My New Normal…Welcome!
12:30am The baby is screaming and crying from her crib. I rush into her before she wakes up the other two girls. We head to my room. I change her diaper and give her a bottle then quietly put her back in her crib. I head to sleep.
3:00am Deep asleep then I awaken by the baby crying. Thinking to myself I just fell asleep. It is time for a diaper change and a feeding. I quiet her down before she wakes up the other two. Quickly get her from her crib and bring her to my room. Where I change her diaper half asleep. Button up her jammies, nurse her back to sleep. Stumble back to her crib and lay her down and go back to sleep.
6:00am I wake to a leg over me, wondering why this 4-year-old in my bed Again. Every night I go to sleep and put her in her bed and every morning I wake to her in my bed. Lexie secretly waits until I am asleep and quietly sneaks in my bed for me to not realize until it is too late that she is in my bed. Too tired to say anything I hear “good morning mommy”. I open my eyes and realize who needs an alarm clock when you never really get to sleep.
6:30am I get up jump in the shower before the baby wakes again. Brush my teeth get dressed throw some lotion on my face. Who needs makeup, I am not going anywhere. I tell Lexie to turn down the volume on her tablet at least 3x’s.
6:45am The baby starts talking in her crib. That’s my que that she is awake and will be momentarily start crying when she realizes her diaper is wet and she is ready for her milkie.
7:00am I get Lakelynn from her crib, grab her clothes for the day, get a wet washcloth and take her to my room. I tell Lexie again to turn down the tablet and that she needs to go get her clothes on and ready for the day so we can brush her teeth.
7:15am The baby is cleaned up, changed and I start nursing her. I check my emails on my phone. I get on the Poshmark app and see if there are any offers, I need to respond too. Then I check any new likes and send offers to likers. Check for any sold items I need to package and ship before the scheduled pickup at 11am.
8:00am Go in the girl’s room tell Layla she needs to start getting up. Even though we are doing school e-learning at home I still try to keep her in a routine and do not let her sleep in. She is like her daddy she loves to stay up late watching movies then wants to sleep in. Not on this momma’s watch, she must get up on time. I take the baby and put her in the rock n play while I head to the kitchen to make breakfast.
8:15am I put my water and teabag in the microwave. Ask Lexie what she would like for breakfast. Yell from the kitchen to Layla to get up get dressed so I can brush her teeth and make her breakfast.
8:30am Make Lexie’s breakfast. Help Layla brush her teeth. Ask Layla what she would like for breakfast. Reheat my tea again because now it is cold because I forget I already put it in the microwave. Make Layla breakfast, let her know she had 30 minutes then we will start her schoolwork. She fuses and phony cries a little she does not want to do schoolwork. I hear “why does Lexie get to watch tv and I don’t” my response everyday “she only gets to watch tv until 9am then it goes off during school work.”
9:00am I smell something gross, yep baby Lakelynn has a stink stink, I take her smiling and all to my room to change her diaper. I have a changing table, yet I have only used it once. I found it easier to just keep a small caddy with a travel diaper pad in my room and change her on my bed. Might seem strange but it is what works for me. I tell the girls to come in my room so I can do their hair. Yes, I could probably not do their hair because we are home however, I do not like my kids having bed head all day. So, I always fix their hair in the morning.
9:15am I grab my somewhat cold tea reheat 1 more time. Let Layla know I am ready to start schoolwork grab her iPad and meet me in the dining room. I setup a makeshift classroom in that area so we have a dedicated area that she can concentrate. After several complaints from her “I don’t want too” and my several responses “you don’t have a choice”. We get started.
9:30am Layla tries to quit school and run out of the dining room after completing one section. I tell her if you do not get back in here no electronics today. That usually does the trick. She comes back and we continue with her assignments. When we first started e-learning it was a complete nightmare. The system was slow, trying to figure out what we had to do and where. Read this, watch this, download this app, there is her primary teacher, art teacher, gym teacher, librarian. I was feeling flustered with the back and forth. It is been over a month and now once we get going, we can usually get through all of her school work in 2 hours or so. Depending on cooperation with the baby, Lexie, and Layla of course.
10:00am Baby starts fussing she is ready to eat again. I make her a bottle and hold her while reading Layla’s next assignment and entertaining Lexie with her 10th question in the last 30 minutes.
11:00am Baby has a squishy, so we head to the bedroom for a quick diaper change. I hear the tv come on. I yell from my room “no tv” while hearing giggles from the living room. I check my Poshmark closet for any new orders, send offers to likers and list any new items I photographed the day prior.
11:30am We finish up Layla schoolwork. Woo hoo, both of us are happy that we are done and survived another day. She heads to the living room with Lexie. I start lunch. The girls get their shoes on and go outside while I make sandwiches with baby carrots and apple slices. I let the girls know lunch is done and come get their plates. Lexie says, “yuck I don’t like carrots”, Layla says “I don’t want a sandwich.” My response “you get what you get and don’t throw a fit.” I grab another cup of tea and throw it in the microwave. Then I grab my plate and head to the dining room to join the girls to eat.
12:00pm Girls are done eating, they put their plates on the counter and get their shoes on. They head outside to play. I wash up the breakfast and lunch dishes. Only dish washing machine in this house is me. After hand washing the dishes and sweeping up the kitchen floor me and the baby head outside to get some fresh air.
1:30pm After breaking up 20 fights with the girls and kissing 39 boo boo’s we head back inside. I tell girls it is time to get ready for nap time. Both girls grab their blankets and head to the living room. I turn on a movie or tv show whichever is their choice. Layla does not nap however she knows she needs to be quiet so Lexie and the baby can sleep. I head to my room to nurse the baby.
2:30pm Baby is asleep, so I put her in her crib. Lexie is asleep on the couch. Layla is quietly watching a show. I head downstairs with the baby monitor to photograph some new inventory. I photograph as many items as I can in the hour before one of the kids is yelling for me or the baby wakes up. Package and print any new orders that came in. Throw a load of laundry in.
3:30pm I hear the baby talking on the monitor. Yet again I love that she wakes up talking generally before she starts crying. So, I quickly photograph what I have left, put everything away and head upstairs before she gets into a full-blown cry. Lexie is still snoring on the couch. Layla does not even see me walk by as she is glued to the tv show she is watching. I grab the baby from her crib and head to my room.
4:00pm Lexie is awake telling me she is hungry. Me, her, and the baby head to the kitchen. I fix the baby a bottle. I tell Layla to shut the tv off. I fix the girls a snack then we all head outside. Enjoying the weather helps keep our sanity.
5:00pm Girls are running around getting their wiggles out. Not fighting this time and playing together peacefully. Me and the baby head inside to start dinner. Our kitchen door opens to the backyard. It works out great I can see the girls while I am cooking dinner. Each morning I lay out meat from the freezer. I start preparing and cooking what I have on our meal plan for the night. The girls always get a few quick easy options for breakfast and lunch then I keep set dinners based on meal plans for the week. Breakfast options are cereal, oatmeal with frozen fruit, cinnamon toast, or scrambled eggs. Lunch is leftovers, meat and cheese sandwiches, tuna/egg salad, noodles, hard boiled eggs then they get a fruit and vegetable with their lunch choice.
5:45pm I tell the girls dinner is ready to come inside. Usually takes a few times before they head in. Once they come in its shoes off at the door, go to the bathroom wash your hands with soap and water then come to the dining room. We eat dinner together as a family. Girls laugh and talk as we just enjoy our time together.
6:30pm It is bath time. I start the bath water, grab the baby’s pajamas, and towel we head to my room. After a few tickles and laughs we head to the bathroom. Baby is all clean. I drain the water and refill the tub for the girls to bath. Girls love bath time; I swear they were both fish in another life. Since the ymca is closed due to the virus the girls really miss swimming, I let them take their toys in the tub and play for a little while before I start washing them up.
7:00pm Everyone gets their pajamas on. I read P.S. I Love You. I tell Layla it is time for her to pick out some books and read to us. We usually head to my room. I nurse the baby in the recliner while the girls lay on my bed and Layla reads to us. Being in kindergarten she must read each night. I am so impressed with how well she has progressed with her reading and math skills.
7:15pm I tell the girls they get 10 minutes of tv then it’s bedtime.
7:30pm I change the baby and put her in her crib, mobile is on she snuggles in and goes right to sleep. I get Layla and Lexie we head to their room. Huggies and kisses for both while I tuck them both in their beds. Tell them I love them and good night.
7:45pm “Mom! I’m hungry! I’m thirsty! I can’t sleep! I need to go potty! Lexie won’t get out of my bed. Layla hit me! Can I sleep in your bed?”
8:30pm Breathe…everyone is asleep. I head downstairs with the baby monitor to do shipping. First, I throw that load of laundry in the dryer. I pull all orders, package them, and bring them upstairs.
9:20pm I go to my desk upstairs and start working on my blog. I do not have any time throughout the day, so my dedicated time is when the kids are in bed and the house is quiet. This is my only time to really be able to focus and feel accomplished.
11:00pm It is already 11pm, where did the day go? I check my Poshmark closet again for any orders and I send offers to likers. It is time for bed. I grab my phone watch a few YouTube videos and fall asleep.