Every morning, I get out of bed when my husband leaves for work. Doesn't that sound lazy and decadent?
I often wonder what people think I do every day.
Do they think I spend the day watching soap operas and occasionally folding a batch of laundry?
What do stay-at-home moms actually do while their husbands are working?
Well, I run almost non-stop.
Yesterday, as usual, I started at 7 a.m.
Sure, I start the day an hour after my husband, as he leaves the house for the morning. But to be fair, I've always needed more nighttime sleep than he does and usually go to bed about an hour later. Also, I rarely nap unless I am sick.
More to the point, I start working at 7 a.m. sharp.
There is no commute with relaxing music or time to sip coffee for me.
Maybe I blog or make my to-do list. (Grammarly swears to-do is a hyphenated word. I can't defy Grammarly, right?) Sometimes, I have work e-mails to check or a legal research project to do for my part-time, work-from-home job.
Sometime between 7:15 and 8 a.m., my son with exceptional needs wakes up and demands pancakes cut into triangles with butter and syrup, scrambled eggs, and cafe' au lait. Sure, sometimes I say, "nope, cereal it is." But since he struggles with weight gain as a side effect of medication, usually I simply remind him to "say please."
I put the medicines on the table and start the motivating timer required for my kid to take the meds.
You see, until the attention meds kick in, my 7-year-old doesn't have the attention span to swallow all 8 pills on his own.
During this hour, I also sort and toss in a load of laundry (a task that will include washing, drying, folding, and putting away at least one but more likely two loads today). I run a load of dishes or handwash any pots and pans. I clean up after the kid's breakfast.
Normally, my kids are expected to clean up after themselves. However, until the meds kick in, my epilepsy and ADD kiddo cannot possibly focus long enough to do so.
I find something for my child to do until the meds kick in. Usually, that means around 9 or 10 a.m.
Notice the things I did not do by 8 a.m.
I did not make my breakfast or coffee, take a bath, or brush my teeth. I didn't do yoga or take a walk. I didn't check Facebook or read a newspaper.
In the photo attached to this post, you can see the rest of my day.
Lots of activities for my kids. Occupational therapy. Psychologist. Homeschooling at a coffee shop (because we are stuck in the city for appointments but live in the suburbs). Choir practice and carpool. Piano practice.
Personal responsibilities. Phone calls to the neurologist, psychiatrist, and speech therapist. Contacting my accountant. Errands to fill prescriptions. Housework. Deadlines. Feeding me (and the kid who is at home right now). Making supper. Supervising the bath of the epilsepy kid. Two work e-mails to send.
Sometimes, I have to actually schedule time to workout or take a bath.
By 8 p.m., when the kids go to bed (the younger to sleep and the older to read), I am exhausted. But there is still stuff to do.
Last night, at around 9 p.m., I finally went to bed. I read half of The Martian. (OMG, it is an organizers dream. His problem-solving and work ethic is AMAZING!!!) I stayed up reading until midnight. That's too late for me.
So, this morning, I am writing this, bleary-eyed and without coffee (yet).
All the things that I didn't do yesterday loom over me, like an ominous storm cloud.
I am making a list and hoping to get it all done. But it's already 8:21 a.m. and success is not looking likely.
Overwhelmed? Stress-out? Feel like you hear exactly what I am saying?
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3 comments:
Anyone who reads your blog and sees photos of your planner pages cannot say you are a 'lady of leisure'. You are a well-oiled, schedule/list-making/planning machine! Even if you don't get half the stuff done you've planned to do, you've got it down. You built a system that works for you.
No go back to watching that chick flick and eating bon-bons!
I checked the Martian out of the library, but haven't been motivated to start. I wasn't sure if I would like a book about outer space. But a book about a really organized person who is in outer space- I can get into that. LOL
When I had 2 kids, someone asked me what I did all day. My response was that I took care of the kids. She said, but what do you DO all day? (I thought that was obvious.)
One of the things I appreciated about living in Congo is that a SAHM is a completely acceptable, respectable occupation. :)
Oh, the SAHM stories could just pile up. My most memorable "What is your name and job?" Not so annoying, but 3 times, and very condescending . Answer- Susie Homemaker. I'm CEO, COO, and GM of my home. Reaction- HUH? That was fun!
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