Shampoo, Rinse, Repeat

A good friend once made a comparison of hair washing to child-rearing...repetition! How true it is. I used to wonder what moms did all day. Seriously, my first impression of motherhood was a life of ease! No deadlines, alarm clocks, meetings, or expectations! Then my kids got older...and I was in for a surprise! Now, don't get me wrong, I would rather have this job than any job in the world...but I would not call it a life of ease. I can now (after 3 kids) understand why moms always feel busy...the peculiar part is that I have no idea what I do. That same good friend encouraged me to reflect back on a normal day (whatever that is) and write it down. I have chosen not to include times...well, because I don't remember them. Here is a day in the life of Me and my family:
Wake up
Nurse Makenna
Go back to sleep
Wake up
Nurse Makenna
Change and dress Makenna
Shower
Get ready...
smile at Makenna in her bouncy! She is so cute!
make my bed
Head to the living room hoping to read my Bible before the others wake up
Read my Bible with Makenna lying next to me on the couch kicking and cooing
Brenden wakes up and wants a banana...his favorite food...but we are out of them
I convince him to have toast
Put Makenna on the floor under her elmo mobile
I make the toast and make eggs for myself
Share eggs with Brenden
Katelyn wakes up
I make toast for Katelyn
I clean up from breakfast
Makenna is starting to get tired so I put her down for her morning nap
Katelyn likes to watch a little TV in the morning...it takes a while for her to wake up
Brenden plays in the playroom
Katelyn gets dressed
I get Brenden dressed
Brush their teeth and fix Katelyn's hair
Make the kids' beds
Remind Katelyn to put her pjs away
Give the kids a snack
Clean up the water that Brenden spilled
Remember that I left some clothes in the dryer...I turn on the tumble press for a few minutes to help with the wrinkles (yes, this is a weekly occurance)
Tell the kids to stop being loud near Makenna's door
Makenna wakes up (oh, well)
Change and nurse Makenna
The phone rings...I chat for a few 20 minutes with a dear friend while trying to remind my kids to play elsewhere while I am on the phone
Once again I remember the laundry...heading to the laundry room I notice that the toilet is not flushed...(any ideas on how to train a 5 year old to flush when done???)
Remind Katelyn to flush the toilet
I then notice the time and my growling tummy tells me it is lunch time
Forgetting the laundry again, I head to the kitchen to whip up some gourmet peanut butter and honey sandwiches!
Fix lunch for the kids and myself
Clean up the kitchen
Check my email and fellow bloggers
Put Brenden down for a nap
Watch an episode of Jon and Kate plus 8 (or 2) with Katelyn
nurse Makenna
Lay Makenna down for a nap
Check craigslist and ebay for a desk and homeschool books
play a game (or 5-6) with Katelyn
remember the laundry...forgo the wrinkles and take the clothes out, fold them on my bed (while watching another episode of Jon and kate plus 8)
Brenden wakes up
Feed the kids a snack
tell Katelyn how to spell words (she loves to write words that rhyme)
Makenna wakes up
Change and nurse Makenna
Turn Mickey Mouse clubhouse on for the kids to watch
make dinner (chicken, veggies, salad)
Wait for Josh to get home
Eat dinner
Clean up from dinner
talk with Josh
help kids clean up toys
give the kids baths
nurse Makenna
Go workout (Josh puts the kids to bed)
put laundry away that was folded on my bed
get ready for bed
read in bed
sleep

Boy was that fun! See what I mean about repetition! I do a lot during a day, but don't feel like much is accomplished. This was mainly what I remember doing in a day...it doesn't include all the many, many, many interactions I have with my kids...trust me, Katelyn is quite a chatterbox. She is a very literal person. I feel like I am constantly explaining what words mean (cliches). She asks about a million questions a day! It took me about an hour just to write this blog because she continually talks to me and I have to go back and reread what I wrote to remember what I was going to write next. She is very curious about what I am doing and thinking. She is always asking about why I am doing something. She is very curious about people and how they "work"!
I love being a mom!