Our days now..

Today I'm linking up to Gussy Sews for her inspiration workshop. This week's challenge is "A Day in My Life," and since the real reason I blog is to record our family memories I thought it would be neat to write {in detail} what an average day consists of for the Bendel's at this stage in our lives.

Our day starts with two alarms at 7:30; one for Chance - one for me. I proceed to poke, kick, and whisper/yell until Chance finally gets out of bed around 7:45. I do my best to keep Olivia asleep through all this non-sense, but I'm rarely successful. Once I'm up and moving around the first thing I do is to look at our calendar that hangs on the wall. For now our schedule isn't too crazy but I over analyze every minute of the day and I'm constantly afraid I'm going to drop one of the many balls I'm juggling. Hence the color-coded calendar.

Second on our to do list is breakfast, typically Olivia eats a waffle with raspberry jam or syrup. It's her fave. This almost always results in a bath. I let her play for about 15 minutes {or until my butt starts going numb from sitting on the floor.} While she plays, I "wake up" - enter coffee.

Oh sweet coffee, what would I do with out you?? While she's in the bath I try to clean the bathroom as best I can from my spot next to the tub. {this includes: cleaning the toilet, straightening the shelves, refolding any towels that Olivia unfolded while waiting for her bath water etc.} I find that for me, several small daily rituals like this eliminate the need for entire days spent cleaning. It makes life so much easier.

After Liv's bath we both get dressed for the day. She always wears a bow- always. It's a southern thing. Her hair is getting so long, though it's very fine.

By now it's about 9:00, and we make the bed and do a quick straightening up of the bedroom. {another one of my small daily rituals.}

This is when Olivia watches the bulk of her t.v. shows. Her favorites are Olivia, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Yo Gabba Gabba, Big Music Show, The Fresh Beat Band, and Bubble Guppies. She sits on the bed and watches t.v. - sometimes I sit with her, others I fold and put away laundry. {I try to wash laundry every time a load builds up. Instead of waiting and doing it once a week- that's just too much for me to tackle at once.
One of the greatest things I've done for myself this year was realizing and accepting my limits. I feel so much more in control now. Like all my many 'jobs' are manageable. It has completely changed my life.

Around 12:00 we have lunch. Olivia likes to eat peanut butter sandwiches, cucumbers, grapes, grilled cheese, hot dogs, and spaghetti-o's. She's such a good eater. Not picky at all! After lunch we strip down and clean up. Then I try for about 45 minutes to get Olivia down for a nap. Eventually she gives in and I can finally lay her down. While she naps I tackle any large projects that I can't do when she's awake. If there are no biggies on my to do list, I catch up on my blog roll, posting, and DVR. She's usually sleeps for about and hour and a half.

She wakes up somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00. And we have play time. She loves to play with her dollies. Bay-bee {with extra emphasis on those e's} as she calls them. She also can't get enough of my jewelry! Such a girlie-girl!!

 

Not too long after she wakes up it's time for us to go downstairs and start dinner. I do my best to have dinner ready just after Chance gets home from work. Sometimes I even succeed! Liv is really good about playing in the den while I cook. On fussier days I sit her in her high chair and let her play with spoons of give her a light snack. Chance walks through the door around 5:15. We eat around 6:00. Then I clean up while Chance and Olivia have a little 'Daddy/Daughter time'. Bath time is 7:30. Liv plays, while I do another mini touch-up in the bathroom again. After her bath we have family snuggles. Chance is usually playing video games in the bedroom and Liv loves to 'play' with him. It's precious!!

These moments are so precious to me. When I can see the bond they have. She has such different relationships with both of us. It's funny to see the different aspects of her personalities that come out with each of us. We do our best to have her in bed by 8:30. She usually falls asleep around 9:15. We move her to her bed and Chance and I catch up on our over-burdened DVR and we fall asleep around 11:30.

Then we start all over again.

Sorry if this post completely bored you. But I know I'll appreciate it 4 years from now when I can look back at the 'easy' days!