A day in the life

Since I ran across that article a few weeks ago that I mentioned in my blog, I have been thinking and thinking about what I didn't know about how a day goes and what keeps an at-home mom busy (or out-of-the-home working moms when they're not at work). I think I'd heard some of this, but whenever I thought about it, I was either mystified or terrified (hence not in a hurry to have kids). I keep thinking of these vignettes of skills I've had to learn, all of which will be very familiar to my pals with kids, and even familiar to those who are close with people who have kids. I hope this makes you smile!

In the shower:
1.) I"m lucky enough that Lucy still will allow me to put her in front of a video while I grab a very quick shower. However, that time is extremely volatile. So while she is running around, I grab my towel and clothes, put it in the bathroom. Get out anything I will need after the shower, like deodorant. Take my daily meds before I get in the shower. This could take 3 minutes or 30 minutes, depending on what kind of mood Lucy is in. I finally get her plugged into the video (all the time with the nagging voices of "The Guilt Creators" about how you shouldn't use television as a babysitter).

2.) I now prioritize what I do first. (Bathroom door is open, by the way.) Wash hair first as fast as possible, that way I can jump out of the shower fast if I need to. Then soap, and only if I'm feeling confident, do I shave. You can, of course, shave with baby oil out of the shower later if you have to. Jump out, dry off as quick as possible, get essential undergarments on as quick as possible. You are now able to move about the cabin if you must. Then, constantly assessing Lucy's attentiveness and knowing anything may get cut short, I then prioritize everything that's left into the "I could manage to do that if she's not looking" or "I'd better try to do this now" categories. Examples in column A are: cleaning ears, putting on my minimal makeup; Examples in column B are "Blowing hot air at my head in the middle of summer" (making hair minimally presentable).

3.) If I'm reeeally lucky, at the end of 15 min. I'll be clean, have dry hair, clothes on, a little bit of makeup, and then I might even be able to sit down and eat my yogurt without someone climbing up me like a cat scratch post saying, "Piece! Piece!" (which meas, "Gimme somma dat!").

4.) If I'm really, reeeeeaaally lucky, I can also unload the dishwasher! This rarely happens, however, as I generally don't get past paragraph 2.

Hope this gives you a smile. If I get around to it, I will do "grocery store skills," "bed-making skills" or "making dinner skills."