A Day in the Life

Back when my kids were younger, Adam and I were constantly juggling. . . . pick up and drop off, and dinner time and bedtime.  The best nights at home were when we all ate dinner, we cleaned up (I cleaned up the kids and he cleaned up the kitchen) and we were both home for bedtime and then we got our alone time. . . . . . at 8 PM.

Fast forward a few years, and now we have an 8th grader and a 4th grader. . . .  My new routine is waking up at 4:45 AM so that I can walk a mile on the treadmill before my day really gets started.  This new routine is proving to me that I can squeeze in a few minutes for exercise every day, and I feel good about it!

Then I take a shower, and start getting everyone else up, one by one - first Adam, then the 4th grader and then the 8th grader.  After I am dressed, and everyone else is on auto pilot getting dressed (I hope), I make everyone a lunch to bring to school or work.  We all sit down to breakfast together, and then I am the first to leave. . . . and I get to work . . . . and use our treadmill desk to check my email and get myself organized for the day.

If I am lucky, at lunch I can take a walk . . . . and this week has been beautiful!  Not sure I will be doing this in 20 degree weather in January.

Then we all start coming home (depending on the day), and hopefully by 6:30 PM we are sitting down to a homemade healthy dinner.  And then any unfinished homework is done, and the 4th grader showers and gets ready for her 8:30 PM bedtime.  My 8th grader goes to bed at 9:30 PM.

And if I am lucky, I can go to the gym (I won a one month membership to a fancy gym) and either swim or use the elliptical, and then come home. . . . and if Adam and I are lucky we get 30 minutes of alone time, before I fall asleep.

Even though Adam and I get our chunks of alone time at strange times, I realize that in a few short years, our oldest will be in college and your youngest will be in high school.  The diaper days are behind us, and these current years are the years we drive them around to their activities.  However, I can see from neighbors and friends that the kids grow up, and leave the nest. . . . and then a new schedule starts.