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Friday, 20 August 2010

A day in the working mom

Wednesday 18-8-2010
A day in the life – Cat at Juggling Act of Life has done it, as well as Laura at Harassed Mom.

2:00 (bit foggy about the time) Mieka cries. I fetch her and bring her to our bed. Put her on the breast. I feel that she is burning hot from fever and gets up to put in a suppository. Dries fetches a damp cloth to put on her forehead. She tosses and turns until about 3 when the fever breaks.

5:00 Alarms go off. I switch mine off, and gets back into bed. (Mieka is still in bed with us). Dries switches his alarm off, and gets back into bed.

5:20 Dries gets up and shower.

5.35 Dries goes downstairs to start with breakfast and the lunch boxes. I snuggle a little bit closer with my sleeping toddler (no fever) next to me.

5:45 I get up and get dressed. Make-up as well.

5:57 Take out clothes that needs to be ironed.

6:00 I pick up the sleeping toddler and put on her clothes which I have selected the previous night. She sleeps through everything, even while combing her hair.

6:07 Go downstairs, and sits with her for a while on the breast.

6:15 I place the sleeping toddler in Dries’s arms. I collect all my stuff (lunch box and Mieka’s bag, with her bottles that has been prepared by Dries). I put my breakfast – boiled egg on toast (aka Dries) – on the front seat. I make sure that food and key is in place for the cleaning lady coming in for the week.

6:20 Dries places the sleeping toddler in her car seat. (Dries and the teen leaves a little bit later and he drops her off at her school).

6:30 I drop the sleeping toddler off at the crèche. I have to place her in another person’s arms and she cries. I have to leave her...

6:35 Sit in traffic and eat my breakfast and drink my morning herbal tea.

7:20 Arrive in the office. Start checking my emails, and check some blogs.

7:45 Drink coffee with colleagues.

8:10 Work!

12:30 Drive to school to fetch the teen. The school closes at 13:00 because they have an Open Day for next year’s grade 8 scholars.

13:25 Stop at McDonalds for a take-away.

13:35 Back at my work-station.

15:30 Leave work with the teen and colleague, Johann.

16:05 Pick up the toddler at the crèche. They tell me that she has been a bit difficult and complaining during the day.

16:15 Drops blind colleague on corner of his street.

16:25 Shop at the nearby Spar. The teen wants blue balloons, scrap book paper and felt-tip pens. We find the felt-tip pens at the Waltons next door.

16:50 Arrive home. Breastfeed the toddler.

17:00 Dries arrives home. He takes out haddock out of the freezer, and puts vegetables in the steamer.

17:15 I feed Mieka a bit of leftover pasta. She eats a little.

17:30 We play with Mieka – crayons and she plays with her “toilet”. She plays for a while in the teen’s room. We watch The Doctors (a fav) in the background!

18:00 We eat. With a glass of red wine! Mieka plays with her food.

18:30 We watch V.

18:40 Mieka falls asleep on the breast.

19:30 We bath the toddler who has woken up again.

19:50 Medicines for the toddler.

20:00 I announces that we are going to bed, and the toddler waves and kisses her Dad.

20:05 I read a book with the toddler.

20:10 I lie down with the toddler on our bed and breastfeed her. She falls asleep, but seems restless.

21:00 I give up and take the toddler downstairs again.

21:10 I blog. Dries spends a bit of time with the toddler.

21:20 Dries takes the toddler upstairs with a bottle.

21:35 Dries comes down again after the toddler had fallen asleep, and we watch some television.

22:30 I take a bath.

22:50 I try to take the toddler to her bed. She cries and I put her on the breast.

23:05 I try again to put her in her own bed. No success!

23:10 We get into bed with Mieka in-between.

(This is not a normal day! But I don’t think we have any “normal” days anymore...)

Have you noticed? I have a Saint for a husband! I couldn’t have done it without him!

PLaying Follow Friday 40 and over. Go and check Java at Never Growing Old for the rules:

12 comments:

  1. There's no such thing as a 'normal' day. But every day is exhausting in its own special way, isn't it?

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  2. I'm going to be brutally honest here (and i know you're not going to like what i'm going to say so feel free to shout at me!!)

    YOu need a routine for the toddler! Bedtime is bedtime. The reason she fusses so much is because she knows she is going to be picked up. Trust me, your lives will be a lot easier.

    And now you can shout. I don't mind. ANd yes, you do have a saint for a husband. I do too, lucky, aren't we?

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  3. I read this post and was left exhausted;-D

    For the life of me I cannot even begin to imagine getting up that early and sitting in the traffic for an hour.

    Thank heavens my children are grownups.

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  4. Shayne, yes, we are quilty sometimes! Because we don't do the cry thing. But our little toddler was sick this week, and she struggled with a bad post nasal drip. (I had her at the doctor this morning, again.)
    But we also have a fixed routine. Bath at 7. Bed at 8. But when she's sick, it all goes haywire...

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  5. Ai, every time they get sick, things get so hectic. Hope today was better.

    We are very strict with bed time - with twins there is no other option.

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  6. Thanks for the FF from Java's, Karen. Right back at ya :-)
    Sounds like your days are filled to the brim. Hats off for being a new mom @ 40. You're a gutsy lady!

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  7. Can I relate to your blog! I'm 45 and have a 7 year old and an 18 year old. I remember the toddler days-I was divorced-UGH! My days were never normal. I'm a follower...hope you can stop by my blog. Found you on over forty follow friday.

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  8. Sounds so familiar!
    Stopping by from over 40.

    Have a great day!
    http://harrietandfriends.com/2010/08/cameron-diaz-is-dangerous/

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  9. What an exhausting day. Glad to hear it's not typical. Found you from Follow Friday! I'll check back to check in to your hectic life!

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  10. Thanks God my kids are all grown up!I can't imagine myself, as busy as you...at 42, I easily get tired :P

    I am following you from Friday Follow 40 And Over. Would appreciate it if you could stop by my blog and follow me back.

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  11. Hope the little one is feeling a lot better! I read the teen's post as well and it sounds like she has a good attitude about the SRC disappointment! Good for her!

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  12. Sounds just as hectic as mine. Thanx for visiting my blog :)

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