A Day in the Life - Preschool Edition

Out of all the topics I've written about over the years, our "Day in the Life" posts are my very favorite to look back on. They seem so normal and trivial when penning them - but years later, it's those tiny little details that you forget. There's a quote: How we spend our days is how we spend our lives, and having documentation of this is just priceless (if you don't have a blog, I totally recommend just documenting a random day for yourself or your kids).

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A Day in the Life: 22 Months

I get such a kick out of going back and rereading our "Day in the Life" posts. They show so much about what was going on at the time, where Parker was developmentally, and exactly how we spent our days. They are even more significant now that our little family has said good-bye to Scottsdale where Parker spent the first year and a half of his life. I get all warm and fuzzy remembering what was "normal" used to be, and realizing how things have changed. Here's a day in our life from last week, Parker at 22 months, and our first "Day in the Life" post from Alabama!

7:30AM Max is up and getting ready for work. Normally he would be at work by this time, but he arrived home from a business trip around 1am that morning, so he granted himself a late-start day (plus, he really wanted to see little man before he headed out as he hadn't seen him all week being away on travel).

8:15AM Parker lets us know he's awake by sitting up, talking to himself and "reading" one of the books in his bed (he insists on taking one or two books to bed with him every night). He's been a bit all over in regard to wake-up time lately - he went through a patch of waking up at 7:00am and then 6:30am, but now has settled on 7:30ish, so this 8:15 wake-up was definitely sleeping in a bit. Max goes up to greet Parker, and I know they are both super excited to see each other! Parker actually had his first sad "missing Dada" moment this past business trip when he just said "Dada" and started bawling, hugging my neck. So heartbreaking! So upon seeing Dada for the first time again this morning, Parker immediately said "seat!" - as in, Dada please snuggle with me on the seat (chair in his room). They stayed up there a bit singing and reading, then Max brought Parker back downstairs and we played until it was time to say bye to Daddy.

Morning selfie! Parker luckily was totally okay saying bye-bye to Dada since he was just going to work.

9:00AM Breakfast for little man - he has been loving yogurt with cereal these days! Noosa for the win!

I take the chance to make my first cup of coffee and check the weather on my phone to see if we can walk to Story Time at the library. It's a nice 25 minute walk, but I am super surprised to see that it's 30 degrees out, which is too cold for us so I decide we'll drive instead.

We both get changed and ready for the day, in RED of course since this was our "red" color study week.

10:15AM I tell Parker it's time to put on our jackets and drive to the library. He immediately starts for the garage and points to where Sandy (the 911 convertible) would be parked. I tell him that Dada has Sandy, and we'll be taking Pepper. He reminds me the entire way to the library that he'd rather be driving in the 911 by saying "NeeNee! NeeNee!" over and over. I tell him that Parker and Dada can go for rides in Sandy this weekend. He of course is very excited about this, and tells me all about what happens on their rides (There are blinking lights! Dada uses keys! He can see trees!).

10:30AM Library Story Time - we live just a couple minute's drive from the main library and there are programs almost every day of the week, but Thursdays are the best for Parker's age group. I actually like the Huntsville library Story Time better than Scottsdale's - there is a clear focus each week (today's was dogs), and I think the content is better (though Scottsdale wins for the actual facility since the library was amazingly nice and new).

11:00AM After Story Time is craft time - today's project was making dog ears to go with the dog theme from earlier. Parker is loving "goohs" these days (crayons) and was very excited to color his ears but wanted them nowhere near his head to wear them.

Parker also picked out this book and insisted on reading it. He is slightly obsessed with any kind of ball these days (he calls them "boo boo bees") so this book was right up his alley.

11:15AM After library, we usually either walk around downtown or pop in somewhere to eat lunch (it's all walkable which is very nice). Today our plan was to stop in at the new downtown Publix grocery store to pick up a few groceries. If we are walking, I can only fit a few items in the stroller, but since we had Pepper I stocked up while we were there. I still can't get over this section - they are all about the Sweet Tea here in the South!

12:00PM Lunch at home! I picked up a BBQ rotisserie chicken at Publix along with some coleslaw from the deli and made yummy sammys.

Parker had a deconstructed one ;)

A full tummy and a happy boy!

1:00PM Quiet time - we head upstairs and I change Parker into pajams. I just think it's so cozy to sleep in them, even for a nap, and I think it helps him sleep better. Plus, his clothes are usually a disaster after lunch so often an outfit change is needed! Parker sits in my lap and cuddles and snuggles as I sing and we read book after book. Hands down, one of my very favorite times of our days.

1:45PM I put Parker in his crib and head downstairs to tackle cleaning, laundry, phone calls and paperwork - armed with another coffee, of course. Our kitchen has this built-in desk which I have claimed for myself and I love being able to keep everything there.

I also love to use Parker's nap time to prep dinner and do the cooking dishes. This way, once Parker is up I only have a couple things left to get dinner on the table, and Max can arrive home to a clean kitchen. I'm always looking for make-ahead recipes, and today I am trying the Chicken Cordon Bleu casserole from Six Sister's Stuff.

4:45PM Little man starts to stir. He's so funny when he wakes up - he'll just talk and talk. Today he pointed at his knee and said "knee" and then looked at his Exit sign and said "Eyeh! Ghloooow!" (Exit - it glows!), then "T" pointing to the "T" on the sign, his favorite letter of the moment (he likes to find "D"s and "E"s as well).

5:00PM Parker and I are back downstairs. This post-nap, pre-dinner time is usually our arts and crafts portion of the day. I feel like by day's end, I need something new and exciting for little beeper to capture his attention. Since it was our "red" color study week, I gave Parker red watercolor paint and let him go to town. I pop the casserole in the oven to bake as we craft and also cook some pasta to serve it with.

6:00PM Parker insits on going over to the back door. He has a sixth sense for when Max arrives home. I don't hear a thing (the garage is detached) but Parker knows. We watch Dada come in through the breezeway and little man SQUEALS. Like he literally cannot contain his excitement. The next few minutes are Dada and Parker time - I love it! No one can roughhouse and get giggles like Dada can!

6:15PM Dinner as a family! We alternate eating at our kitchen counter and the breakfast nook table, and we just pull Parker's high chair up to eat with us. The casserole turned out fine but it was really, really rich. I think if I were to make it again, I'd put the pasta right into the baking dish, and I'd lighten up the sauce with maybe some chicken broth and use less of it.

7:00PM Parker and Dada head upstairs for bath time (Max always does this!). I usually stay downstairs and clean up dinner and get the dishwasher running while they have boy time.

7:45PM I join the boys upstairs for quiet time before bed - reading and singing and cuddles all around. Parker has been loving the songs Itsy Bitsy Spider and I'm a Little Tea Pot these days, along with his standby book Little Blue Truck, and new favorites Buenas Noches Luna, Goodnight Texas and Goodnight Baby Jesus.

8:30  Parker is down for the night and Max and I return downstairs for our downtime. We always talk about how much we love our little man, how amazing he is, how lucky we are, etc. We are both pretty beat by the end of the day (me from chasing a toddler, him from long days at work) but we love spending some time just the two of us once Parker is sleeping. We get ready for bed (I use my Clairisonic!) and we watch an episode of Top Chef (one of our faves) in bed before we turn in for the night (our goal is before 10:30pm so we can be rested to do it all again the next day!).

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A Day in the Life: Juice Cleanse Edition (Day 2)

5:30AM Little man is making noise. Way. Too. Early. Luckily he falls back asleep.

6:45AM Parker starts to stir so I jump out of bed to get a head start on him. I wake up super thirsty, curious as I did nothing but drink the day before. I skip to the kitchen and pull out all of my Day 2 drinks and line them up for a photo. This is the day I have my friend juicing with me, and I'm so excited! Plus, it's a much easier lineup of juices today.

I snap a photo of my Turmeric Flush (diluted once again) to send to my buddy, and get one back from her! I think in my head that we are too cute. 

7:00AM I greet Baby Boy. One of the best parts of the day is walking in to get him in the morning! I love snuggling and reading in his nursery. 

8:00AM I open the Keri - yum! The overall taste is more apple, compared to a celery taste from the greens the day before. 

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A Day in the Life: Juice Cleanse Edition (Day 1)

Have you ever wondered what it's like to do a juice cleanse? Well, step into my shoes for my two-day juice fast from Kaleidoscope Juice! Max was out of town for work these days, and I made sure our schedule was open and easy with no commitments since I didn't really know how the cleanse would go. Read on for Day One! 

Day 1

6:30AM I wake to little man babbling to himself. This is a bit early for him (and mamma) so I mentally will him back to sleep, but alas he is up for the day, so I am too! I know it’s Juice Cleanse Day, and time to start juicing, however I feel not an ounce of hunger. I’m not much of a breakfast person (except for coffee right when I wake up), plus I had a big dinner the night before (a girls night out for awesome sushi at Roka Akor, yum!). I head to the kitchen anyway for my first drink of the day, the Turmeric Flush. This is the first drink for any Juice Cleanse at Kaleidoscope, and they suggest diluting it with spring water if it’s too strong. I go right to the diluting, pouring half water and half Tumeric Flush in my ginormous mason jar mug (I throw in some heart shaped ice for good measure).  I wince before taking my first sip, having no idea what to expect. What I got was mostly watered down ginger. Not bad at all. 

By this time, little man has decided to stand in his crib and is shouting “ah, ah!” so I run upstairs with my drink to greet my baby boy. He is very interested in my beverage. 

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A Day in the Life with a 10-Month-Old

Last year when Max traveled to the U.K. for his first business trip since Parker arrived, we documented a couple of our days (see them here and here) to share with daddy so he could feel like he was here with us. It was neat to look at them a few months later to see how much Parker (and our days!) had changed. I did another day-in-the-life post around seven-months, and am back with the latest from the last week of January...

7:40 I wake up to little man's coos on the monitor. He usually wakes between seven and seven-thirty, so this is sleeping in for him (and mommy, too!). Daddy has already left for work so I go upstairs and get little man. I bring him into our room and nurse him in bed. Then we spend some time playing and reading. Parker is loving flip books lately and Where Is Baby's Belly Button? is one of his favorites!

8:45 Parker chills in his high chair while I make breakfast for him: tiny waffles, plain whole milk yogurt and banana!

9:15 I carry little man upstairs for his morning nap. I take a quick shower and clean up the kitchen, then get started on making a new Pioneer Woman recipe: Sour Cream Bake. I'm obsessed with the Pioneer Woman right now; all her recipes are delish!

10:30 I hear that little man is awake and bring him downstairs to the den where I can watch him as I cook. He's happy as can be playing with his soft scrunchy book. I go back and forth, playing a little, cooking a little, playing a little.

11:30 I start layering the casseroles (pictured below with just the first layer). I end up with two casseroles: one for dinner and one to freeze for later, plus extra cooked ground beef to place in baggies for the freezer. I cover the casseroles and place in the refrigerator and freezer. Then I nurse little man before we head out to Mommy & Me yoga!

11:45 On the road to yoga! After Parker's morning nap is when we usually head out for play dates, errands, music, or whatever he have for the day.

12:00 Mommy & Me yoga starts! Parker has been attending since he was six weeks old. I can't wait until he can do poses with me! He sits at the front of my mat and watches me, the other moms and Erin our instructor. He plays with his toys, and towards the end of class wants to move so we spend shavasana playing.

1:30 We are back at home! Time for lunch: green beans, chicken, blueberries and black beans for Parker!

2:00 Nap time for little man, lunchtime for mamma! We have leftover roast beef and pickled onions so I make a quick sammy. I spend the next hour or so cleaning up the kitchen, doing dishes and folding laundry.

3:45 Little man is up! We play for a little while in his nursery.

4:00 We take our afternoon walk. We usually head out after Parker's afternoon nap and always pick up the mail while we're out. It's a beautiful January afternoon in the desert: 75 degrees and sunny.

4:30 Parker "helps" me finish folding laundry and goes down for a twenty minute cat-nap (he usually takes a morning and afternoon nap, but a couple times a week he'll also take a short nap before dinner).

5:30 Daddy comes home early! We head out on a family walk around the neighborhood.

6:00 Max plays with Parker as I heat up the casserole I made earlier and put together a Caesar salad. We eat dinner at the counter with Parker, who also has the Sour Cream Bake for dinner!

7:30 We start P's bedtime routine: bath, lotion, jams, Goodnight Moon, and one last nursing. Daddy always does the bath, lotion, jams and reading (Parker has heard daddy read Goodnight Moon to him for almost every single night of his life!).

8:30 Parker is down and Max and I clean up the kitchen and start the dishwasher. We decide we are up for a movie night in the home theatre!

9:30 Max and I head upstairs to put on a new (to us) Netflix pick: Haywire. It was entertaining with a twist; we enjoyed!

11:00 Good-night!

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A Day in the Life with a Six Month Old

I haven't documented a "Day in the Life" since the bean was 12-weeks-old so I thought it was time for another one! Here is a typical Tuesday for our almost seven-month old...

6:45AM Max and I wake up to the sounds of little man over the baby monitor. Parker has been an amazing sleeper lately (11-12 hours at night), and has been sleeping in his own room upstairs for almost a month now! Max goes upstairs to the nursery to get Parker and brings him into our room so I can feed him in bed.

7:00AM Our little family of three snuggles in bed. We play with Parker and read him books, then Max gets ready for work while Parker and I stay cozy in bed.

8:00AM Parker is a sleepy head so I put him back down in his nursery and kiss Max good-bye as he heads off to work. I take the chance to get some laundry started.

8:30AM Parker is up and giggling and cooing! We play and sing in the den, then I put Parker in his high chair so I can get his breakfast ready. I pureed some steamed pears the day before so I heat them up and make Parker some baby oatmeal. Little man is the best audience! I tell him everything I'm doing and feel like I have my own cooking show.

9:00AM Baby oatmeal and pureed pear for breakfast! 

9:30AM Finishing up eating - little man is beginning to get cranky which means it's time for his morning nap.

9:45AM Parker is cleaned up from breakfast, changed out of his jams, and sleeping in his crib. Mamma takes this time to get some breakfast and tidy up the kitchen! 

10:30AM With the dishwasher and washing machine running, I open all the screen doors to let the cool morning air in. Loving fall! I start my mise en place for the night's dinner (Beef Daube) until I hear Parker on the monitor. 

11:00AM Little man is up from his nap and I nurse him in his room. I take him downstairs and he watches me fold laundry until it's time to leave for Mommy & Me Yoga.

12:00PM We are settled in the studio and ready for yoga! Little man spends Mommy & Me classes now sitting up at the front of my mat instead of laying down. He's the best little yogi and always gets lots of compliments on how calm and mellow he is. Go, Parker! 

1:30PM We are home from yoga and I nurse Parker and put him down for his afternoon nap. 

2:00PM Mamma gets to eat!

2:30PM I finish off the beef stew I started earlier and put in in the oven to slow cook for 2 1/2 hours. 

4:00PM The bean wakes up. He eats and we read and play in his room, then I spend some time organizing it and putting things away while he "talks" with his giraffe friend. 

6:00PM Daddy arrives home from work! We put Parker in his stroller and go on a twilight walk of the neighborhood. Autumn in the desert is beautiful! 

6:30PM Dinner time! Chicken & carrots for little man (both cooked and pureed and already in the fridge), and Beef Daube for mom and dad. 

7:00PM Bath time for little man! We are still bathing him in the kitchen sink. Parker can't get enough of the stream of water coming from the faucet - he thinks it's the neatest thing! He's mesmerized by water in general, actually. 

8:00PM Our bedtime routine: We put little man in his jams, daddy reads Goodnight Moon, then Parker nurses one more time before we put him down to sleep. 

8:30PM Max is a sweetheart and does the dishes as I tidy up the kitchen and put away bath stuff. Our plan had been to watch the Homeland that aired and taped the night before, however Max (jet lagged from Norway last week) requested that we save it for another night. I pretend to be sad but I'm ready for bed, too! 

9:00PM Good night! 

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