Alternate title: Stacy Cleans the Kitchen

When the kids were little, every year, I created a day-in-the-life photo journal. My days were packed with the exhausting work of kid maintenance on very little sleep. It felt like my days were a blur of buckling car seats, changing diapers, and so. much. food. prep.

I am amazed at how similar my days are now, except substitute all that kid work with DIY work and maintenance on BHH and our belongings. Basically, this house is like a giant whiny baby that constantly needs attention. I realize that sounds very negative. Rest assured, I love whiny babies. Actually, I just love babies in general, and I love BHH too.

On any given day, I have several unfinished projects or stalled projects due to lack of supplies or time to complete them. I am sure that many of us can relate to this problem. Our lives pull us in all directions. High fives to all of you who do far more than I do in one day’s time. You are warriors.

Morning

5:45-6:00 am – I normally wake up right as Andy is leaving, but I stay in bed until 7-7:30. During that time, I answer e-mail, blog and Instagram comments. I also research things related to the blog and do website maintenance.

7:00 to 7:30 am: I get out of bed. A. is an early bird too. He has been awake for about the same time. I give him some breakfast options, and I head downstairs to make mine.

After breakfast, I clean the kitchen and bring all the laundry downstairs. The kids do their own laundry so it is really just my personal laundry and the towels from the bathroom. After the laundry is started, I head back upstairs to the computer. I use that time to check our personal calendar so I make sure that I do not forget anything that I am supposed to do during the day. I also roughly plan what I want to make sure the kids get done for school that day or I pay bills.

8:45 am

The kids, except for A., are still asleep! (See? This parenting gig does get easier.) I continue school and research as necessary.

I head outside on the porch to read. O. is reading To Kill a Mockingbird for school this year, and I am re-reading it so we can have a proper discussion about it. A few pages in, I remember why I love it so much.

This is my view from the chair on the porch.

9:00 am – A. leaves for college.

The rest of the kids are STILL not up.

9:30 am – Since the kids know that I will only make breakfast for them until 8 am, I start on a morning project. On this day, I am re-gluing the door of our antique cabinet. It has been broken for over two months. There is always something in the queue around here.

9:45 – I decide to wake up my lazy children. S. tells me that he has been awake for awhile. He has been reading. He puts his dirty clothes in the washer. It is clearly his laundry day since he is wearing short pants. Side note: The laundry room is a hot mess. It is on the project list.

During this time, I make food for later and eat my second breakfast. Does anyone else use the Instant Pot (affiliate link – Please see our full disclosure statement here.)  It is the perfect “fill it and walk away” appliance. On this occasion, I use it to make hard-boiled eggs. (If you are considering a purchase, Amazon has amazing sales on the IP. Keep your eyes open, and grab it when the price fits your budget.)

10:15 am – Finally, all of the kids are awake. M. tells me that she has been awake since 8:30. She is completely sucked into the Harry Potter series right now, and she can’t put her book down. While everyone gets breakfast for themselves, I start on my second project of the morning which is bicycle maintenance. I am actually kind of at loose ends at this point. I typically do my running training during this time, but I have just completed a big event over the weekend, and therefore, I am resting this week.

I have sold a bike that M. has outgrown on Craigslist so I make sure that the tires are pumped up, and I attempt to reattach the doll seat. Unfortunately, I cannot find the hardware I need in the basement so I make a list for the hardware store.

I finish maintenance on the blue bike and set the purple one aside for later.

10:45 am – Not surprisingly, the kitchen needs to be cleaned again. O. has finished his chore of unloading the dishwasher. I spend some extra cleaning time in the kitchen. I was gone over the weekend, and there are tasks that did not get done while I was away.

I take a moment to admire the clean kitchen. One day I will probably stop doing this. Today is not that day.

11:00 am – Now that everyone is fed and ready, we start on the schoolwork that requires my help. The kids have projects and work that keep them busy for much of the day, but only a certain amount of it involves me. I typically sit with the kids while they do their math. (M. wrote thank you notes on this day so I stayed close to check her spelling and punctuation. My involvement varies from day to day.)

While I sit, I make projects lists or meal plan. Today is grocery shopping day so I  work on that list.

Afternoon

12:00 pm – The kids are done so I get out of school early. Yay! Because one of his classes did not meet, A. arrives home early from college too. I make lunch for everyone and play on Instagram.

12:30 pm – After lunch, I set up for my afternoon project. I check my project list, and M. and I drive into town to purchase supplies. (I share my car with A. I can do local errands on my bike, but I wait for the car if I need to pick up large items that require transport.)

12:45 pm – Millie is upset that she cannot go for a ride, but it is too hot for her to sit in the car while she waits for us. She expresses this displeasure by passive aggressively standing behind the car as we attempt to leave.

Our errands include the glass shop. I pick up a storm window that we had repaired, and I order a pane of old, wavy glass for the sidelight window. The shop owner gives it to me for free! BHH needs plenty of glass. This free pane of glass is a much-appreciated drop in the bucket. I love making connections with the businesses that help us keep BHH at her best.

M. conducts her bank business before we pick up supplies at the hardware store. Incidentally, this is when I realize that she was wearing this outfit yesterday. That means, not only did she not change her clothes, she slept in them too.  #motheroftheyear

When we arrive home, I send M. upstairs to change clothes, and I test the fit of the pane of glass. It is perfect. I set it aside to work on another day. I head upstairs to read and nap for 45 minutes. Yes, I take a nap almost every day. I am an adult trapped in a toddler’s circadian rhythm. It all started when my kids were little. They outgrew their naps. I didn’t.

2:30 pm – I finish up the bike for Craigslist, and I load it into the car so I will not forget to deliver it.

I also reinstall the door on our antique cabinet. That job goes smoothly which I did not expect. Antiques can be a little tricky.

3:00 pm – Time for more dishes. I remind the kids to do their other daily chores. They have personal computer time at 3:00 pm, and they must have their chores and schoolwork done first. Everyone gets their work done. The idea of personal computer time is very motivating.

3:30 pm – This is when I realize that I do not really have time to work on my afternoon project (the screen door) and get everything cleaned up by the time we have to leave for evening activities. I consider installing the window pane instead, but I decide that I do not have time for that either. After I put the door and supplies away, I shift gears and work on blog stuff, project planning and finish my list for the grocery store. I feel antsy because I did not work on the screen door or the window pane.

Evening

5:00 pm – It is almost time to leave, but I squeeze in some laundry folding and do another tidy in the kitchen. (I am cleaning the kitchen again!) On Tuesday nights, dinner is super easy. The kids eat leftovers or a frozen meal.

Tuesday evening is also the only time I drive the kids all over now that A. has his driver’s license. I used to be behind the wheel as much as an Uber driver, but life is different now. Technically, I do not even have to drive on this night. A. could be the chauffeur. However, it is one of the only times that I can connect with A. since he works and goes to school. We spend our time in the car discussing alternative music, which we both love, and how things are going in his life. (AKA: I gently prod him regarding his college transfer applications.)

6:30 pm – I drop S. off at his martial arts class. (I also delivered the Craigslist bike.) Andy picks up S. after he gets off work so I do not have to wait or come back to pick him up. I drive 20 more minutes in the opposite direction to deliver A. to his class.

7:00 pm – After I drop A. at fencing, I’m off to the grocery store.

Is anyone else familiar with Wegmans? Wegmans is a magical place. This store is what you get when a traditional grocery store marries a Trader Joes, and they have a little Aldi baby at a farmer’s market. It is one stop shopping at its finest. In addition to groceries, I grab some dinner here.

Despite spending all that time on the shopping list, I forgot it. (Can we all relate?) I do a surprisingly good job working from my memory.

8:30 – I pick A. up from class and we chat all the way home.

9:00 pm – When we arrive home, A. helps unload the groceries.

9:30 pm – After I put the groceries away, I complete the last tidy in the kitchen. I love this kitchen. I do. I cannot stop looking at it. I don’t even mind cleaning it so much. That enthusiasm may wane over time, but the love is strong today.

Cleaning the kitchen and putting away the groceries is my final obligation for the day. I head back upstairs to tuck everyone in (even the big kids!). Andy and I chat for a few minutes. This is the first time I have seen him all day. All six of us usually end up together, hanging out in our bedroom. As is typical, the youngest child gets her second wind about this time. Why does this always happen? She bounces around and talks a mile-a-minute. On this evening, she shows off her six-pack abs which she totally has because gymnastics rocks. The boys ask us to watch ridiculous YouTube videos. We oblige, and they are so very silly.

By 10:15, everyone is in their own room. I put Millie in her crate, and I read or watch a show on Netflix or Hulu. Andy is asleep immediately. M. is out by 10:30. I drift off between 11:00-11:30. I have no idea when the boys fall asleep since they are teenagers.

Additional Thoughts

After I read and edited this post, I realized that because I do not post many pictures of the kids on this blog, it may seem like I ignore them.  They are actually in and out of my daily projects and obligations. However, they are older and spend time alone or playing together quite often. They spend their daytime hours doing schoolwork, reading, and working on personal projects. I often find M. playing in her room with her dolls. On this particular day, we did not go anywhere until the evening.  However, there are days when we are gone for hours meeting friends, visiting the library and playing outside. Sometimes I think that the term homeschool should be changed to “awayschool.”

In addition, I noticed how much of my time is spent planning projects for, talking about, and working on Blake Hill House. I knew it was a lot, but I did not realize just how much until I wrote it all down. The specifics of each day change, but the attention to BHH is constant. There are time-consuming projects that require planning and slam-dunk tasks that can be completed in an afternoon. Each day I try to squeeze in a project or two in hopes of whittling away at our super-sized to-do list. Owning a fixer-upper is tiring but rewarding, much like parenting. I know that I could get more done if I just worked faster or harder. However, this is all I can accomplish right now without sacrificing these last few years with our kids at home or my sanity. Right now, it is enough. I am giving it all I’ve got.

How do you spend your days?