Saturday 19 October 2013

Day in the Life Autumn 2013

I am joining Navigating the Mothership again for her quarterly Day in the Life post 

I chose this particular day as it had a bit of everything me as a mum, Joss at preschool, me at work. Somewhere in the day I got really angry, Jasper hasn't been sleeping well at night and it just happened to be a day that I DID NOT STOP, stuff needed to get done and the weekend was already packed. I was already feeling discontent with how our days were playing out but seeing it all in print and photos and notes really made me angry. So much so that I almost didn't write the post.  It took me almost a week to process my feelings on the day and when I sat down to write it I found that the notes I had taken on my phone had deleted themselves (I upgraded to iOS7 in between doing DITL and getting around to posting it I blame that) I just about decided to walk away from it for this quarter but as documenting life has become really important to me and I believe in documenting the good with the bad I persevered. Unfortunately loosing my notes means I lost a lot of the timing and some of the little things but on a whole you see our life.

Friday 11th of October 2013
Joss 3 years old
Jasper 5 months old


Jasper wakes to feed he woke at 2.17 am as well, yes I know the exact time.  I try to feed him and get him to go back to sleep


I give up on getting him to go back to sleep and stumble down the stairs put Jasper on the floor under his baby gym and stumble around for a bit I don't just wake up. Decide that I have time to wash my hair. Philip is in the shower, then gets Joss up.  I did try to get her up when I came down but as I don't normally get up at this time and she knows she has to wait for Philip to come get her after his shower she looks on this with suspect like maybe I am trying to tempt her then punish her when she gives in. Philip starts breakfast with Joss and grabs Jasper to entertain him.



While both kids are entertained I quickly pack Joss's lunch, today's request was tuna on toast, strawberries, raisins, digestive biscuit (basically a graham cracker) and not pictured cranberry and raspberry yogurt.



Just before 7am kids are bundled up and thrown in the car to run Philip to the train station we get back around 7.20 and a round of teeth brushing, dressing Joss, and doing her hair (only combed no pony tails today) is completed.


7:45ish Jasper is fussy and needs a nap as he was up so early and I know there is no way I can drag him out till the school run so set Joss up with some programs on Netflix and go upstairs to nurse and settle Jasper.  I come down and inform Joss that we are going to take the "vroom vroom" car to preschool today instead of walking as Jasper needs a nap.  I expect a full blown meltdown but she is so excited to be watching programs on the computer that she just kind of mumbles yeah.  I decide to use the time to finish some banking I need to do for work later in the day and to organize the shopping list




Philip has emailed me a recipe he wants to make so I go through the cupboard to see what we have and what we need.


8.55 Of course Jasper has to be woken to do the school run, something so wrong about waking a napping baby but  needs must


we have started setting the timer for Joss when it is time for her to finish an activity or for things she does not want to do and on a whole it works really well.

This morning was the exception she did NOT want to stop watching programs and I realize that my computer wizz toddler has changed the program to DORA which makes my blood boil as I have managed to avoid this for going on 3 1/2 years (DORA'S voice really really irritates me)

I manage to get Joss settled down and coat on when she melts down because she does not have a ponytail in her hair even though she was very clear earlier in the morning she only wanted it brushed she didn't want it pulled up in and way.  I leave Jasper on the hall way floor bundled up and quickly throw her hair up into a ponytail


9.05 we are all buckled in and manage to get off basically on time

Shortly before 9.15 We arrive at preschool Joss finds her name and adds it to the board

Hangs her coat and puts her back pack away.


9.15 they open the doors to the inner  part of the hall and Joss gives me a kiss and heads in.  During all this Jasper is in his car seat in a corner of the outer hall.  We head straight off to my Weight Watchers meeting in route I realize I have forgotten the pushchair and will need it since I am doing my banking across the road from my meeting.  Luckily I have to pass the house to get to the meeting so quickly pull up and throw the push chair in

Jasper falls asleep on the way and I am early so sit in the car checking e-mails, social media and sending a few txts.

Just after 10am I manage to get Jasper in still asleep in his car seat and get weighed, its a loss but it is coming off SO SLOW this time I am finding it hard with two to be as dedicated as I was after Joss.  I also weigh less to begin so while I want to get back to what I was before I fell pregnant with Jasper I am not as unhappy with my weight like I was before and after Joss. I leave Jasper asleep in his car seat near some of the old ladies who love to love on him and grab myself a hot chocolate from the kitchen. He wakes while I am grabbing it.



Jasper is getting too fidgety to be happy in the car seat or push chair for very long if we are not on the move so I choose a seat on the aisle and lay out a few blankets and toys and he is happy the whole time which means I actually get to listen to the meeting talk.

11.00 meeting is over and I ask the ladies if I can leave Jasper with them for a minute while I swap the car seat out for the pushchair from the car.  Of course they are happy and the love all over him while I am gone.  I do a quick nappy change and get him bundled up and in the pushchair it amazes me how long everything take and by the time we are ready to head out it is 11.15


We pop across the road to do my banking for work then back in the car to head back towards home with a stop off at the grocery store.


12.15 What should have been a 20 minute drive to the grocery store takes 45 due to horrible traffic and Jasper falls asleep.  I know I am really pushing it with how long he has gone between feeds so think I will pop into the cafe in shop and have lunch and feed him then do the grocery shop until I get into the cafe and realize the line is so long and they are so slow it would take longer than just doing the shop and Jasper is in good moods so I chance it. I manage to get the shopping done and him back in the car before he lets me know I have pushed the feeding boat too far luckily it is a two minute drive home.


1.15 throw little man on the bed so I can quickly put some freezer stuff away then head up to feed him.

1.30-1.45 heat myself some soup and let Jasper roll around in the living room with some toys while I have the soup and give into Skippo obsession on my iPhone.  I quickly check Facebook and a work colleague has posted some sad news that I knew was the out come but seeing it in print from her really hits me and I take Jasper upstairs for a cuddle and a cry. I decide to keep busy as I have known this was the outcome for about a week and it has weighed so heavy on my heart that I don't want it to consume me.

1.45-2.30 Jasper helps me sort and put away some clean laundry and then we go through a bag of clothes a dear friend has given me for him and pull out all the clothes that are the right size and I go through his drawers and pull out everything that is too small.

2.30ish we are in the car to pick up Joss from preschool and I go through the routine of checking for projects. This weeks theme has been transport. and today they made oragami boats.


I check the notice board to see what they have been up to for the day, on Friday she does a double session the orange is morning activities and the red afternoon. She comes out at 2.45.


It has been raining all day but of course it was chucking it down when I picked up Joss and I got absolutely soaked getting everyone in and out of the car the glamours post school run in the rain selfie.

3.00-3.45 Joss has snack and we chill out and wind down from preschool Jasper fell asleep while I was waiting for Joss and I managed to get him in asleep in his carseat.

3.45 we head out to pick Philip up from the train station as Friday's he usually works an early, Jasper is still asleep and I manage to get him back in the car.  

Joss is having a serious case of back seat driver and road rage. "Mummy your going the wrong way" (I am going the only way to the station) "MUMMY WHY ARE YOU STOPPED WE NEED TO BE GOING!" I try to explain that we have to wait for the kids to cross the street with the crossing guard. It is not a satisfactory explanation. "MUMMY YOU NEED TO BE GOING!" 



We actually make it to the station a few minutes before Philip's train arrives and Joss notices her lunch box is still in the car and she knows that she didn't finish her lunch and wants it.  I offer to hand her stuff back as I don't want her to have the tuna sandwich in the car but this is not a satisfactory offer to her and Philip arrives to full melt down.  This pretty much last the whole way to home with some more road rage when we have to stop for a red light, Jasper wakes at some point on the drive home.

4.15 we are home and I grab Jasper to feed him, he feeds a bit but is too excited which is unnerving since I need to leave soon for a work meeting.  I get myself ready for the meeting while Philip does dinner for Joss.

5.00 Jasper decides he is ready to eat of course I am already in my dress for the meeting so it leads to an interesting feed.


5.15 ready to head out the door for work meeting, I know I will probably be early but can never tell with traffic.  As I get closer to the venue I stop for a dinner of champions of Quavers (cheese puffs) and a Pepsi Max

6.00-7.45 Work Meeting, little bummed that it is basically rehashing a bunch of stuff we have already done and I am missing out being with hubby but a night off dinner and bed time routine is nice as well.

7.45 head straight off from work meeting to get a friend to sign my naturalization paper work but she has unfortunately forgotten and is out for the evening. I call Philip to ask if he wants anything from the shops an quickly pop in and grab a few bits as well as a pack of vegetable sushi as I am starving and know there won't be any dinner left

8.30 arrive home and Philip is working on the recipe he wants to try so I sit down at the dining room table and chat with him and generally catch up.  I am still really upset about the work colleagues news and generally frustrated with the whole transition back to work with two kids.  Some of it just has to sort itself out and some of it I need to look at and see how we can simplify our lives as I have a tendency to pack to much in till I break and then have a mini melt down

At some point Jasper wakes and I feed him then come back down and Philip and I discuss more how to change routines and schedules as well and chat about Joss and her current laughable moments and how to better deal with morning routine.

I head up and try to move Jasper into the cot but he wakes in the process so I feed him again but then am wide awake so listen to a podcast on my phone and fall asleep to that.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Whew, you did have a very FULL day! I totally understand that overwhelmed feeling. I always have a to-do list looming over my head. And pretty much every room in our house is in disarray. Are you working part time? I've been feeling like I'm sort of ready to go back to work one day a week, but I also cant even imagine how to factor that into our lives right now.
Also, preschooler meltdowns are the WORST. I will say that I noticed since my last couple of DITL that things in that department have seemed to have calmed down. It wasn't long ago that I was experiencing daily double meltdowns. Nowadays, they are much more rare for both of my girls. I think L is outgrowing that stage (yay!!!) and they are less common for AJ since she is just a more chill kid in general...unless age 3 is when she is going to unleash the wrath, haha!
And I totally hear you on waking the baby! I feel like I'm always waking Walker up from naps because we have to go somewhere for the girls. And then I get frustrated that he is a terrible napper....hmmmmm????

Navigating the Mothership said...

You are in the thick of the meltdowns from your older girl while still dealing with jagged sleep from the little guy - it's a very hard time!! But I have found things easier since those harder days - just wanted to say it does get better and easier.

PS - Enjoyed all the British terms - digestives, nappies, push chair :)

Jo said...

Love the timer idea - will definitely have to utilize that one.

Sounds like an exhausting day. Hope things have improved since then!