Home of Slightly Cracked Dreams

5:30 - 6:00am

Miss Moo wakes for her first feed of the day. Hubby’s alarm starts going off at 6am (and 6:09am, 6:18am etc etc). He’s up and showering while I feed the princess. When she’s done I drag myself out of bed and get dressed.

6:30am

Once everyone’s had showers and dressed (sometimes the big girls shower in the morning if they’ve wet the bed), the big kids have breakfast while I chuck the first load of washing in the machine. This is usually a load of nappies or the bedclothes if someone has wet overnight. I empty the dishwasher, make tea and coffee and sit down with my breakfast to read the news on the net. I also read the US personal finance sites as a lot of them post overnight. I flag things I want to read in depth later and make notes on idea’s for my posts.

7:30am

Hubby leaves for work at 7:30 then I hang out (or get the big girls to hang out) the first load of washing and start the second one. I help the girls work through their morning routines and feed Miss Moo her solids for breakfast and leave her with some finger food (in clear view - usually next to the kitchen bench while I work there). Then I check the swimming bag and make sure it’s all packed, pack snacks and water bottles for our swimming. Put the dishes in the dishwasher from breakfast. Change Miss Moo and triple check the swimming bag before loading the car. Once the car is loaded I hang out the washing (the clothes line is in the garage and I have airer’s out the back) and off we go!

8:30am

We head off to swimming. I check the mail on the way, which, while it’s in a different direction to swimming is the most convenient time to check. Then the 20 minute drive to swimming. Once there I set the girls up with their activities or into their swimmers and set their toys up. Pay for lessons, get snacks out, get my swimming gear out and am in the pool ready to start training at 9:15am

10:30am

While we’re supposed to finish at 10:15, it’s more likely 10:30 before we stagger out of the pool. I shower myself and the girls if they’ve been swimming. I have to put special cream in our hair to stop it going icky, moisturise, pack all our swimmers and towels up and all the associated paraphanalia. Then it’s time for a coffee. I actually get to talk with the ladies (and occasional man) I train with. This can last anything from ten minutes to half an hour depending on how many and the type of people staying behind. I also find it a good time to chat with the coach about how the training is going, and what we’re working towards. As the local triathalon is on in three weeks, things are a lot more intense than normal, and discussing it with the coach is good to keep in perspective what we’re trying to achieve (fitness as opposed to speed etc). Miss Moo is usually ready for a feed by this stage, after a bit of a doze in her pram while I’m in the pool.

11:30am

Finally we’re on the way home. If we need bread or milk I’ll stop home on the way, and often that results in a donut or coffee if we run into someone we know. It can be 12:30 or 1:00 before we get home. As I’m walking from the garage into the house I hang out the washing I put on before I left and put on our swimming gear before unloading the car.

12:30pm

Lunch time. Hubby is often home for lunch so it can be quite chaotic for a while. I usually pop Miss Moo down for a nap as soon as we get home and she will now sleep for 3-4 hours. After lunch and loading the dishwasher I look into dinner. Start defrosting meat, chopping veggies and baking. The kids help as much as possible before sitting down at the table to do their “school work”. M&M is practicing her writing at the moment, and Kiki is focusing on recognising her numbers. She does lots of dot-to-dots. I also often play uni lectures in the background, especially towards the end of the semester. Then I hang out the swimming washing.

2:00pm

The big kids are sent off to their room for quiet time while I sit down for a rest. I usually make a cuppa or a latte and watch Question Time in Parliament or read outside in the courtyard. If Miss Moo is awake she enjoys watching Question Time - giggles at all the silly politicians. Again I use this time to make notes for uni, browse the readings etc.

3:00pm

Play School! The big girls love it and while they watch I catch up on my friends blogs, comment, check forums, write my blog posts. Miss Moo wakes up around then and I feed her while reading emails and blogs. Once Miss Moo’s finished feeding I bring the washing in fold it and put it away put it away.

4:30pm

This is when I get the bulk of the “housework” done on swimming days. I potter around clearing tables, benches, dusting as I go, sweeping and spot mopping the floors. I chase the kids into their bedroom to put their toys away and their clothes. Then I get started on dinner. Hubby is home between 5pm and 5:30, he often calls on the way home to see if I need anything from the shops. He regularly walks into chaos with Miss Moo waiting to be fed her dinner and the big kids expending the last of their energy or getting cranky and tired. He is great about pitching in the second he walks in the door, often taking over dinner prep while I feed Miss Moo and deal with the other kids.

6:00pm

I aim to sit down to dinner bang on six o’clock. Sometimes it works, other days, not so much, but definitely by 6:30pm we are sitting at the table having dinner. After dinner I stack the dishwasher while the kids start on their evening jobs. Once they’re done with their showers or bath I run the dishwasher and potter around the kitchen while the kids do their jobs - often helping out with teeth and making their beds up if they need re-making. Miss Moo is dunked in the bath on bath nights (we alternate bath/showers) then into her Pj’s for her final feed before bed. Once the big girls are ready for bed they can watch Scrapheap Challenge which finishes at 7:20pm. After Scrapheap the TV goes off and the girls can have a drink (water only), toilet then into bed by 7:30pm. There is often a story, then a timer set for 5 minutes, after which time the lights go out. In here I sometimes also do a dirty clothes collection and take it out to the laundry and assess the most important loads to get done the next day. If one is urgent I start that going then.

7:30pm

Finally the house is semi-quiet and Hubby and I get some quiet time, albeit on computers sitting next to each other. I do some uni work, browse the internet, and if necessary hang out the load of washing I’ve done. I also do some tasks which are too hot to do during the day. Mostly I study though and if my back gets bad I’ll retire to the couch and read my text book rather than sit at the desk.

10:30pm

This is the time I aim to get Hubby and myself to bed. Miss Moo will wake up (although I use the term loosely) for a quick feed just as I get settled in bed with a magazine or newspaper. I am usually asleep by 11pm.