Thursday, February 23, 2017

Day in the Life - Wednesday before last Edition

I love a good "Day in the Life" post and so today I'm sharing our very "typical" Wednesday.

I really really wish I was a morning person, but I'm just not.  My mom is an amazing morning person and has walked 3 miles, prepped dinner and done her Bible study before 6 a.m.  I can remember waking up as a kid and always being impressed with how she had accomplished so much before I was even awake.  I've tried to be a morning person several times... but it's just not in me.  I will set my alarm for 5:00.... and then just lay there, willing myself to get up... thinking about all the productive things I could be doing but in the end I end up laying there half asleep for an hour and then am tired the rest of the day.  On the rare occasion that I do will myself out of bed early I'm just bitter and grumpy that everyone else is still all cozy and asleep.  That said, I try to work my shower schedule so that I only HAVE to wash, dry and fix my hair two school mornings a week... buying myself an extra hour of precious time in bed :)  On this particular day I had showered and done my hair the day before so I was good to sleep in as late as possible.  #amen





Rise and shine...


... well... kind of.  Usually I can be suckered into at least another 5 minutes of snuggles :)

The boys have alarm clocks that go off at 6:30 at which point they come down to our room to get dressed.  We keep all the uniform pieces in Dave's closet and at night we just lay them out on the couch in our room and they come down and get changed.  We tried keeping the uniforms in their rooms, but for quick morning prep keeping their uniform pieces in our room just makes life easier.

Please note that even my children are up and at 'em and I'm still in bed.  #thestruggleisreal


Finally up and ready to deal with all of this...


A cup of tea and a piece of peanut butter toast to keep me motivated.


I try to pick out my clothes the night before and on this day I knew I was going to want to sleep in so I went with something super easy.


I blasted on a bit of this magical stuff...


... and helped this girl brush her hair and pull it up #trollhair



I also did the boys hair, but that involved gel on my hands so I don't have a pic :)

I laid out Griffin's clothes for the day (I usually try to do this at night, but forgot Tuesday night because I had friends over and our we weren't in our normal routine)...


... and was out the door with these two around 7:10.


If the boys have cooperative spirits and eat all their breakfast then I reward them with carpool drop-off.  Otherwise I park at middle school and they have to walk all the way down.  Since I started doing this (maybe 2 months ago???) we have had ZERO issues in the morning.  #momwin 
(I was PARKED behind a line of cars still dropping off)



I circled back around and parked...


... and then was ready to start teaching!  I prep everything the day before so I don't have much to mess with in the mornings.  My first class starts at 7:45.



I teach 6 different classes from 7:45 - 1:15.... 2 PreAlgebra, 2 Math 7, an Honors Algebra and and Honors Pre-Algebra.  So this is what the bulk of my day looks like :)





Lunch is a quick 25 mins and twice a week I have lunch duty.  On this particular day I was free and so I enjoyed some peace and quiet along with my linguine and salad (leftovers from what I cooked for having friends over the night before).  This is often when I have my quiet time and read through a devotional email I get and/or just pray.


After lunch I had to run and scan a couple of things, so I swung by the early childhood playground and gave Mason a squeeze before heading to the office.



After 100+ students and 6 hours of teaching this is what my desk area looked like.  OMG.


My planning periods are both together at the end of the day and this is when I prep for the upcoming day, grade papers, get my planner in order, enter attendance, do behavior reports, etc.



Luke's class was selling Val-O-Grams to raise money for the Collin County Child Advocacy program and so I headed down to the lower school office to buy a few to send to the boys.


Around 3:00 I indulged in a Dr.Pepper (my occasional guilty pleasure) and some trail mix to get ready for kids coming in after school for homework help and tutoring.


About an hour of tutoring and a little bit more prep and I'm ready to pick up the boys and head to get Griffin.


Carrying home a solid 10 pounds of grading and laptop.  #teacherlife


I grabbed the boys from extended school supervision and found Mason playing tea party with some of the girls...



.... and Luke apparently having a written conversation in Spanish with his friends :) 



Time to get GRIFFIN!!!


Whole crew ready to go! And Mason not happy that it was Griffin's turn to pick the music.


We were home around 4:30 and the kids started their after school duties.  Griffin let Jack Bauer outside...


... the boys changed clothes and then threw their dirty clothes in the washer and then it was homework time.


Typically we'd head outside and play, but on this particular night both boys had basketball and so we had to get a few things done first.  (please note Jack Bauer waiting for Mason to be able to play!)

Luke was upstairs getting some of his reading done and Griffin played a bit on ABCya while I got dinner started.


After homework was done Mason decided to hang out at my feet while I cooked :)


Crazy.  Town.


Thank you Trolls movie for a few minutes of peace while I finished dinner prep.






The kids had requested spaghetti pie and so that's what I had been working on for about 25 minutes after we got home.


I popped the pie in the oven and then the kids helped me set the table while I cleaned up in the kitchen.


My dishwasher was full of clean dishes so I opted for hand washing.


Dave got home a little bit after five and we sat down around 5:45 for dinner.


Look how well our devotion was going, y'all! ;)



Both the boys had basketball at 6:30 and they left around 6:15.  Dave was coaching Mason's team, so he took the boys and I stayed home with Griffin.  First up, pink bubble bath.



Once I had Griffin in the tub I took a few minutes to wash my face, put on moisturizer, pull my hair up and get my pjs on.


Then I got a few housecleaning tasks done while she swam.  I was in the bathroom with her so we sang ABC's, practiced counting and discussed the mermaid life while I cleaned :)




After bath time she and I headed upstairs for hair brushing and books.


She performed a few songs and then it was time for tea.



Music on.  Laundry to fold.  GG waiting for her boys to get home.



Boys got home and immediately it was time for showers because Holy SWEATY after basketball.

Dave tucked Griffin in and I started the washer while the boys had some reading time in their beds.


I sprayed down the kitchen counters...



... packed lunches and snacks....


... and made sure backpacks and jackets were ready for the next morning.


All that took about 35 minutes at which point I ran upstairs to tuck in the boys and run through Mason's sight words once before bed.



It was definitely a later night than normal (they didn't get back from basketball until after 8), but lights out before 9 was still a win.



Well... lights out for Mason. This kid wanted to read oooooone more chapter and I couldn't say no to that!



All the kids in bed and time for some New Girl and grading.


Dave was on the couch and I was at the table because I knew if I sat down on the couch I wouldn't be productive at all.


Grading.  Done.


And then it was time for me to finish up a practice test answer key for my first period class on Thursday morning.


Upstairs to check on the kids and put their hearts on their doors for that day...




Jack Bauer is ready for bed :)


We try to pick up before bedtime and typically the kids take their own things upstairs before bed (apparently except for the woody doll on the floor).




Switching the laundry to the dryer...


... and then a little bowl of Lucky Charms before bed #keepinitreal



A few minutes of reading and it was lights out for me around 11:30.

A couple of things... 

I've been trying reeeeally hard to get "ahead" a bit in blogging so that about 3 nights a week (M-F)  I don't get on the computer at all at home.  

I also try to leave school work at school... but as a Math teacher I know how important it is for kids to get feedback on work they complete ASAP (and they're completing at least one assignment... often an in-class task AND a homework page) which means I have 100-200 papers PER DAY to grade and enter in my online grade book.  I try to get it done during my planning periods, but depending on conferences/meetings I have, I can't always get them all done at school.  Getting a couple of days behind means I can have 500+ papers to grade. UGH!!! So sometimes bringing it home is inevitable.

This particular day was busy because the boys had basketball - on nights that they don't have basketball we like to spend that time playing games, going to the park, playing in the yard, etc. and our goal is to have everyone in bed by 8 pm..

I usually cook dinner Sunday - Wednesday nights.  Dave works the other nights of the week and so cooking Sun-Wed leaves me with lots of leftovers to feed the kids on the nights when it's harder for me to get it all together (and clean up after) solo.  We also do Pizza Friday :)

I don't have a set cleaning routine, but do try to do several little tasks every day (cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming stairs, dusting, etc.) and pretty much every single day we wipe the kitchen counters wash/fold/dry a load of laundry (I wash everything together on cold) and pick up at night. 

So... there you have it!  A day in our lives!  
Does your day look similar to mine?  WAAAAY different?  Do tell!

Happy Thursday, friends!

64 comments :

  1. I love these post~ What a great day!!
    I love Griffin's pink bubble bath!!

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    1. Thanks, Heather! I think we all could use a pink bubble bath every once in a while, right? ;)

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  2. Why, oh why are these posts SO fun to read? Loved seeing what you did all day!

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    1. I agree! I love a day in the life! Erika I enjoyed yours too :)

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  3. I can't get over how quickly you are able to get you and the kids ready and get out the door in the morning! And the carpool line reward? Genius! :)

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    1. It's more out of necessity than anything else :) hahaha

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  4. I try sooooo hard to be a morning. But I just can't. My body and mind wins on sleeping in every time!!!

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  5. I loved navigating through the day with you and your sweet family. Thanks for taking us along.

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  6. Girl, I love these posts! Loved hearing about your day!! Xo :)

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  7. My kids are little older now ( almost 12 and almost 9) so can do a bit more on their own but that also means more sports nights. My days look a lot like yours.... I love your 'day in the life' compared to many bloggers who show gym, lunch with friends, shopping etc. I CANNOT relate to any of that :)

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    1. Yes!! I love a real life day in the life!

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    2. I can't either.... well maybe a bit in the summer, but during the school year no :) So glad y'all enjoyed!

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  8. I love these posts so much!! You get so much done throughout the day, that's awesome!! We really need to be better about having our kids pick up before they go to bed every night *sigh*

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    1. It's a pain a lot of the time - but they're pretty good about picking up as they go so it's not a huge task before bed. Good luck!

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  9. What type of vacuum cleaner do you use to vacuum your stairs?

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    1. A Dyson Stick! It's fantastic because there's no cord to mess with!

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  10. Love this! Thanks for sharing and giving us a peek into your everyday life. =) It's helpful to see your time management skills too!

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    1. Oh girl... if it's multitasking then I'm there :) hahaha So glad you enjoyed!

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  11. Goodness gracious, lady! You have a LOT of preps.. I really respect you using your planning periods for grading.. That is a big challenge for me because my colleagues are SO COOL and it's SO TEMPTING to chat with them until Kingdom come. Thanks for sharing your day! Your kiddos are adorable!

    www.basicbritt.com

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    1. I definitely spend my fair share of time in the teacher workroom eating candy and talking ;) hahaha

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  12. Love these posts! It's so fun to see what everyone else does every day.

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    1. Me too!!! So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading, Britt!

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  13. Wow! I am so inspired by your productivity and organization! Quick question, did you use a protector, like Scotchguard, or something else on your sectional sofa to protect it from stains? How do you keep it clean? Thanks.

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    1. I haven't so far (insert ooops face here), but we have had the cleaning company come out twice (it's part of a program we bought into) and spot clean it. Scotch guarding it is on my to-do list though!

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  14. Thank you for sharing your day and giving us a realistic view of how to make it work. You blended family and work so well, it's a balancing act for sure!

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    1. Totally!!! And there are definitely days where one or the other gets shorted... but for the most part I try to keep it pretty balanced.

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  15. Love these posts!!! You are inspiring me to try to my own soon. I know I will look back and be glad that I have the memories.

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    1. Yes! It's so neat to look back at different posts and reminisce about what my "normal" was at that time. Go for it!

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  16. I love these posts! You get an an amazing amount of things done! I love having everything ready the night before, makes mornings much better! I am so not a morning person either, I've started going to the gym at 5:30. The one and only reason I can do it is because I am meeting someone. I would never get up any other way!

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  17. Day in the Life posts are my FAVORITE!! I think I'm going to do my very first one next week. I'm still getting the hang of the blogging thing! And I am soooo not a morning person either. I wish I knew how to change it but I just can't do it. And when I do wake up early I am grumpy and exhausted by 3 or 4. I am a total night owl. And I love The New Girl! You remind me of her actually!

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    1. I was reading your blog and when you mentioned New Girl I thought "THAT'S who Andrea reminds me of!"....so apparently I'm not alone and Amanda thinks so too! haha. LOVE this post!

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  18. I LOVE these types of posts! Thanks for the insight into your life! I definitely think I need to be better at prepping the day before. It would certainly save me valuable time!

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  19. These are some of my VERY favorite posts!!!!

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  20. You are pretty amazing to get all that done in one day. Teachers are awesome!!

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  21. Your family is so sweet and I love your house - so cozy!

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  22. Day in the life posts are some of my favorites. The most notable to me was that it takes an hour for your hair! The one benefit of my fine thin hair is that I can completely dry and style it in less than three minutes. Five minutes of it's curled.

    http://www.lettinginthelightblog.com

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  23. Totally wish I could become a morning person. I do get up at 5 many days but I absolutely hate it. You are a busy momma but obviously make good use of the time you have.

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  24. Whew! Exhausting! I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who just can't wake up any early than I absolutely have to! All of these ladies who wake up at 4 or 4:30... props to them!!

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  25. I enjoy these types of posts! My days are similar to yours since I work out of the home and am gone from 7:00-5:15 every day. There are a lot of things we have to pack into a very short amount of home time! Tonight I'm going to clean my bathroom baseboards while my kids have their baths- so exciting. ;-p

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  26. I see you are doing quadratics! That's always a hard topic for my kiddos, if you have any advice please share! :)

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  27. Love this post! I am amazed at how much you get done! Question, the bowls in the picture with the 409, do You know the brand? I love them! I appreciate the info!

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  28. I feel lazy. Where did you get that blue dress?

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  29. Waaaaaayyyy different for me! Every day is pretty much routine for me, and nights are different every single night. I'm crazy like that!

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  30. I love these posts! You get so much done in a day! I love that you own not being a morning person. I am definitely a night own and for some reason always feel bad about it. Like I make excuses for not waking up early to get all the things done. I really just need to own my night own status! Love all the sweet moments you pack into your busy days. Thanks for sharing.

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  31. Loved this post! I'm a teacher so I can totally relate. It's so hard keeping up with grading!

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  32. It's so nice to see someone with an ACTUAL job does during the day. ;)

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  33. Wow girl. You are one hard working mama and teacher! Thanks for sharing!

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  34. Love your day in the life post! Let's be real, I love all your post! Question- do you ever drink water through out the day? I know you love your tea and I love my diet coke but I find it hard to get water in through out the busy day. Plus water isn't my favorite lol

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  35. No kids at home now so yes, way different! LOL

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  36. I love seeing how another teacher with kids gets through the day! What type of planner do you use for school? You are way more together than I am!Thanks for sharing!

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  37. Teacher question here...what type of teacher planner is that? I LOVE it! Also, these posts are my favorite!! ☺️

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  38. Whew! I am a work-from-home but full-time Mom. I take my son to school and then my daughter stays with my Mom each day while I work. It's great to be able to keep up with laundry and misc. I am so grateful for the flexibility of not having a commute. I do our laundry on Monday's and then try to get everything put up that day or by Tues. I cook most week nights too except for Wednesdays because we go to church so we do pizza. My morning starts at 6 am too. I don't know how you find the time to do all that you do and still keep the blog running smoothly. You're amazing! I am curious to know what kids of things do you purposely let go? Like for instance, in this season of life I am just not concerned with doing crafts. I used to have more time to do it but I just don't. I've let that go unless I can block off a day to get some little project that I've been wanting to do, done. Also, how do you find time to do regular errands like run by the bank or buy gifts. Do you do that on the weekends mainly? I am just curious.

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  39. I loved reading about your day! You are so organized! Gives me some motivation for my life!! :) Thanks for sharing!

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  40. I am super impressed with how quickly you get up, dressed, your kids ready, and out the door! Also, HOLY TIRED! Your days are FULL! You do an amazing job at balancing it all! Also, I hope to be as much as a super mom as you are someday. :) You inspire me.

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  41. Any chance you remember where you got the adorable shelving unit above your toilet?
    Thanks for sharing your day! You seem to have a well organized, balanced day and definitely make the most of your time! #myinspiration

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  42. Loved this you're awesome and an inspiration to moms!!!☺☺

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  43. Thanks for sharing. Its nice to see that we are all in this together. I have one question though... What is spaghetti pie? It looked amazing.

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