7 Quick Takes, Vol. 30: Days of the week

For something fun and a little different, I thought I'd write about the days of the week. Seven days, seven quick takes. Coincidence? I think not. Here we go!

--- 1 ---

Sunday. Sunday is my favorite day of the week. I have the day off after working for the last three days, and I get up early with the girls and let Dan sleep in. We snuggle up on the couch, watch Food Network (they do Saturday reruns early on Sunday morning), drink lots of coffee (Mommy and Daddy) and milk (babies) and then get ready for church. It always takes at least half an hour longer than it seems like it should. One of these days we'll get it figured out. For now, we're content with just making it there by 11 every week. Once we're there, I try to put aside the rush of the morning and focus. After church, we usually go get lunch, just for something fun to do as a family, and then Emily and Erin and I go do something outside the house to give Dan some time to hang out by himself. With all of us being home almost all the time, an hour or two of relaxing is hard to come by! When we get home, I usually catch up on some chores while Dan plays with the girls. Then I fix dinner and we all eat. After dinner, it's bathtime, bedtime, and then a few more chores before we sit down to watch TV. Food Network usually has a serial-type show on at 9 (Next Iron Chef or something like that) and we have fun watching and seeing who wins.

--- 2 ---

Monday. Dan works Monday through Friday, so we're all up earlier. Dan tends to be up between 6 and 7, while I have a harder time getting up. Emily and Erin are pretty good sleepers, but it's a rare night that one of them isn't up at some point to eat. As a result, it's been a long time since I've slept through the night with any consistency. Dan is really good about getting up and helping if needed, but I try to let him sleep if possible, other than the occasional diaper change. Once we do get up, the girls and I eat, play, and do chores. I'm sure you can guess who does which. I don't really have a good routine for household chores, because the amount to do varies a lot from week to week, but I try to do something towards every room every day. I have a long way to go, I'll just admit that up front! We usually try to get out of the house every day, even if it means we load up in the car and go walk around Target for a little while. This makes it a little less noisy for Dan while he's trying to work, and gets rid of any excuses I have for not being at least a little active every day. As soon as Dan gets done with work, he plays with Emily and Erin and helps feed them while I get dinner ready. Then it's bathtime, bedtime, time for more chores, and another day is over. I try to get something up on the blog before I'm too tired, but the best opportunity is usually earlier in the day while Emily and Erin are playing together. If I don't get anything done on Mondays, that's fine too. I try to savor every moment that the three of us get to spend together while I'm home.

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Tuesday. Tuesdays are really pretty similar to Mondays, except we always try to get our grocery shopping done on Tuesdays. I work Thursday-Saturday, so if things don't go as planned on Tuesday, there's always Wednesday to catch up. Sometimes we go grocery shopping on Mondays, but not often. I really need to get better about making lists, because it always seems like I forget something essential. I'm sure you can relate! Between checking out the coupons, getting everyone ready, the actual time in the store, and putting the food away, that's pretty much the bulk of Tuesday. I try to get a little bit of blogging done either before or after the store, but it doesn't always happen.

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Wednesday. Wednesday is my last opportunity to get everything caught up before my workweek starts. I typically spend all day trying to do chores, in between feedings and playing with Emily and Erin. Usually it's laundry, which always has a way of piling up. I try to use cloth diapers as much as I can while I'm home, and by Wednesday, they all need washing. A load of diapers and inserts takes about 2 hours to wash, with a presoak in borax, and then about half an hour to dry. The covers take about an hour to wash and dry, assuming I transfer them quickly. If they've been sitting for a few days, I wash them twice after the presoak cycle. Then I start the workweek with a clean (nonsmelly!) diaper pail and plenty of clean cloth diapers! Dan has volleyball on Wednesday evenings. Sometimes the girls and I go to watch, but most of the games are late enough that we stay home and get ready for bed. This gives me some time to wrap everything up in time for my "Monday".

--- 5 ---

Thursday. Thursday is a work day. That means that after a few hours of our normal routine, I try to get the girls down for a nap so I can get ready. Dan and I have to coordinate this so I'm not disturbing his work time but still get everything together before I need to leave. My mom comes over on Thursdays to watch Emily and Erin until Dan is done working, so I usually ask her to come over about half an hour before I have to leave. This is a great arrangement - I'm so grateful that she is willing to do this! Sometimes I start work late enough in the afternoon to get chores done before work, sometimes I don't. I always try to get some blogging done on Thursdays, and this usually happens after work. Some nights, I'll stop at Starbucks on the way home to get it done in peace and quiet. This gives Dan and I both a much-needed break. I make it home in time for some downtime before bed.

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Friday. Friday may not be my actual Friday, but knowing it's the end of Dan's workweek makes it feel like the weekend for me too. I love getting to spend time with Emily and Erin before starting work, and then knowing that when I come home the weekend has begun. Even though I start work fairly early on Saturday, Dan and I get to spend a little time together after work before I have to go to bed. Emily and Erin get to go to Grandma's in the afternoon while I work, and they love to get to see Grandma, Grandpa, and their aunt and uncle while they're there. I don't like being away from them, but knowing that they're having fun and spending time with family makes it easier.

--- 7 ---

Saturday. Emily and Erin get to spend all day Saturday with their daddy while I work. I love that they get to have this time every week, even though I wish I could be there too. When I get home, we all have dinner together and get to have some fun time before the girls have to go to bed. A lot of weeks, I'm so tired that I end up falling asleep pretty early - but that's okay, because Sunday is right around the corner!

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