Monday, September 26, 2011

A Day In the Life

 Many have commented that they don't know how I balance being a mom and a college student. So I thought it might be enlightening to take a peek at "A Day in the Life of a Student Mom": Here is a look at my typical Tuesday.

7:00 AM Damon is awake and hungry. Oh, and very vocal. I never have to wonder if he's awake. Well, except when he sleep talks... After his feeding, David takes him into the guest bedroom so that he does not wake up Dmitri.
7:30 AM Dmitri is awake, and sometime between now and 7:45 AM I make myself get up.
7:45 AM-8:30 AM Make breakfast & take a shower. Transfer laundry from washer to dryer so that I have pants to wear today! Check the weather.
8:30-8:45 Eat breakfast as a family. Most days it's steel cut oats. Occasionally it's homemade biscuits or toast from homemade bread, and/or eggs and fruit.

 Oatmeal & Blueberries

8:45-10:15 Make and pack food for the day, as well as make dinner for tonight. I put beans that have been soaking into the crockpot, make homemade tortillas, pop popcorn on the stove, fill up water bottles, and put food into the mason jars and into the cooler. Fold the laundry out of the dryer. Dmitri is my little helper. And of course, I breastfeed Damon in there somewhere.

 Dmitri making tortillas

10:15-10:45 The Great Rush begins. We dress Dmitri and Damon, make diaper changes, and pack the car. Double check that we have enough diapers/food/shoes for everyone. Bribe convince Dmitri to get in his car seat. And inevitably, we will frantically run back into the house to look for a phone/shoe/toy/book/pen etc. And then we are off!

 A cooler full of snacks...

 The accruing stash of stuff we have to bring with us in the mornings...

 The beginning of the long day in and out of the car.

10:45-11:00 We drive to campus through 12 traffic lights and a slew of jay-walking "sorostitutes" in oversized t-shirts, leggings or Nike shorts, and rain boots/ UGG boots/ other miscellaneous boots. I drop David off at class, and I usually head to a park.
11:05...Boo. It starts to rain despite the forecast. So, I turn around. Rain is a pretty big downer when you have a two-year-old in the car most of the day. I head towards the rainy-day back up plan: the library!
11:07 I remember that I have been driving with my gaslight on. So I stop and put $50 in my tank. I would have taken a photo, but I had two crying babies in the car.
11:20-11:55 Read/play/breastfeed at the library

 Reading at the library

 Happy Damon

11:55-12:10 I have to plan for at least 15 minutes to get the littles in the car. Especially to avoid a tantrum. And we decided it was time for a snack.

 Snack time in the car

12:10-12:30: We drive back to campus, where we pick David up. I usually breastfeed Damon in the car, and then I jump out and head to class.
12:30-1:45 Class! It's not always exciting, but I almost always look forward to getting to sit for an hour and fifteen minutes uninterrupted and child-free.
1:45-3:15 I meet back up with David and the littles; pull a Chinese firedrill, and drop David off at class. It's right around naptime, so after feeding Damon, I usually use this time to run errands that require me to drive a lot so that Dmitri & Damon will go to sleep in the car. I am a part of a swap group, so I often schedule swaps to take place during this time. Today I swap some diapers that no longer fit for some Burt's Bees products that I can use. Other days, I drive out to a farm to pick up my weekly milk. Today, we still have some time to kill after swapping, so I head to the park for about 20 minutes.

Dmitri checks out the swap goods.

 Sliding

 Wood chips!


Swinging together

 Hi Mama.

 Happy Swinging Baby

3:15-3:30 Pick up David and breastfeed Damon in the car before heading to class again!
3:30-4:45 Class....
4:45-5:30 Driving, driving, driving. I drop David off at the neuroscience lab that he is working at and head home in 5 o'clock traffic. Both little ones whine the whole way home.
5:30-6:00 Dinner time for me and Dmitri. I make burritos from the beans and tortillas that I made this morning.

 Dinner!

6:00-7:00 Dishes and cleaning up the mess that we made in the morning! Throw in a load of laundry.
7:00-7:20 The little ones are exhausted, whiny, and just need to go to sleep. So I change diapers, load them in the car, and head to pick up David a little early...
7:20-7:50 Sitting in the car....waiting on David, who is running late. Luckily, both babies are asleep.

Crappy iPhone photos of my sleeping babies. It's been a long day! Such troopers.

7:50-8:05 Pick up David! Driving home, at last.
8:05-9:30 I'm exhausted. A little cleaning, a little reading, more laundry, and I am ready to call it a night.

22 comments:

Kristin said...

I got exhausted just reading that! :)

Mandi @My Perfect Mess said...

Whew!! You are amazing!

Christy said...

Holy Moly!! You and your hubs are busy people. Luckily this is temporary. Soon enough there will be less itinerary and more fun (hopefully)..at least that's what I have to tell myself.

You are a wonderful mother and wife. Such dedication you put into your life and future. Go you!!

Jessica said...

Those are two lucky boys :) I'm impressed that in the midst of all that craziness you find time to play, learn, and make healthy food to keep everyone going! My boys are about the same age and we just came out of a crazy time like you're in so I can relate. It was so worth it though!

Cate said...

Eek! Your day makes me so tired. I definitely see why you dislike your in-the-car-all-the-time routine, but it sounds like you and David handle it well. And the boys seem to get lots of great playtime between the park, the library, and home.

Hang in there!

calikas said...

wow, thats amazing. I dont know how you do that close to every day. when do you do homework??

Nataleigh Rae said...

wow! and i thought i had busy days!

The Borrowed Nest said...

I started college at the ripe age of 21, with a 1 year old. Worked full-time, by the time I graduated (10 years later) I had moved 3 times and had 3 kids! Kudos to anyone that can do it. Foolishly started my masters 2 years later, got pregnant with the 4th - and said No way!! (to the graduate degree, not the baby :) - Best of luck to you!!

Stephanie said...

Holy cow lady...you ROCK! Those seem like some days....and yet you still manage to make a homemade, healthy meal for your family. Props to you!

Jillian said...

Good grief!! You deserve an award!!

akawest said...

Oh, that brought back memories, and made me smile, as well as reminding me that I am old.

Sheena Louise Roetman said...

what swap group are you a member of? i've been looking for one here in atlanta but don't know where to start!

Suzana said...

The hungry caterpillar! Great book :)

Sarah - { rad: renovations are dirty } said...

I can't imagine how exhausting that must be. wow. You are amazing! It's great that you get to spend so much time as a family, though.

When do you do your assignments?!

Angela said...

Sounds like a busy day! I have 2 daughters in college...both "sorostitutes" as you call them. I am proud of them both and their accomplishments! They have just chosen a different path than you but isn't that what makes this crazy world so great!!! Don't hold it against them because they are different, just as I have raised them to respect/be tolerant of others chouces.

Mama Gone Green said...

Wow, that does look exhausting!!

Mrs.Sanders said...

seriously!!! I need to take a nap after reading this post! you doing a great job!

I had to LOL when you were talking about going BACK in the house because you left something! it never fails that I am always going back in the house once, if not twice every time i get in the car! hehe.

Kara said...

Well, I go crazy with one and just full time work, no school. Your boys sure are cute though, and they're lucky to have a momma like you!! Hope you're still hanging in there!!

Ansley said...

Wow! How do ya'll pick out your class schedule- with each other, babies, and one car? I can imagine that being a nightmare.

Anna said...

Wow girl! You are awesome. I wonder what you weekends look like... and when do you homework or have a moment for time-with-God? I just said a prayer for continued faithfulness and sanity for you and David. love you both.

-Anna

Unknown said...

Hey miss - just thinking of you! Hope you and your boys are all well :)

Unknown said...

Your oatmeal with blueberries reminds me that I should actually start eating breakfast, rather than just grubbing on whatever I find at work when I get there.