Day In The Life: Saturday, June 1st 2019
“Chaos is a friend of mine. ”
7:15am - I am abruptly awoken from a night of deep sleep to a loud thump. The fog from my blissful slumber lifts quickly as I jolt up to grab the monitor. I watch carefully as the screen lights up and see our son running across his room and out of the camera’s view. In no time flat, he has the light on, and I hear the stomping of his feet running briskly around his room. The sounds of him banging at his closet door, struggling to open it, barrel through the monitor. Our son has enjoyed testing his boundaries for the past few weeks as he discovered the joy of climbing out. He has been able to escape the confines of baby jail for quite some time now but, until recently, only came out after his nap time when it wasn’t an issue. Well, now it’s an issue. He likes to bolt into his tent, his closet, and under his rug where he hides in plain sight as a mischievous grin dances across his face at the sight of us. He is strong-willed but he has yet to learn how much stronger-willed I am. My husband gets up, picks up Linden and, without saying a word, places him back into the crib. We wait by his door and every time his feet hit the ground one of us goes back in and puts him back where he belongs.
7:30am - Maelle wakes up carrying all of her soccer gear in her arms and is ready to head downstairs to get the day started with some weekend cartoons. Her independence is a blessing during the times when her brother decides to challenge our rule of law.
7:45am - After what feels like an eternity and a countless number of times entering his room and putting him back in his crib, Linden’s Gro Clock finally lights up. We get him out of bed and changed for the day ahead.
8:00am - My husband heads downstairs with the kids and gets them each some milk. They watch a bit of cartoons together while my husband makes the always essential, never enough, much-needed liquid of life: coffee. I savour these weekend mornings, enjoying quiet time for myself to read or browse Instagram. With my husband working out of town, I am with the kids all week regardless of rough nights, early wake-ups, or challenging days. So, I take full advantage of giving my kids the time they crave with their father while also taking a break for myself.
8:15am - Daniel starts preparing breakfast for Linden. I don’t need to go downstairs to know it’s oatmeal - Linden loves the stuff, which means Daniel doesn’t have to try too hard to get him eating.
8:20am - My morning quickly shifts from easy and relaxed to chaotic and crazy. I get up and get ready for the day. Hair is done. Clothes are on. Teeth are brushed. Makeup is applied.
8:40am - I rush downstairs and run through a litany of questions and to-dos with my husband. “Has Linden gone pee? I need to pack a snack for after soccer. Make sure you pack a hat and sunscreen for Maelle and Linden. Did you switch the car seats around? Do you have Linden’s water bottle? Don’t forget to pack Maelle’s water. Maelle’s snack is ready in the fridge.” Our frantic exchange ends with a kiss as he hands me a coffee to go. I rush out the door with Linden, leaving Daniel and Maelle home for a short while longer.
8:45am - We are in the car and on our way to Linden’s soccer. We blast some music and enjoy the calm before the chaos.
9:00am - Maelle gets ready for her soccer. Daniel prepares Maelle’s breakfast and lets her eat while he gets ready for the day too. While they are at home, Linden and I are at Soccer Genius. Linden loves this class and which means I love it too. The coaches get into character, impressing the children with their imaginative stories, over the top facial expressions, and fun activities. Linden has no problem following the instructions and staying on task as the coaches move quickly through drills, keeping things lively and enjoyable.
9:45am - Linden’s class ends and we head off to meet Daniel and Maelle at her soccer.
10:15am - We make a quick stop at Tim Horton's where I grab Daniel a coffee and pick up 50 Timbits to share with all of Maelle’s teammates.
10:30am - We arrive at Maelle’s game right on time. It is fun to watch her play soccer because they are finally getting to an age where they have an understanding of the game. Prior years were a far cry from what we would call the sport of soccer! There was a lot of rolling around on the grass, moving around the ball, and literal hand-holding by the parents. This is the first year where there is some semblance of actual soccer being played. Parents cheer on the team as kids chase the ball in a swarm. Occasionally, the ball breaks free and goals are scored. The kids are always so proud when they score. Daniel is their coach and watching him interact with the kids reminds me why I always knew he would be a good father; he encourages them and instructs them with ease, handing out high fives and praise often.
11:00am - The game ends and after everyone grabs a Timbit (or two) they run over to the playground and expel whatever energy they have left in the tank.
11:30am - I take the kids home while Dano heads out to grab some lunch and snacks before the Champions League finale where his favourite soccer team, Liverpool FC, are playing against Tottenham Hotspurs. I silently say a prayer to whatever higher power may exist that Liverpool wins so I don’t have to deal with a depressed husband for the rest of the week.
12:00pm - I feed Linden and give him some milk. He is so tired that his eyes glaze over as he eats lunch. It must be all of that climbing out of the crib that has him completely exhausted.
12:45pm - I tuck Linden in for his nap where he falls asleep quickly without so much as rolling over, let alone climbing out. When I come back downstairs I see Maelle setting up a little picnic for her and Daniel. She has put out plates and cups and napkins and is looking forward to watching the game with him.
1:00pm - While Daniel and Maelle have lunch and watch the game, I decide to head out to get some errands done. I go to Michael’s in search of some birthday activities for Maelle’s party. While her birthday is not until August, I’m a planner so I do everything well in advance. There is nothing here so I know I’ll be making an online purchase soon to make sure the party planning is underway. Instead, I grab a few outdoor decorative items for me to spruce up our back deck.
2:00pm - I head back home and eat lunch, sitting down to start this blog post and rest for a few minutes before we have to wake Linden up.
2:15pm - We wake Linden up from his nap. I am a believer in never waking a child until it becomes necessary. With Linden, it is definitely necessary. We need to ensure that he is tired enough by bed time that he doesn’t stay awake for hours, climbing out of his crib, and giving us a run for our money.
3:00pm - While Daniel and the kids finish watching the end of the soccer game I head outside to start cleaning the deck. Our deck hasn’t been cleaned since winter passed, so it is in desperate need. I power wash the deck and remove all of the fallen leaves from the ground. I put away the toys and throw away anything that’s broken. I get out the storage and decorations that I bought to tidy up the area. I scrub and rinse all of the water toys and the water table.
3:15pm - Liverpool have won - thank God. Dano and Maelle celebrate wildly as Liverpool lift their 6th European Championship.
3:30pm - Dano takes the kids out front to ride their bikes and play while I finish up the rest of the cleaning.
4:00pm - I complete the surface makeover of our deck and am happy with the pops of yellow I added that bring colour and charm to the space. I feel like it is finally ready for us to sit out and enjoy what the rest of spring, and soon summer has to offer us.
4:30pm - The kids play out front where we run into our neighbours. They have kids who are one year older than Maelle and Linden respectively, so they have become friends. Our neighbours invite us over so the kids can play together while we have a drink and catch up.
5:00pm - The kids happily play together. They jump on our neighbours trampoline, climb up their play structure, and come shooting off of their slide on a pile of cushions. We chat with the adults and help them to move their play structure across their yard.
5:30pm - We leave their house and head back home to wind down for the nights. Daniel heads upstairs and gives the kids a bath and gets them ready for bed. I prepare dinner downstairs.
6:00pm - The kids eat dinner with Dano and I make my way downstairs to run. I never look forward to running but I feel like it has been a good way for me to get back into an exercise routine and take some time for myself. While I don’t love running, I always enjoy the feeling of completing a run. I watch a movie as I run in the hopes of passing the time but it never helps. Every second feels like a minute, and every minute feels like an hour. To say that I am happy once I hit 5k and can finish is an understatement. I do some free weights to round out my workout and call it a day.
6:30pm - The kids watch a bit of “Ralph Breaks The Internet” before bedtime. Peering in on the kids while they watch a movie is so telling of their personalitie. Maelle flops about, switching positions, turning upside down, and generally annoying anyone sitting near her. Linden sits peacefully, occasionally climbing onto one of our laps while he takes in the show.
7:15pm - Bedtime is in full swing with book reading, before bed poops (is it just our kids that seem to always need to go right at bedtime?), teeth brushing, flossing, rinsing, last sips of water, white noise on, and finally lights out. Maelle is almost always put to bed before Linden.
7:30pm - Linden is put to bed as well but it’s no surprise that he doesn’t go straight to sleep.
7:45pm - Our babysitter for the night arrives right on time. Of course, I can’t greet her because I’m sitting outside of Linden’s door just waiting for my cue to rush in and put him back in his crib. Fortunately, tonight he only tries a few times.
8:10pm - Linden has finally settled down enough that I feel comfortable to let the babysitter take over. I know he is at the point of almost falling asleep so she won’t need to go back in anytime soon. We give her the simple task of watching the monitor. It is unlikely that either of our kids would wake up but, if they do, we are just a 10 min car ride away.
8:15pm - We head off to our friends house for dinner, games, and good company. It’s always nice to hang out with this friend group without the kids. They are part of my closest mom group so the times we are together without kids is few and far between. Finding time to enjoy each other’s company without kids allows us to decide if we really do like each other and aren’t just in it based on a shared experience. Of course - I’m kidding. You have to like each other to subject yourself to a 6 kid to 3 parent ratio playdate as often as we do!
11:00pm - We leave our friends’ house slightly tipsy and extra tired but happy. When we get home I pay the sitter and watch her walk to her Dad’s house (our neighbour).
11:30pm - We get ready for bed.
12:00pm - I watch Netflix in bed for all of 5 minutes before I hearing Daniel’s gentle snoring. His magical sleep abilities never fail him.
