Week In the Life : Day Five

Today was rainy. The dreary day must have made everyone tired, or maybe it was the lack of nap yesterday, Piper slept until almost 9. Calder was up for a bit around 8 then fell back to sleep until 10. While Calder slept Piper and I had our breakfast - eggs and jam for her, I had my jam with my toast. Piper decided to take a shower with me because 'my shoulder is stinky.'

While I got Calder ready for the day Piper brought out the only noise maker in the house, a book. It wasn't working so she request a screwdriver so that she could set to fixing it. She couldn't get it working - darn!

When we were ready to leave it was still raining, so we drove to the library. We took the long way so that I could check if the farmer's market had been rained out. It had, only the seafood truck was there - pass. A stop at the drive thru coffee shop for a decaf mocha and we finally make it to the library. Piper picked out all the Berenstain Bear books, as she does every week, and requests some books about elephants.

Left overs for lunch. As usual she's much slower than I am, probably because she chats more than she eats, and Calder and I stand around waiting to take her to nap. Calder goes down next. I do dishes and clean up, then knit a bit and chat on the phone.

Its still drizzling and chilly out after nap time so we set up at the table for some drawing. Calder sits in his highchair with a few toys. He's happy!

Piper does some beautiful work while trying to dictate what I should be drawing with on my paper.

With both littles happy, I do my own project for a few minutes. After I'm done I hold Calder on my lap, he's grunty because he can't get his hands on the colored pencils. I help him out and hand him a couple.

Zac gets home and we leave to go out to fish fry. We snap a quick family picture while Zac's busy on the phone trying to make plans for later. I'm glad I have the night off from cooking and spare myself another pile of dishes to wash. Piper orders herself a lemonade at the restaurant. Calder falls asleep on the bench. We get home early enough before bed to goof around, make up and sing songs and read a few stories.

Week In the Life : Day Four

A lazy morning, we woke up late and laid in bed until 9. Met with a rush to get out the door to our play date.

Quick breakfast. After Piper asks to watch something. She rarely wants to watch TV, maybe once every two weeks. I put on PBS for her, while I check email. That last about 15 mins and she asks to turn it off. A quick shower and we hit the road.

Play date with friends at Bean Sprouts. Piper takes up one of her favorite activities - coloring. She found a coloring book with kitties in it.

Yum! Strawberry, banana smoothie with lunch.

Calder and I pose for a picture before we're off to pick up Zac for an after lunch meeting.

Normal nap time was missed while out. But Calder is no cranky pants about it. We play while trying to convince Piper to take a nap. Today she wins. She comes down for a drink. Tells me, 'I thought of something while I was upstairs.' Upon asking her what she tells me, 'I need some orange juice.' I tell her good thing she came to get some then.

I wash up the dishes and start the diapers. Piper entertains Calder, who's swinging, by pretending to make him cookies. Even goes so far as to get out a cookie sheet. She's so good at sharing, with everything.

We walk down to the co-op to get the missing ingredients for homemade pizza. My SD card goes on the fritz. I worry my days pictures are gone. Dinner is over, I clean up. Zac and Piper go over to the neighbors again. Piper comes home with a baggie of crackers and goes right to bed - she's tired and cranky from lack of nap. I beg Zac to fix my SD card - and he does, tells me I owe him. Oh I love him and he's good with my broken technology too.

Week In the Life : Day Three

We were all up in time to see Zac off to work. Piper and I made pancakes for breakfast. She likes to sit and watch them cook and remind me 'I'm not going to touch. Its hot!' I love her wild hair in the mornings, although today is particularly tame.

After breakfast is over Piper started in with her daily dose of book reading. Calder is an attentive audience. She did good work of keeping him occupied while I tried to corral the dishes near the sink for washing...later.

While Calder napped, Piper and I got ready for the day. We played salon and painted our toes. She requested three coats of two different shades of pink, ending with the darkest.

Piper got a phone call. She excitedly tells of how she said she had to go potty and 'Mama told me to use the little one cuz she was upstairs getting dressed.' Mad laughter follows. She hangs up and asks to call Zac. We try two of his numbers before reaching him.

Another walk ending at the park. More swinging. Feeling deja vu.

Piper has made house under the slides. Claims the circle part is her car. Calder starts to get drowsy, we head home for lunch.

Calder takes a brief nap - just long enough for me to make and have lunch with Piper. He sits on my lap and we watch Piper finish eating. Off to nap for her. Calder and I play a bit, he nurses and takes his real afternoon nap.

Piper fights me about taking a nap. I insist she needs one and turns out I was right - I find her in bed asleep with her book still propped up in her hands. I wash dishes and fold a basket of laundry then surf the web and IM with Zac.

Dinner is over and the dishes, once again, will wait until tomorrow. Zac took Calder for a walk over to the neighbor's house. Piper and I build towers from the ABC blocks and knock them down. We walk over to join the boys at the neighbor's. Home for Calder to nurse while Piper and Zac pick up sticks from the sidewalk and make a pile in the boulevard. Littles to bed, Zac and I have popcorn and watch some TV.

Week In the Life : Day Two

Piper doing her morning reading of 'my magazine Mama' (Mothering).

Late breakfast of cold cereal. We share a bowl - she rarely wants her own.

Zac had the day off to take the car in to have the air conditioning fixed. After breakfast he and Piper wrestle on the couch. Calder fell asleep in the swing during breakfast. I sneak off to take a shower - BY MYSELF.

Five minutes in Piper was at the door crying to come in. I was busted. Ended up with a longer than normal shower so she could get a full shower in. Zac leaves just after we're out to go apply for a passport.

Piper says she wants to go for a morning walk. She meant it. She wanted to walk and I ended up pushing Calder alone in the double stroller. She's picked out an awesome outfit today.

Our walk ends at the park for a swing.

Piper tries out multiple swings. Loves that Calder has a swing and is enjoying it - like her. We head home for lunch and a nap. Calder goes down first for a change.

All my chores yesterday means time to relax today. Hung a load of laundry on the line, then sat next to my sleeping baby and knit.

Zac returns home just before 3 with a repaired car and an itch to mow the lawn. When he's done he take the kids inside and I do some weeding. A late start to dinner. Got a run in while the chicken was baking. After a half clean up of dinner we go for ice cream. Bed time for all follows shortly. Dishes will wait for tomorrow.

Week In the Life : Day One

Day one is done. It was, just as I suspected it would be, hard work. Zac says, 'living it or documenting it?' Documenting it, I'm sort of used to living it by this point. But I think I may have over done it, and will try to pull back a little today, I took 163 photos. I wrote out what we did on scrap paper so that I don't have to try to remember the details at the end of the week. I'm hoping that will ease the journaling for me. Only collected a few items from the day - better than nothing.

Breakfast with my early riser of the day. Ninepatch eggs, homemade bread and strawberry jam, juice.

Calder wakes up during breakfast - happy (thankfully!) unlike Piper who woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Loaded up for the ride to the grocery store.

Shopping: Calder in the mei tai, Piper in the seat, groceries somewhat in the cart - Piper likes to hold the 'good stuff' on her lap.

First load of diapers for the week sunning and drying on the line. Its windy today! Again.

Various chores are done while both littles are napping. I'd rather be doing something more fun.

Calder's up from his nap and wants a snack. Piper's still sleeping I get to read my book for a change.

Papa's home: Silliness ensues between him and Piper.

Ninepatch burgers for dinner, along with tater tots (Piper loves them - as a vehicle to get the ketchup to her mouth) and smoothies (Piper also loves them) - Zac grills.

p.s. We always eat a lot of Ninepatch goods - not just on the week after we've just returned from a recent trip there. Its just that good, we keep our freezer stocked.

Also, Stormy is posting her project on her new blog if you're interested.

Week In the Life

Good Monday morning! And happy May! We spent the weekend at Ninepatch and returned home exhausted - all of us from the lack of a decent nap on the part of one family member.

Today we embark on our journey to document a week in our life. A big undertaking, I think, but a fun one. Aside from myself, there are three other players. I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants on this one. I've not done a lot of pre-planning for it. I just hope to get it done in some sort of orderly fashion. I would like to be able to share some of my progress here. My initial thought is that I'll share some of the pictures and events from the day that night, or the next morning.

So we're off.

Enjoy the day! The sun is shining!