A Day in the Life

I don’t remember where I first saw someone do this, but I’ve read a few posts where people chronicle their day, simply relating what they did for 24 hours. I like the idea, it’s kind of like leaving a map of one’s daily life, so that a future me might come back and read it and remember what my days were like when I had two small children. I’ve been wanting to do it, but never settled on a day before. I think yesterday was as good a day as any. It was a bit crazier than most days, but I also think it gives a good idea of all the many things I feel like I’m juggling on any given day. So here goes. (I tried to keep this brief, but of course I failed miserably.)

5:38 Monito wakes me up before my alarm. I sleepily check my phone for the time, turn off my alarms (so they won’t go off while I’m in with him), turn off the sound monitor (so it won’t wake Mi.Vida), put on my robe and make a bottle. I feed Monito, change him, and put him back to bed, praying he’ll fall back asleep. Miraculously, he does.

6:00 Lie in bed a bit, reading emails and blog posts. Try not to calculate how much sleep I got the night before.

6:05 Tip toe around our bedroom and scrounge for something suitable to wear. It’s light enough now that I don’t have to use the flashlight app on my phone to find an outfit.

6:10 Take a quick body shower. Get dressed in the bathroom.

6:24 Run downstairs to get the cloth diaper pockets and inserts from the laundry. Throw some into a dry, clean wet back and bring them upstairs. Sit on the couch and put together 18 diapers. Pack them into the wet bag, add some clean clothes for the week, and leave it next to the stairs.

6:39 Freak out when I realize the plumber is coming today and I haven’t made arrangements for leaving him a key. Wake Mi.Vida with a start. Debate with him whether I should hid a key in the potted plant behind the gate or not lock the garage door. We decide on the potted plant.

6:45 Leave tenant’s unit key in the potted plant. Feel guilty for jarring Mi.Vida awake when I could have figured out myself. Feel resentful that he left all the coordinating of this huge plumbing job to me.

6:50 Get into car. Text the girl I drive to school some days that I’m coming. Drive over to pick her up, using talk to text to message Mi.Vida and the plumber.

7:05 Finally on the highway, headed to work.

7:13 Get a text from the plumber saying that he’s coming the 13th, which is tomorrow. It’s true that we had agreed on the 13th, but we had also agreed on Monday/Tuesday the 13th/14th. Of course Monday/Tuesday is the 12th/13th. I realize my mistake and curse myself loudly. Poor 8th grader tries to look busy on phone. Spend the next 15 minutes using talk to text to get a hold of my tenant and tell her she doesn’t need to out of the unit until tomorrow, and ask the contractor if he can come Thursday/Friday now to install the new cabinets, counter top and sink. He’s not sure that will work but he’ll let me know. I spend the rest of my drive down cursing myself for my stupidity.

7:47 Arrive at work. Decide on a plan for one of my classes. Start looking for the little teaching clocks I need to do the lesson. Never find them, despite tearing my classroom apart for a good 15 minutes. My mom comes in and I yell about not being able to find anything. She asks me what I’m trying to find and disappears hastily.

8:05 Let my class in seconds before the final bell rings. My mom also shows up with little learning clocks that she borrowed from a 2nd grade teacher. I thank her profusely. Take attendance for Advisory.

8:15 Teach 5th grade ELD

9:13 Teach 7th/8th grade Spanish.

10:05 Enjoy a short break.

10:20 Teach 7th/8th grade study skills. Three of my 8th graders are in danger of not graduating.

11:15 Teach 6th grade Spanish. There is an unannounced fire drill and NO ONE finishes the stories we are writing and illustrating for Open House this Wednesday. I won’t see this class again before Wednesday. I declare the day a total failure.

12:07 Dismiss my last class. Run over to my mom’s room to confirm what time she’ll be at my house on Wednesday to meet my in-laws with Monito. Grab a bar to eat in the car.

12:25 Finally driving home. Listen to What Rachel Forgot on the way up. (I am totally obsessed with that book.)

13:07 Arrive at in-laws. Find out Monito’s nap schedule was weird and he just woke up at 12:30pm. Relay plans for Wednesday when I won’t be home because of Open House.

13:35 Head home with a happy baby.

13:57 Arrive home but realize that Monito doesn’t need to nap yet and I have time to drop off a bunch of baby items at the Young Family Resource Center. Hastily pack up car with a bunch of baby crap.

14:10 Lug a bunch of stuff up to the YFRC. Try to keep Monito awake on the way home.

15:00 Give a tired Monito a bottle, change his diaper and put him down for a nap.

15:23 Fill up the inflatable pool in the backyard for a play date I arranged for tomorrow. It’s supposed to be 85* in the city and Osita’s friend will come to splash around in the pool. I’m filling it up today because the plumber will be here tomorrow and I’m assuming the water will be turned off during the day. (I’m proud of this foresight.) Cover the little pool with a tarp so crap won’t blow into in the next 24 hours.

15:46 Decide I’ll definitely do yoga today, since I won’t have time to walk to pick up Osita. Instead spend next hour making a survey about blog use to post here (that later I can’t get to work). Also text with my BFF. Evidently, according to a BuzzFeed quiz Mandy Kaling would play me in a movie about her life, and Zooey Deschanel would play her in a movie about my life. I retake the quiz three times, each with totally different answers, and still get Zooey Deschanel every time. My BFF is amused. She decides she must embrace her “quirky side.”

16:38 Monito wakes up. Change him, feed him and let him play in his exersauser for a bit while I make a shopping list and find reusable bags.

17:15 Leave with Monito to pick up Osita. We head to Safeway. Both kids are actually really good while I do a big shop for the week.

18:23 Finally arrive home. Put on Daniel Tiger for Osita and give her butter noodles and fruit for dinner. Put Monito to bed.

18:45 Come out and help Osita finish her dinner. She begs for another episode. I say she can watch one more if she promises not to fuss during her shower. She happily agrees, proclaiming that she loves washing her hair because the water tickles. Make Osita a smoothie for desert.

19:13 Daniel Tiger ends and Osita balks at prospect of a shower. We lock heads in a power struggle. I finally put her in the tub, literally kicking and screaming. The whole shower is a battle. She comes out sniffling pitifully, eyes red.

19:30 Get Osita into bed and give her her precious warm milk. Brush her hair and teeth, putting her in tomorrow’s school clothes. Negotiate books. We read two books. Mi.Vida comes home but disappears immediately into the back room for a Skype meeting. Ostia asks for one more book. We negotiate: one more book but no cuddle time. After the book she has a meltdown about not getting cuddle time. I leave her in her room screaming because…

19:55 Osita’s screaming wakes up Monito. He won’t be consoled. I make him a small bottle but he only takes two ounces. I leave him screaming and go talk to Osita. This back and forth continues for 15 minutes.

20:55 Finally, everyone is quiet in their rooms. Throw a load of Osita’s laundry into machine. Start making dinner. (Would ditch this but the chicken is use-by today.)

21:20 Mi.Vida finishes with his meeting and comes out to help with dinner. We eat in front of the TV.

22:10 Mi.Vida retreats to the kitchen for clean up. I put the laundry in the dryer. I pull the car out so he can move the trash cans to the curb.

22:30 Collapse into bed, exhausted. Make sure timers are set to do it all over again tomorrow.

2:34 Monito wakes up wanting a bottle. He already ate 34 ounces during the day so I don’t give him one. He cries for 30 minutes before passing out. I pass out again too, trying not to count how many more hours I get to sleep.

6:00 Wake up with my alarm.