Happy Thursday! As we come to the mid-way point of the time-tracking week, I hope everyone who is playing along is getting some useful insights into their weekdays. Looking at my log I can see that the overall size of each day is pretty set — by design. I am up at 6:30 a.m. and in my bed at 11 p.m. The question is just what I do in the middle!
After posting last night, I gave the 3-year-old a bath and made sure others were taking showers. I read the 3-year-old a story, and put him to bed (he was pretty tired again). I was done with that by 9:30 p.m., at which point I read to the 7-year-old, who I think really wanted some more mommy time. He had come in earlier to listen to the story with the 3-year-old too…sometimes this is the challenge of many kids. Anyway, I read a Dog Man graphic novel out loud for a bit. Then I finished the Lego Friends Art School with my daughter, and turned the kids’ lights out at 10.
At this point I started the dishwasher and then got to enjoy 30 minutes of free time, during which I did my puzzle. The Shakespearean insults puzzle is coming along, though each piece is something of a battle. Since it’s all text I can’t just say oh, all these red pieces go here and sort that way. I puzzled through the puzzle until 10:45, then went up, got ready for bed, and turned the lights out at 11. (I vaguely remember a bathroom visit at 5 a.m.).
At 6:30, the alarm went off, as it does. I got the boys up — checking to be sure they were up! — then took my shower. I was on driving duty this morning, and dropped the 15-year-old at school (7:10) and the 13-year-old at jazz band (7:20). I came back (7:30), helped with the 3-year-old, and then drove the 11-year-old to school at 7:50, retracing the route I had driven 30 minutes earlier. The 3-year-old asked to come along so he joined me for the route. Anyway, after coming home at 8:20 a.m., I was able to eat some cereal, and then get started on work.
I worked pretty much straight from 8:20 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. I turned in my essay, and recorded ads and Before Breakfast episodes (I’m now an extra week ahead!), and then was interviewed by a reporter for a piece on layoff anxiety. At 11:40 I went up to do my hair (to look pretty for Zoom…) but was interrupted by the door bell – a utility person was here to inspect the gas meter, and he couldn’t find it. This not really being my area of expertise, I had to confess that I didn’t know where it was either. So I gave him some ideas, he came back 5 minutes later to tell me had found it, and then I raced to get ready for the 12:00 Best of Both Worlds Patreon meet-up.
This was fun– an hour discussing healthy habits, and where we succeed and go awry. If you’d like to watch the recording and participate in our discussions, come join us! At 1:00 p.m. I answered some emails, then had lunch (eggs + spinach), and then played the piano for 20 minutes and worked through my songs for choir. At 2:00 I then did another hour of work, answering emails and sending in my sound files for various ads and episodes. Right before 3:00 I realized I was not going to make it to the gym, as I had vaguely intended, but I needed to “move by 3 p.m.” So I walked outside and fetched the trash cans from the bottom of the driveway, then walked around the street for a bit (until 3:20). While doing so, I bumped into the 15-year-old who must have taken the regular bus home.
Now I am writing this before heading off for another round of kid shuttling (Thursday is a pretty full day for that). Then there is choir — the way I mark the beginning of the second half of the week! I hope your first half of the week has gone well.
Today’s zoom was really fun! You guys are great moderators!
Henry goes to bed so much later that my littles! But our days start sooo early since we leave the house at 6:45 on week days. So the 2yo is in bed at 7 and the 4.5yo at 7:30-8. But then I have a good 1-1.5 hours of couple/alone time before I go to bed. I know that will go away as the kids schedules shift, so I will enjoy it while it lasts! Tracking my time has been fun so far. Since I try to stick to categories that can be easily summed with excel functions, I lose some of the granularity. But it’s still cool to see how I spent my 168 hours!
@Lisa – if we start earlier, bedtime lasts two hours. He is rarely up before 7:30, though, so there’s that!
And there’s nothing wrong with liking a good spreadsheet 🙂
Yes, the fact that he sleeps past 7:30 is significant!! I have had to accept that our days are going to start early because they HAVE to start early during the week! But I look forward to a time when they have a different sleep schedule on the weekends!! It’s a GOOD day when both boys sleep until 6am. 🙂 Today, both boys had to be woke up around 6-6:30. But just watch – tomorrow they will be up earlier when they don’t need to be!
I remember how Alex was such an early riser for years so I am very happy that Henry isn’t!!!
@Lisa – I have been looking at past time logs from Alex’s babyhood and oh my goodness. Yes. So glad not to be living through that right now.
I too am amazed by the night owls in your family! Even my husband and I are lights out by 9pm, ha. Toddler and baby in bed by 7…know that won’t last forever and it’s going to be a rude awakening (or…stay awakening?)when they start staying up later!
The Dog man novel! :):) I thought it was just my kids (6 and 8 yr old boys)…the question is Has the ‘Captain underpants’ series entered your world yet Laura? :):) Just finished reading that one aloud – actually them reading it aloud to me.
Enjoying the time tracking challenge thanks Laura. Interesting and revealing!
@Rhoda – oh, Captain Underpants has been in my world for a while…my two older boys read it too. I just find the concept of my kid having me read a graphic novel to him out loud kind of funny – so much of a graphic novel is about seeing the picture and the text simultaneously, and of course if you are hearing someone read it it’s not quite as tightly knit…but that is what he wanted me to read!