Routine

The last time I wrote a post documenting our daily lives was in April 2012.

I have found it is fun from time to time to document what a day looks like and what our current normal is. Surprisingly, not a whole lot has changed. At least not as far as our day-to-day activities. We have moved since then (not as big or as far as the first time we moved, but still), and, somewhat unexpectedly, I switched jobs.  So without further ado:

3:00am - that is the time Chad gets up and gets ready to go to work. I don't know how he does it. Not only is that insanely early, but he gets up and gets to work early every day! At that hour I would totally be sleeping until the last possible minute (I do that anyway!).

4:00am - the time Chad actually starts work. He continues to work 4:00am - 2:30pm four days a week, with overtime hours available on Friday every few weeks. This has worked well for us over the last two years.

5:45am - this is when my alarm starts going off. I say starts because I am one of those people who needs to set alarms at 5-15 minute increments before I am actually able to get up and get moving. I am sure it is a mental game, and something I just let myself believe instead of it actually being true.

6:20am - the time I actually roll out of bed most days.

7:00am - is when I am typically finished getting ready for work. If Ava has not gotten up yet, I will wake her up. Chad gets his first break of the day at this time and will call to check in with us (mostly Ava). Sometimes I try to use this as a motivator and tell Ava she should try to get dressed before Daddy calls. It doesn't always work. Again, tends to depend on when she got up.

7:20am - if we aren't gone yet, this is when I start getting anxious. I try to leave by 7:15, but can admit most days it is usually rushed. I have lost Mom of the Year award on more than on occasion in these last few minutes of our morning. I know this could be avoided if I got up earlier. Old habits are just hard to break! Thankfully, day care is one block behind us and I still get to work most days by 7:30/7:35.

----

2:30pm - Chad gets off work and heads home. With his 20 minute drive, it is usually 3:00 before he gets home. I try to be understanding of the insane time he wakes up and not care that he will take a nap. Yet I have hounded him on occasion about having 1 - 1 1/2 hours to himself and how he could use that time to get things done! :)

4:15/4:30pm - Ava gets picked up from day care, usually by Daddy but from time to time I will leave work and get her.

5:00pm - typically, I am home already but if not this is the latest I will leave work by. At my previous job, I stayed until 5:00 nightly just to stay on top of paperwork. At my current job, if I am caught up on things 4-4:30 is sufficient usually. Lately it has been 5:00 more often than not just because it is that time of year! And I have stayed until 6:00 a handful of times this year, too. It just depends.

5:00-6:00pm -  there is usually some sitting and relaxing, checking in with each other, helping each other get supper ready, eating, trying to pick things up, etc. This hour goes pretty fast! Right now on Tuesdays, Ava had dance from 5:15-5:45, so we are out the door by 5:00 and home around 6:15.

6:00-6:30pm - if it is not an Interval Conditioning class night, I will try to leave to go for a run in this time frame. If I can get out the door, it allows me to try and be home for bed time. This changes in summer especially when I have to wait until later in order for it to cool down (looking forward to that about now!) If it happens to be Tuesday or Thursday, I will leave the house about 7 - unless I try to run before class. No matter what, it is about 8/8:30 when I get home. I try not to feel guilty about missing time at home; this is my 1 - 1 1/2 hours, but any Mom will relate when I say it is not always easy. I often wish I had a schedule that allowed me to do this while she was still in day care. As a working Mom, I really do struggle to find the time to do it all!

Bedtime - Chad will go to bed anytime between 8:00 and 9:00 depending on when I get home, what show is on tv and what time Ava goes down! Ava does not have a set bedtime.  As a baby and into the toddler years, we snuggled each other at night and that probably continued too long. Sue me! :) So, it is still a challenge to get her to go to bed in her own room and on her own. A challenge that we just haven't picked. Some nights it is in our bed. Some nights it is snuggling in the living room. Most nights she is out between 7:00 and 8:00, though once or twice a week it will push 8:30/9:00. We try to not have it get to that point. As for myself - it really varies with the season and what my workouts look like, what time I am getting done, etc. Right this moment, with the Olympics on, it has been after 11 for the last two weeks. Between 10 and 11 is more typical.

----

There you have it. A basic glimpse into our daily lives. As I was writing this, I couldn't help but think I will have to re-do this several times in the next several months. I am a teacher, but I switched majors a few times, finished a different degree first, but finally went back to college and made that a reality, and then I was working in a year round school for two years (three summers since I had started in June). So this summer is going to be so much fun! I could and should work for the extra money, but I am going to soak up the time with Ava. Then in Fall, Ava will start pre-school! It is shaping up to be an exciting year around here!

----

Anything unique about your daily routines? Does it switch often and stay pretty stagnate?
How do you balance each of your roles?