around 5:45am, after making Brandon's lunch for work and kissing him goodbye. I get to sit down at the dining room table and plan, brainstorm, and track in my planner. I started tracking on my monthly calendar pages various goals that I have for myself (like water intake, outdoor hours, step count, etc) about a year ago and I have loved being able to hold myself accountable each day and month; it is motivating and inspiring to me. I blogged, checked email, and added things to an online cart for camping items I am fantasizing about (not buying, just adding and thinking about them, hah).
Around 6:40a, I went down to let the chickens out of the coop who had been clucking and crowing at me. I refilled their feeder and carried up their water container because it is empty after a few days. Every morning as I'm walking to the coop, I say to them, "Good morning, girls!" They love being free range and I love looking out the windows all day and seeing them waddle about the yard.
Around 7:30a, Grey was up first this morning, and uncharacteristically early because after our long weekend I made everyone go to bed last night at a decent time. I was just finishing up my blog post and I showed him what we were doing this time last year and the years before that. He knows I "write a blog" but he still doesn't get what that means. Someday I hope he and his sibs float back here and are grateful to find their mother's words and perspective from when they were growing up.
Around 8:50a, as I am recovering from the past holiday and weekend of not tracking macros on Keto and I find that I am pretty hungry. There will be no intermittent fasting today! (hah). I made an egg, ham, and muenster sandwich on a Keto bagel with a little bit of mayo. The kids have already eaten pb&j toast, so while I eat, I start on the last chapter of my Book Love Foundation summer club book for this week - We Got This by Cornelius Minor.
Around 9:45a, I have the kids do some chores because the house is a wreck from all the camping this weekend - sheesh! the laundry! Three kids split the dishwasher (Rust gets silverware duty) and Grey chose cleaning the downstairs bathroom over the dishwasher. I still have to hand wash the roaster pan from the family reunion, the thermos from camping, and the crockpot from last night's beef roast.
Around 10:30a, I go collect the chicken eggs because the girls need a little time in the morning to get their egg laying done. We hadn't collected over the weekend while at camp, so we had 15 eggs that I carried up in my shirt. We keep our eggs out at room temperature until we have about 2-3 dozen of eggs to wash. Once they are washed, then they go in the fridge.
Around 12:50p, we made it back to Sheila after our walk and everyone was ready for a snack. One of the most important things I've learned in my nine years of motherhood is that any event or activity will fall all the way to hell if you do not have snacks. Literally, it is the key component to success: must have snacks. The kids had veggies straws, chocolate chip cookies, and juice bags.
Around 1:20p, it's time for real food and the kids had lunchmeat sandwiches and yogurt at the kitchen table. They were being really silly and giggly and it was kind of making me nuts actually because Rusty is making messes and they are laughing about it. I ate a cheese stick, salt & vinegar Blue Diamond almonds, and half of a 85% chocolate mini bar - also drank a big bottle and half of water.
Around 2:45p, time to use the leftover coffee in the pot for afternoon iced coffee (I love this daily tradition so much). I had a ton of laundry to continue to switch in the washer/dryer and/or fold. The big kids were watching Hunter Street downstairs on tv and the little kids were cutting up craft paper in the girls' room and drawing.
Around 3:45p, I made the kids get into the garden with me to do some (much needed!) weeding. Everyone got a plant (or a row) that they are responsible to weed before they can be done. It was sunny but not too hot, just muggy. We have tomatoes, brussel sprouts, and zucchini growing...and maybe a few bean plants survived (?) B was home by now and headed down to the garage to change the oil in both vehicles and the tractor.
Around 4:40p, I tried to teach Rust (again) to use the peddles on his bike. It is frustrating for both of us. He can do the rotation about twice before jarring back on the brakes. I want to have more patience but I'm bent in half moving his feet around singing "around and around and around we go!" like a psychopath.
Around 5:50p, the kids were jumping on the trampoline and I got to finish We Got This. B had come up to see if I will come down and hang out in the garage while he changes the oil...I do sit for a few minutes with him while he's under the truck with oil all over his arms and hands, but I start thinking about the laundry that I could be doing, and the dinner that needs made, and then Rustman needs a drink anyway, so - love you, babe, but bye.
Around 6:30p, I put in dinner for the kids which consists of all the leftovers from this weekend's family reunion. I put the mac&cheese into muffin bites in hopes that it would inspire them to eat more because we have a huge tupperware still left over (update: it didn't inspire them). And we have left over chicken nuggets that I put into wraps for them with shredded cheese and Ranch.
Around 7:45p, the kids were driving me bonkers. It's too much silliness and then I found an empty juice bag in the couch cushions and I start yelling. Literal garbage is laying in our house and they keep walking by it!?!?! It's becomes a whole thing. I send Gemma to her room for giggling too much (most amazing mom ever) and give Grey a whole lecture on how if he wants to be treated like a big kid, he needs to act like one. Rust has to take the juice bag to the garbage because I know it was him (lol!) and Violet gets reminded that she needs to stop whining because she ain't no baby child - you are almost five! Ugh, I get to the end of all of my mom lectures before I realize I'm probably an insane person and I tell them they are not allowed to watch tv until they put together a 100 piece puzzle of Chewbaca.
Around 8:45p, after helping the kids finish the puzzle, B and I sat down to dinner while the kids watch more Hunter Street. We had baked garlic & Parmesan salmon with asparagus and it was amazing. The Smirnoff sparkling seltzer helped too. hah. We got to talk about our days, and work, and what's coming up in the week, and I got him updated with all the new possible camping supplies I added to the online cart today.
Around 9:30p, after putting Violet to bed, I found Rustman asleep snuggled up to Gem on the couch. She and Grey are "sleeping downstairs tonight!" and I carried Rusty upstairs to his own bed and then I laid down next to Gem on the couch for a little and then sat next to Grey and try to understand this weird show and asked questions to which he answered, "Mum, it's like kind of hard to explain this is like the third season and you missed too much." B finally came in from his oil change marathon.
Around 10:45p, after turning on the dishwasher, and switching the last laundry load, and washing my face and moisturizer, and kissing everyone goodnight - I snuck to our bed to read some of Miles Morales Spiderman by Jason Reynolds before B came to bed. Truthfully, I made it one paragraph until my head bobbed and I hit my face off the page.
Not very fancy, but it's exactly right parts boring, wonderful, challenging, and simple that make this one precious life extraordinary.
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