I kind of had this idea on a whim today as I was driving all over the city today. I often get the, “how do you work from home and be a mom?” So today I decided to be raw and honest on what a typical day looks like in my life. (I also have to preface this on now 2 of my kids are in full day school and one in preschool 2 days a week. Back when they were 4, 2 and newborn, I really can not remember how those days looked, and quite frankly, I don’t want to because they were too hard!)
7:00 am I am woken by the sound of my kids alarm clock and find Ben at my side who has crept in bed with us at some point in the night. It had to have been after 3 am because that is when Lydia, my 7 year old, woke me up because the CO2 alarm was beeping from low batteries. I changed it, as I can remember, and crawled back in bed.) I also find Elise, my 5 year old staring me in the face saying ” Mom, it is time to wake up!
7-8am brings dressing kids, Elise changing socks 3 times, Ben deciding the outfit he picked out last night stinks, deciding he has to wear his angry birds shirt (again), and me on the wild hunt to find it. Eating a scurried breakfast of cereal, packing lunches, and looking for a lost library book follow.
8:00 Kevin leaves with the girls, I get a bowl of cereal, make a cup of coffee
8:15 I leave to drop Ben off at preschool
8:30 return home, post blog to facebook, quickly scan e-mails, and vow to myself that I will not look at e-mails until I have finished my 500 photos of editing.
8:40 Start editing photos from a September wedding (at this point they have gone through 2 scans of editing and this is the final phase that the client will see)
9:00 Pandora comes on
10:40 finish up editing and hit a quick shower and get ready before picking up Ben
11:00 Pick up Ben
11:15 Stop at McDonald’s ( a treat for our family) and head off to scout out locations for my wedding on Saturday.
11:45 Arrrive at first destination, look around, stop to let Ben pee, and look in every window of the church, talk to a nice gentleman, debate over playing at the playground (he looses) and get back in the car.
12:10 arrive at destination #2 and pit stop 2. Find a restroom for Ben, and we are back in the car.
12:30 Destination #3 the reception site. I decide not to go in because I have a 3 year old in tow. Thankfully I have shot at this location a few times before and know the interior, but look around the exterior for shaded spots, etc. As we are looking, we happen upon a trolley station (which in Ben’s mind is equated to Thomas the Train) and spend the next 30 mins looking at the tracks, etc and me trying to explain what each does while he keeps asking if there is a train coming on the track. No, I have told him for the 4th time, but he still thinks there could be one.
1:00 Back in the car to look for alternate spots, we come across a playgound (he wins this time) and we spend 15 mins throwing leavs in the wind, going on the teeter totter and playing chase and I think, wow I am blessed to be working and playing with my kid at the same time.
1:30 Back in the car to head to school to pick up the girls
2:15 arrive at school. Exchange phone numbers with a mom of a classmate of Elise, get told 3 stories at once from all 3 kids, discuss fall parties with a teacher and head back in the car to go home.
3:00 arrive home separate kids to have free play, ask about homework, take out lunches and homework from bags, break up a shouting match, and start thinking of dinner
4:00 make cookies with Elise while cutting veggies, cooking chicken and noodles for dinner.
5:30 Dinner is served, cookies for dessert. A chat about cleaning up the neglected basement and plans for tomorrow.
7:15 Basement cleaned and movie as a reward (no school tomorrow!), one load of laundry folded another put in, kitchen cleaned and a phone call made.
8:45 Kevin arrives home from work and youth group, while I am a chapter in to Elise’s new library book.
9:15 Kids asleep, I am on edit process #2 of the day, submit a wedding to an editor, and talk over the loft to Kevin about his day.
10:30 Here I sit writing this blog post, only to get up and do it again tomorrow!
They are busy days, but I think of them a as huge blessing. Getting to do the two things I love doing; being a mom and a photographer.