A Day in the Life or, "How I do more by 9 a.m...."
"Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head..."
1:35 a.m. Wake up, slide out of bed, come to the computer.
4:05 a.m. Gideon stirs. Stand at foot of bed willing him to go back to sleep since I have been productive and want to keep up the momentum. Gideon wakes. I whisper hello to him, and he looks up at me and smiles the most amazing grin. What a doll. I am awash in feelings of love. I smile back, silently forgive him for waking. Crawl back into bed, pull him up into my arms and nurse him back to sleep.
Stay awake for a couple of hours quietly watching the news and hoping he will roll off of me or fall asleep so deeply that I can sneak out from under him and return to the computer. Don't want to waste insomnia on something as unproductive as watching TV.
6:30 a.m. Grow drowsy and fall asleep.
8:00 a.m. Gideon wakes. I snuggle him close and try to nurse him back to sleep but he doesn't go for it. Still very tired and groggy from my short morning nap, I call Clara, who is already awake, to sit on the bed and make sure he doesn't fall off the very tall bed onto the tile floor since I'm still half asleep and my reflexes are not so sharp. Clara plays with Gideon for a few minutes while I wake up.
8:05 a.m. Get out of bed.
8:10 a.m. Come to the computer, check email, poke around. Write daily homeschool schedule. Clara takes Gideon outside. Find or create and print out a Sudoku puzzle, the word of the day, a fractions worksheet, a map of the northeast region of the U.S., spelling words, Spark Notes on Cannery Row chapters 1 - 4, a grammar worksheet, and a short lesson on the importance of correct spelling. Make a few notations, add a few more tasks by hand. Clara and Gideon return.
8:11 a.m. Quiz Clara on the vocabulary and spelling words from last week. She gets half of the spelling words and only one of the vocabulary words right. Amend her work for the day accordingly.
8:23 a.m. Find an essay writing contest for kids online. Decide to have Clara participate. Print it out.
8:25 a.m. Make breakfast consisting of heated up pasta left over from last night. Feed everyone.
8:30 a.m. Take kids into bathroom on toothbrushing excursion. Try to convince Gideon that actual brushing of the teeth is more important than playing with toothbrush. He is surprisingly receptive. Lecture Clara on cleaning up after herself. She is less receptive.
8:33 a.m. Come to computer. Enter sweepstakes, read forums while Clara does schoolwork. Hold the baby in my lap.
9:21 a.m. Sit on the floor and play ball with baby.
9:29 a.m. Return to computer. Clara does schoolwork, baby plays.
9:37 a.m. Spread avocado on whole grain tortilla to make taco for baby. Give taco to baby, return to computer.
9:41 a.m. Baby brings me a bottle of baby lotion. Accidentally squirt out a huge glob of it onto baby's tummy. Proceed to give baby a massage.
10:02 a.m. Baby is starting to act crabby. Ask him if he wants to "lay down in bed with a mama" and he shakes his head no, vehemently. Ask him if he wants to nurse. He does want to nurse. Pull him onto my lap, attempt to keep working at computer and nurse him simultaneously. Baby won't stop grabbing the mouse. Eventually ask him if he wants to go outside and play. He does. Clara and baby go outside.
10:48 a.m. Clara and baby come back inside. Baby is clearly tired, but as is his wont, doesn't want to take a nap. I ask him several times if he wants to lay down or take a ride in the stroller but he keeps shaking his head no.
10:57 a.m. Take baby to bedroom, lie down and nurse him in bed, hoping he will nap.
11:14 a.m. Baby rolls off of me and starts prancing around on the bed with a huge and adorable smile, in a valiant effort to stave off sleep.
11:15 a.m. Sing the ABC song to the baby three times. Sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" twice. Give the baby approximately one million kisses. Baby laughs.
11:23 a.m. Put baby in stroller against his protestations. Send Clara outside to take baby for a walk, with the hope that it will, as it so often does, lull him into sleep. Return to computer.
11:41 a.m.
Start to post something in a private online forum I belong to, think better of it, somehow arrive at conclusion it would be better if my meaningless patter could reach an even wider audience. Start writing blog.
1:35 a.m. Wake up, slide out of bed, come to the computer.
4:05 a.m. Gideon stirs. Stand at foot of bed willing him to go back to sleep since I have been productive and want to keep up the momentum. Gideon wakes. I whisper hello to him, and he looks up at me and smiles the most amazing grin. What a doll. I am awash in feelings of love. I smile back, silently forgive him for waking. Crawl back into bed, pull him up into my arms and nurse him back to sleep.
Stay awake for a couple of hours quietly watching the news and hoping he will roll off of me or fall asleep so deeply that I can sneak out from under him and return to the computer. Don't want to waste insomnia on something as unproductive as watching TV.
6:30 a.m. Grow drowsy and fall asleep.
8:00 a.m. Gideon wakes. I snuggle him close and try to nurse him back to sleep but he doesn't go for it. Still very tired and groggy from my short morning nap, I call Clara, who is already awake, to sit on the bed and make sure he doesn't fall off the very tall bed onto the tile floor since I'm still half asleep and my reflexes are not so sharp. Clara plays with Gideon for a few minutes while I wake up.
8:05 a.m. Get out of bed.
8:10 a.m. Come to the computer, check email, poke around. Write daily homeschool schedule. Clara takes Gideon outside. Find or create and print out a Sudoku puzzle, the word of the day, a fractions worksheet, a map of the northeast region of the U.S., spelling words, Spark Notes on Cannery Row chapters 1 - 4, a grammar worksheet, and a short lesson on the importance of correct spelling. Make a few notations, add a few more tasks by hand. Clara and Gideon return.
8:11 a.m. Quiz Clara on the vocabulary and spelling words from last week. She gets half of the spelling words and only one of the vocabulary words right. Amend her work for the day accordingly.
8:23 a.m. Find an essay writing contest for kids online. Decide to have Clara participate. Print it out.
8:25 a.m. Make breakfast consisting of heated up pasta left over from last night. Feed everyone.
8:30 a.m. Take kids into bathroom on toothbrushing excursion. Try to convince Gideon that actual brushing of the teeth is more important than playing with toothbrush. He is surprisingly receptive. Lecture Clara on cleaning up after herself. She is less receptive.
8:33 a.m. Come to computer. Enter sweepstakes, read forums while Clara does schoolwork. Hold the baby in my lap.
9:21 a.m. Sit on the floor and play ball with baby.
9:29 a.m. Return to computer. Clara does schoolwork, baby plays.
9:37 a.m. Spread avocado on whole grain tortilla to make taco for baby. Give taco to baby, return to computer.
9:41 a.m. Baby brings me a bottle of baby lotion. Accidentally squirt out a huge glob of it onto baby's tummy. Proceed to give baby a massage.
10:02 a.m. Baby is starting to act crabby. Ask him if he wants to "lay down in bed with a mama" and he shakes his head no, vehemently. Ask him if he wants to nurse. He does want to nurse. Pull him onto my lap, attempt to keep working at computer and nurse him simultaneously. Baby won't stop grabbing the mouse. Eventually ask him if he wants to go outside and play. He does. Clara and baby go outside.
10:48 a.m. Clara and baby come back inside. Baby is clearly tired, but as is his wont, doesn't want to take a nap. I ask him several times if he wants to lay down or take a ride in the stroller but he keeps shaking his head no.
10:57 a.m. Take baby to bedroom, lie down and nurse him in bed, hoping he will nap.
11:14 a.m. Baby rolls off of me and starts prancing around on the bed with a huge and adorable smile, in a valiant effort to stave off sleep.
11:15 a.m. Sing the ABC song to the baby three times. Sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" twice. Give the baby approximately one million kisses. Baby laughs.
11:23 a.m. Put baby in stroller against his protestations. Send Clara outside to take baby for a walk, with the hope that it will, as it so often does, lull him into sleep. Return to computer.
11:41 a.m.
Start to post something in a private online forum I belong to, think better of it, somehow arrive at conclusion it would be better if my meaningless patter could reach an even wider audience. Start writing blog.
posted by Gina at 12:48 PM
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