his Nemo fish and a binky. He loves his naps and I love cuddling with him for a few minutes before leaving.

1:05 p.m. - Norah is fussy so I pick her up and walk around, burping her and trying to make her happy. Finally decide to take her upstairs with me and lay her on my bed while I fold laundry. She watches me and cat naps. I'm happy because she's happy and because the stain came out of my favorite yellow t-shirt.

1:20 p.m. - Norah needs another new onesie because she's spit up all over herself again. I then take her downstairs so I can finish her dress. Jackson is still sleeping and snoring on the couch and I put Norah in her bouncy seat next to me. Meanwhile - Norah poops and I change her. Continue working on making button holes, sewing on buttons, and sewing on the ribbon. Jackson wakes up every now and then and mumbles something incoherent before falling back asleep. Like Father like Son! LOL!

Work station (formerly known as "kitchen table"). In my dream home I'll have a whole room entirely devoted to sewing and other crafts. It will be locked from the outside and I will have the only key. It will also be soundproof. And bulletproof.

My little apprentice. I can't think of anything I'd rather look at while sewing. :)

I'm glad I have photographic evidence of this! Jackson sleeping during the day!!! What did you do to him at preschool, Nellie?! :)

3:01 p.m. - FINISHED!!! I LOVE it! I am thrilled to have made my first dress using an actual pattern. I'm really excited to make another one soon now that I know how to do it. I take pictures to document the occasion and can't wait to try the dress on Norah!

Back view. The pattern originally called for a zipper, but buttons are much cuter!

Front view. The ribbon looks more pink than it actually is.. In real life it matches the coral in the dress perfectly!

3:32 p.m. - Feed Norah. Jack finally wakes up! He immediately goes into the bathroom, lifts the toilet lid, and goes potty. I'm really happy that he managed to hold his pee while he was napping and am hoping this means we can try to see if he can go all night soon! Right now he wears a pull-up at night, but maybe we'll put his vinyl mattress cover to the test tonight? Jack, Norah and I go outside to check on the garden and check the mail.

3:45 p.m. - Am livid! Got a letter from Peak Fitness telling me my request to cancel my account over a month ago has been denied?! I call to talk to "Jennifer", the account specialist, but she's not in until 4:00 p.m. I make Jackson some chocolate milk and then burp and change Norah as she's done eating.

3:50 p.m. - Clean up sewing mess and get wheat berries from outside freezer to thaw. I'm trying a new recipe for dinner. We're having nachos and I'm substituting half of the ground turkey with wheat berries... I got the idea from a book that my friend Julie loaned me called, "I Dare You to Eat It." It's about actually using your food storage in everyday meals. The author just adds cooked wheat berries to everyday recipes and it sounded like a great idea since I have several #10 cans of wheat sitting in our playroom closet. A couple of weeks ago I cooked up a bunch of wheat berries and froze them for future use. I'm nervous and excited to see how it turns out!

4:00 p.m. - Norah needs to be changed so I take her diaper off and she promptly pees all over her playmat and onesie. She hasn't done a surprise soaking like this in a long time and is very happy with her accomplishment. I run her onesie and playmat upstairs to the wash and grab her a new onesie. When I get back downstairs I realize now would be a great time to try on her new dress! It's really cute, but too big - it's more of a 6-12 month size. I take a few pictures and as I'm doing so she ROLLS OVER for the FIRST time! I'm so excited and take way too many pictures to document this momentous event. I then take off her dress and put a clean onesie on her.

The dress is covering her bottom half so it's hard to see, but she's entirely flipped over except for her torso - which she flips eventually. :)

4:15 p.m. - Call Jennifer at Peak and argue for 10 minutes about my contract. I was promised a one-year contract and she said it's for two-years. I tell her to ask the guy I opened the account with - a greasy, long-haired, ex-semi-pro wrestler whose claim to fame was that he used to have kids ask him for his autograph (he told me this several times while I was opening the account). Jennifer informs me that he is no longer working there. Super. I feel so taken advantage of and frustrated that I start crying on the phone. Not my finest moment. I hang up.

4:30 p.m. - I tear the house apart looking for my copy of the contract so I can prove it's one-year only and can't find it. I call Justin, but hate that he's going to say, "I told you so." (He didn't trust the Greasy Wrestler.) But at least he'll trash talk Peak Fitness with me. He doesn't answer. I get Eddie water/juice and turn on PBS. Norah settles down for her nap and I continue cleaning up my mess and get dinner started. While the ground turkey is cooking I clean the downstairs bathroom which was still wet from this morning's bathtub-fun. Jack decides he wants to be a chef with me and pulls up a chair to help me cook. I'm still upset about my contract and am making irrational and (most likely) false assumptions about Greasy Wrestlers and salesmen in general. All I know is that he's lucky I'm not pregnant and hormonal (and that I don't own a firearm or a bow-staff).

5:09 p.m. - I go into our food storage closet and pick up several cans with no labels. Jack and his friend Kate had decided to de-label about 10 cans of corn and green beans a few weeks ago and I have no idea which is which, but I need corn and pick what I think is a winner. I also grab a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles. Finish unloading the dishwasher and loading the dishes from the day.

5:13 p.m. - Take the plunge and add the defrosted wheat berries to the cooked ground turkey. I stir in the tomatoes, a can of drained corn (I guessed right this time!!!), and a package of taco seasoning and stir on low. The mixture looks unappetizing with the wheat berries and I'm too scared to taste it.

5:17 p.m. - Finally work up the courage to try a bite since Jack is watching and I want him to like it. I am astonished! It's fantastic! It's actually BETTER than the original recipe with just ground turkey! I'm so excited at the prospect of using wheat berries in everything that calls for meat and can't wait to make chili with them next. My frugal side imagines how much I am going to save on ground turkey! :)

Close-up of nacho mix using half ground turkey and half wheat berries.

5:20 p.m - Justin calls and I tell him the Peak Fitness story. He's ticked, but doesn't say, "I told you so." Maybe he will get lucky later ;). We try to decide whether to keep my contract or do the 'buy out' option, but don't make a decision yet. I think arson would be a good solution.

5:30 p.m. - Clean kitty litter-box, downstairs toilet, and sweep bathroom.

5:35 p.m. - Go upstairs because Norah is screaming in her crib. She's spit-up everywhere and is acting like she doesn't feel well. I suspect she's still reacting to her immunizations from two days ago and I feel so helpless! I promise not to put her down again and calm her while I get her a clean onesie. She falls asleep in my arms after I change her and I carry her with me to finish my cleaning. I start a new load of laundry containing one cat-shampoo and water soaked bath-mat, two bath towels, and one urine soaked playmat. I throw in the bath-mat from the master bathroom to make a full load. Put away remaining clothes that I folded earlier and pick out a dress to wear to my Auxillary Leadership Training meeting at the Stake Center tonight. It starts at 6:45 and Justin calls and says he just got out of a meeting and will be catching the late bus. He'll be home just before 7:00 p.m. and the Stake Center is 20 minutes away. Awesome.

5:55 p.m. - The boys sit to watch Curious George, I get Eddie a string cheese and then go upstairs to change. I strip Norah's sheet as well since it is covered with spit-up. While I'm changing Jackson comes upstairs and tries on all of my "tall" shoes.

6:04 p.m. - Come downstairs and get a random hug from Eddie. LOVE it! I feed and change Norah while the National Weather Service issues a severe thunderstorm warning. Outside looks ominous with dark, heavy clouds and the thick humidity that precedes a good down-pour.

My snuggle bug. He's almost always laughing and smiling!

6:15 p.m. - Feed the boys and they both love the food! Score!

6:17 p.m. - Thunder begins. I go upstairs and put away all of the shoes Jackson got out of my closet.

6:20 p.m. - Here's the lighting! Eddie and Jack are still eating and have almost eaten their whole plate. I am one happy mom!

6:24 p.m. - The boys are finished and Eddie starts crying because it's the witching hour, PBS is out from the storm, and Jackson won't leave him alone. I put on Toy Story for them. Norah is still eating.

6:27 p.m. - The rain and wind start. I'm still feeding Norah and picking at what is left on the boys' plates.

6:31 p.m. - Get a plate and fork ready for Justin. Get out cheese, sour cream, etc. so he can eat when he gets home.

6:34 p.m. - Julie calls to see if we're carpooling to the meeting. I tell her Justin is running late and to go ahead without me. I also chat with her a minute about the wheat berries and she's thrilled that it worked out. She's been using wheat berries for a while now is already sold on how good they are.

6:40 p.m. - Norah is finally done! I burp her and decide that I need to change my outfit because I'm just not feeling the first outfit I chose. Maybe because it's too dressy for a Thursday night meeting and faux messy-windblown hair. I brush my teeth, fix my hair into a low ponytail, and put on my green skirt and plain black shirt. I put the load of laundry from the washer into the dryer (while still holding Norah) and go downstairs.

6:48 p.m. - Justin calls to say he's finally at the park and ride and will be home shortly. It's raining cats and dogs. I get my YW bag ready to go.

6:51 p.m. - Norah spits up all over me and her. I wipe us both up as best I can. I'm not changing again.

6:55 p.m. - Justin walks in the door. Give him Norah, a quick kiss, and a run down on the boys. Run out the door.

7:20 p.m. - Arrive at Stake Center. Sneak in and sit for meeting. I smell like spit-up.

9:28 p.m. - Finally back in the car to go home! Call Justin to let him know I'm on my way and then call my sister, Jayne, to keep me company on the drive. Among other things we talk about how Hans Solo (Harrison Ford) is much hotter than Luke is in the original Star Wars trilogy.

9:45 p.m. - Home at last! Make a small plate of nachos and eat some rainbow jello that Nellie sent home with us earlier. Both are fantastic. Justin and I talk about our day as he's watching a show on Discovery about maximum security prisons. I don't understand how they can make a whole show about prisons. Check on Norah - she's sleeping peacefully and I'm happy to see that Justin has already changed her into her jammies.

9:55 p.m. - Put away leftovers and load the dishes. Clean off counters and table.

10:08 p.m. - Done cleaning. Go upstairs to change for bed and brush teeth. I bring up my laptop with the intention of typing all of this onto our blog tonight.

10:12 p.m. - Decide to see if I can distract Justin from his prison show. Distraction works like a charm. *Birds chirping and bees humming* (I only write this in the interest of full disclosure of the days events! :)

10:20 p.m. - Bedtime! Justin goes back downstairs to finish his show (Seriously?! LOL!!). I'm too tired to think about trying to write a whole blog post right now so I'll do it tomorrow. The guest room is still a disaster because I didn't get around to putting all of the books or mattress back. The play room is in complete disarray as well. There are Q-tips covering the master bathroom floor because Eddie decided earlier to dump out an entire package of them and I'm too tired to get up and pick them all up. The boys' bathtub is stained with blue mouthwash because Jack apparently decided he wanted to spit it out in the tub instead of the sink. Norah's dirty-laundry basket is overflowing for the second time this week. These are things that will have to wait until tomorrow. It's been a good day. :)

So there it is! That is what I do all day. Granted, the situations and entertainment vary, but each day is always full and I'm so thankful to be able to stay at home with my children - exhausting as it may be at times.

Why I stay home.

The End.