While the kids are wreaking happy havoc out in the backyard, I’m seizing the moment to type up my day so far. And what a morning it’s been!

I’m Kristen, a stay-at-home mom to two children, Ted (5) and Maddy (2). I teach one day a week at our church preschool, and serve in various positions in our church. We are a homeschooling family, and in my spare time I am trying to become a better writer. I hope to write children’s books some day. We keep pretty busy. Tuesdays are our quiet day … I look forward to seeing what my day really looks like, once it’s on paper.

8:00, approximately … My husband departs for work, which means I must finally drag myself out of bed. I’m fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom, though that’s not why I’m still in bed so late in the morning. I deal with severe anxiety attacks, which interrupt my sleep in spite of medications, and our two-year-old decided she didn’t want to sleep last night. So my dear husband takes care of the kids in the morning as he gets ready for work, to allow me to catch up on some rest. But once he’s out the door, I really do have to get moving.

A quick glance at the kids assures me that 1) the toddler doesn’t immediately need a diaper, 2) both kids have actually had breakfast, and 3) the crashing noises were Duplos and not anything actually breakable. So I’m free to shower, if I’m quick.

8:30 By this time, I’m dressed and about as ready for the day as I’m going to be. My first morning task is always to go around and open all the curtains, letting the day’s sunshine in, and tidying up the bedrooms. The kids are still happily playing with the Duplos and watching Noggin, so I may eat breakfast and check email and my favorite online forums. This bit of the morning is my time, while the kids are still playing with few squabbles and we’re all feeling relatively cheerful. If I hurry, I’ll get done with my email and get in some writing time before the kids are too fussy. March is National Novel Editing Month, or NaNoEdMo (www.nanoedmo.net), the follow-up to November’s National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org). The goal is to accomplish 50 hours of editing on a novel of 50,000 words or more. (November’s goal is to write a 50K novel.) One of my messages is from a local writing buddy whom I have yet to meet … we keep missing each other. My anxiety attacks limit my activities, and the one event I managed to attend, everyone was late and I left before they arrived. She’s a bit further behind on the editing goal than I am, but we’re cheering each other on. Apparently I missed yet another opportunity last night. Oh, well.

While I’m doing this an episode of Max & Ruby has come on. I’ve gotta love our DVD-R with the hard drive … Ted hits the pause button so he can go get the picture book that matches the episode, and follow along. I absolutely LOVE having a pause button for the TV. It’s one of the greatest inventions of mankind. Ted is five and learning to read, so his passion for matching books with episodes is much encouraged. He’s learned a lot of sight words from the Max stories.

9:50 I got caught up in doing ‘stuff’ and lost track of the time. We have to be out the door at 10:00 if we want to make it to storytime. I debate skipping, but anxiety prevented us from attending for a few weeks, and last week was spring break. The library doesn’t do storytimes over spring break. So I really want us to go. As I’m starting to get the kids ready (and discovering that the toddler really does need a diaper, RIGHT NOW) the phone rings. One of my good friends is calling, to see if we are really going this week. We often try to coordinate our attendance, because our kids are almost the same ages and we can have lunch and playdates after. Her week is hectic, though, so she decides not to come this time. This prevents me from feeling guilty if we end up not making it, and also is a relief because now I don’t have to clean up the Duplos till later. And the bread crumbs from breakfast, which I’ve only just now noticed. A glance at the calendar as we plan for next week reminds me that I’m supposed to be giving this Day Diary a try … oops! Hasty notes are scrawled so I can get my morning thus far down on paper.

10:03 The kids have socks and shoes and clean tushies, so we’re out the door. On the road, the anxiety kicks in pretty severly, and I contemplate just turning around and giving up. Some days I just can’t push through it. But we all really want to be there, so I keep on. And later, I am very glad I did.

On the road, I muse about the colors of North Alabama, where I live. Right now everything (and I do mean everything) is tinged with a sort of sickly yellow. The pollen count is absolutely sky-high, and everyone here suffers from allergies. Those with asthma are really feeling the effects. My son has needed nebulizer treatments a few times over the last week, after going his first winter with no croup attacks. Besides yellow, there is a lot of white … the petals from the dogwoods and the Bradford pears are giving a good imitation of a snowstorm in the light breeze. This, and cotton-harvesting time in the fall, are about the closest we’ve had to snow in a pretty long time. We had a bit of snow over the winter, but it was gone within mere hours each time. There’s a lot of green showing too, replacing the white petals everywhere. Summers are green around here. I love it.

10:18 We actually arrive at the library. I haul the stroller out of the trunk and permit Maddy to climb out of her carseat all by herself. She’s the two-year-old, and her independence is really kicking in. She wants to get in and out of the car All By Herself, and woe to the hand that is offered when it’s not wanted. Ted waits patiently for his turn to scramble out of the car. I ponder the clock, decide I’ve actually got enough time to find a book for myself before storytime, and hurry the kids into the library. Ted gets to push all the door-opening and elevator buttons.

10:30 This is storytime, and most of the usual moms are already present. My kids are bouncing off the walls already, and I sigh. But we love the storyteller on Tuesdays and she’s very patient with my children. She was a storyteller back when I was the kid coming to storytimes with my sister, and in my pre-mommy days I had the pleasure of working with her on occasion. I started out as a library volunteer when I was 13, in a branch library, later worked in this very same children’s department, got a paying job as a student at 16 in the history department, went full-time in yet another branch after graduating college, and even got to do storytimes myself at that branch. Now I am bringing my own children, and it’s back full-circle.

Miss Sally makes a heart-breaking announcement … she’s really and truly retiring as of this week. The kids don’t really get it, but the moms do. I feel ready to cry. She and the other ladies I worked with over the years have been my mentors, and I will miss her dearly. I am so glad we made the extra effort to be present today.

It’s an important storytime for another reason … I have been staring at another mom for the longest time, trying to recall why she looks so familiar. We knew each other when I’d just graduated from college but was still participating in some of the campus Christian groups. She, too, was a mentor for me, though she’s only a few years my senior. She’s been bringing her children to this storytime too. They must have started coming about the time we started missing weeks. I promise myself I’ll talk to her during craft time.

The storytime is all about Spring, reminding me that I wanted to order a particular picture book called My Spring Robin by Anne Rockwell (coincidentally, one of today’s offerings). I am pretty sure it’s out of print but available used. The pictures and descriptions are so precisely what the kids and I are seeing each day, and I really want to get the book to share with them each year.

At music time, Maddy goes up and selects her own instrument from the basket. This is a big step for her. Up till now, she’s relied on Ted to bring her one, a task he’s been happy to do. But today, when the basket of rhythm instruments is set out on the floor, she makes a mad dash for it, knocking aside a few smaller children. I wince, but their mothers simply pick them up and smile at Maddy’s enthusiasm. I send Ted and his instrument to the outskirts of the group, as he tends to dance rather energetically and wildly. He complies willingly enough.

At craft time I get the chance to talk to my friend, who remembers me, too. We’d gotten married at the same time and lost touch. Her kids are about the same ages as mine. It’s great to reconnect, but I don’t get to talk too long because Ted has reconnected with one of his buddies, and they get WILD when they are together. Ted is still learning about appropriate library behavior .. inside voices and playing gently are not concepts he easily grasps. He tries, though.

11:18 I’ve had enough shepherding and tell the kids it’s time to go. Our routine on Tuesdays is to pick up fast food for lunch, and Burger King has great icees. Ted is passionate about the cherry icees, but right now they’re only doing green ones. He accepts this, but he really hates change. I’m proud of him for not fussing over it. Maddy, on the other hand, is so excited to be getting an icee that she couldn’t care less what color it is. We take our lunch home, usually. Today I want to stop off at the school supply store. I need a poster to use with my preschool computer class, for the craft we’re planning.

I teach one day a week at our church preschool, the three-year-olds and the preschool-age kids in computer classes and the kindergarteners in the library. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s astounding what little kids really can learn to do on a computer. Not that three-year-olds really have to learn these things … I certainly don’t push the kids who aren’t ready. By the end of the year we’ve usually covered mouse skills, navigating games, using a simple paint program, and maybe even a bit of keyboarding with the older ones. This year we’ve added internet, which has increased the possibilities a lot. Multiple copies of software gets expensive! Free websites (like my favorite www.starfall.com for phonics) are great for the kids. We’ve also worked on following directions, not banging the keyboard, not kicking the computers (which stand under the tables), and lots of other practical skills.

The store doesn’t have what I’m looking for, so we head on home with our lunches.

11:50 We’re home by this time. The kids opt for a picnic lunch outside, giving me the chance to sit down and rest a minute. I read while eating my own food, then take the opportunity to start typing up this Day Diary while it’s fresh in my mind and my scribbled notes are still legible. I love how our backyard is set up … almost everything of interest to the kids is within eyesight of this computer, which is right near our screen door. I can see and hear what they’re up to. I do periodically peek out just to make sure they’re okay. Ted wants to show off what he’s written with chalk on the patio, Maddy wants to show me things she’s found in the yard, both kids run and squeal and I must check to make sure it’s really play. The sky is growing overcast, so I’m glad they’ve got this chance to be outside just in case it rains. It’s amazing how quickly spring is turning into summer. What is it, about one week into spring now? And the temperatures have hit the eighties already. Maddy’s face is redder than her hair right now. I shudder to think what July and August are going to feel like.

1:05 I’ve just about caught up on this so far, and the kids are splashing at the water table. It’s time for me to get some chores done, while they are still playing. I need to thaw out some dinner, start the laundry, and empty the dishwasher. But I’ve enjoyed this writing time so far. I plan to keep jotting notes, and hope for time this evening to write out the rest of my day.

Wow, another chance to type and catch up!

1:10 I worked on a few chores, pulled some pork chops out of the freezer, and so on. It would be tedious to list the housework, and I probably couldn’t recall it all even if I took notes while I was doing it. Housework is like that … it’s not just the big chores, but the little ones that you do without thinking, as you’re walking by on your way to do the big chores. I stepped outside to retrieve the kids’ picnic dishes, for example, and ended up tidying the patio … all the toys must be returned to their bin, or Daddy’s car will crunch them as he pulls into the garage. Houses are run on such little details. If I really want to be a better writer, though, I suppose I’d better learn to note those details in my mind. Stories, too, live on such little details.

1:40 I realize it’s past time for Maddy to nap. Fortunately, she’s willing to go. Yesterday she wasn’t, and after a half hour of her crying in her crib I just had to let her out. Today I change her clothes (muddy from playing outside) and then pick her up. I had intended to sing her a lullaby, but she just about jumps from my arms into her crib, so I guess she’s tired. She murmurs “Teetoo” (thank you) as I tuck her in.

While she naps, I seize the opportunity to work with Ted. We plan to homeschool, and we’re working on a simple kindergarten curriculum this year. Ted’s birthday falls late in the year, so he’s not officially in kindergarten till next year. We do the phonics first, because he likes math best and it makes a great incentive. He struggles with sitting still and often says “I don’t know that word” but then gets upset when I suggest putting it away. He likes learning. After a time, he sounds out the words and is proud of his effort. We put the phonics away and pull out the math.

Ted loves numbers. Today he’s looking at pictures of coins and adding up the money. Rather than sitting and writing, he prefers to dictate, and today he wants to write the numbers with his feet … meaning he walks in the pattern of the numbers. It’s cute, and he enjoys it, so why not? I do make him actually tell me what number he’s making, because his ‘footwriting’ is not always much clearer than his handwriting. Then he gets to do addition, using a number line. Once he figured out number lines, Ted fell in love with them. At first he had no idea what the pictures in his book were for … he was doing the math in his head or borrowing fingers from everybody around. Now he loves making the ‘hops’ with his crayon or his finger on the line, bouncing from the first number to the solution. He doesn’t need to do it, as evidenced by the curly trails he draws, but he enjoys it. Again, I make him tell me what his answer is before I write it for him.

2:05 We’ve finished up our lessons for today, and it’s time to rest. I like to have a nap when I can. It sounds indulgent, but the anxiety I deal with is pretty fatiguing and many of the medications we’ve tried are also sedating. So when Maddy naps, so do I. Unfortunately, today I am experiencing jitters even when napping … not good.

Ted is not required to nap, as long as he either watches a movie or plays quietly on the computer or with a toy. Today he requests his ‘bedtime numbers’ which is a box of math manipulatives that we bring out for play after Maddy goes to bed. He agrees to clean up when it’s time, so I get them out, and he starts making patterns out of all the number bars. I curl up on the sofa and try to sleep. We’ve got a DVD of Strega Nona playing in the background.

At some point Ted lines up all the numbers and then abandons them to rock in the recliner. This eventually puts him to sleep. It’s the reason I let him skip a nap … because if I don’t force the issue, he’ll usually end up taking one anyway. The only problem is that often Maddy awakens just after he falls asleep.

3:45 This is when I stop my own nap and discover Ted is asleep. Amazingly, Maddy still is too. It’s shaping up to be a pretty good day! I clean up the numbers and get a bit more housework done.

4:10 The mailman arrives, one of the highlights of my day. I go out to get the mail; it’s an interesting lot today. I get a notice from a pest-control service offering to remove squirrels, beavers, and other critters from the premises. We don’t have beavers in my suburban neighborhood and I rather like squirrels, so this will go in the trash can. The catalog of sweets, though, is worth looking through. I won’t be ordering, but I enjoy looking. There are other bits of mail too … homeschool curricula catalogs, newsletters, and so on.

4:30 I glance at the computer and notice that my husband has left me an instant message, asking me to call. He’s confirming an appointment with his accountant and wanted to make sure it didn’t conflict with anything already on the calendar. I get him to commit to an arrival time tonight, so I can prepare dinner … his schedule tends to vary a bit each day and I prefer to have a warm dinner for him, when I can. But if he’s very late, I like to feed the kids before they get too cranky.

5:00 The kids finally awaken from their wonderful naps and I give them popsicles. They’d asked for them earlier but at first it was breakfast time and then later it was just before naps, so I promised after naps. Since dinner won’t be for awhile yet, I honor the promise and let them have the popsicles.

5:15 I go ahead and start cooking dinner. With any luck, Lysle’s estimate of his time is accurate and he’ll be leaving soon. And while it’s cooking I take a few minutes to catch up on my Day Diary typing.

5:55 Maddy has stripped off her clothes and diaper and is insisting on a bath. Sure, why not? I like it that my kids like baths. Ted opts to join her, and as I’m getting them clean, Daddy arrives home. He helps dry off the kids while I get dinner on the table.

It’s just as well that this is a Tuesday project rather than a Wednesday … Wednesdays are Leftover Nights and not very exciting. At least, not exciting since I managed to start scheduling leftovers … we don’t find too many green fuzzy unidentifiables any more. Tonight it’s just pork chops, baked potatoes, and some fruit … I’m not in the mood for a canned vegetable and we’re about out of frozen ones.

6:17 By now we’re sitting down to eat, at the table for once. Ted starts campaigning for an early bedtime for Maddy, so he can have more Daddy time before his own 8:00 bedtime. He wants to play with the numbers for Daddy’s ‘school’ time. Ted loves being the boss and trying to teach us, and it’s a great way to see what all he’s picked up.

After dinner the kids are bouncing on our exercise balls … perhaps not the best choice for an after-dinner activity, but they’re having a blast. Madeline has learned how to balance herself on the kid-sized one and bounce while sitting. Ted’s using the adult one, mainly to crash on and fall off of. We play with them for a time, then Lysle heads off to play on the computer.

7:00 Lysle’s computer time is short-lived. It’s time for Maddy to go to bed, and she prefers Dad to read the bedtime stories. Both kids really want their Daddy time in the evenings. Ted is rocking in the recliner, waiting his turn, while I work more on typing this. When Maddy’s down, we’ll be playing with Ted and watching TV, probably a DVD episode of Stargate: Atlantis.

7:15 It’s Ted’s turn now. He gets out the math manipulatives … the units, tens, and hundreds set. He loves making patterns with the pieces and directing Daddy to do the same. Then Daddy takes a break and Ted plays alone, as we watch our show. Eventually Ted decides he’d rather play with flashcards, but runs out of time as bedtime approaches.

8:00 It’s bedtime. Ted’s had his medicine and is heading to his room, not quite willingly. I think I’ll clean up the math pieces rather than risk a tantrum at this point.

8:25 Ted and Lysle end up playing War with the flashcards for a while, giving me ample time to clean up. Now Ted’s settled in bed and Lysle and I can watch TV without interruptions. At least, that’s the plan.

It’s nice to sit back and relax. It’s been a full day, made harder by the anxiety I deal with. For a little while, at least until bedtime, I get to just rest. That’s nice.

10:20 We’re too tired to finish another episode, so we decide to call it a night. I’m not too jittery to go to bed, which is a nice change. Some nights I stay up longer watching TV, just to wear out my brain long enough to fall asleep. I was afraid this might be one of those nights, since tomorrow will be pretty stressful, but fortunately it’s not.

I look back on all I typed, and hope that the contest’s rules of two to eight pages meant single-spaced rather than double-spaced. This has certainly been an interesting project! I don’t often get to jot down the day-to-day details when I journal, just the big events. This will be a fun keepsake. I might even try it again some time.

Now, to get some rest so I can get back to my real March project tomorrow … the editing must go on and the deadline is approaching! Wonder if I can count all this writing time towards that project? Probably not. But it was worth it. I couldn’t keep this up every day, but it is good to remember that we can make the extra time when we really want to, at least once in a while.

.