Last May, I wrote something for my blog that I never ended up posting. It was mostly written for my own enjoyment, to remember what life was like at that time. Now, I look back and chuckle to myself. 18 months ago, things were so different! It is amazing how much can happen in such a short time...both by children growing and the world changing.
May 2, 2019:
One day, I will forget what a typical day in 2019 was like. Of course, there is no typical day. But there are several types of days I tend to cycle through. Today is Work Day.
I did not work last night, so I woke at 6:45 when Tim's alarm went off. My Fitbit says I got 7.5 hours of sleep; much better than my 6 hours I have been averaging this week. Tim checks his phone and tells me today is a 2-hour delay for the girls, due to fog. Nice! I close my eyes for a few more minutes, then we get up to get the boys ready for preschool.
The girls are self-sufficient in the morning (with much coaching), and they happily follow my instructions to eat breakfast and get ready for school before playing. The boys take more one-on-one attention and are scrambling to get out the door on time today.
I make some coffee and pack the girls' lunches. The phone rings, and I chat with my friend while finishing these tasks. I'm encouraged by her call. We have so much in common with the stage of life we are in, and she just "gets me". We wrap our call up so we can focus on our to-do lists, and I start getting myself ready for the day. I am happily curling my hair in my bedroom, singing along with a Pandora station on my phone, when the girls come upstairs, giggling. "We can hear you downstairs, Mom!" Well, I was intending to have the morning to myself, and this is what I do when I am alone! They find this information hilarious, and they join in the singing for a bit before retreating downstairs for another snack and a bit of TV. (What is with all the snacks?! They just had breakfast!)
It's 9:50. Time to take the girls to school. We head out the door, the girls with their backpacks, me with my grocery list and empty bags to return at Walmart. I drop them off at school and head out to do my shopping alone.
Lunch time for all! Tim leaves to go back to work, and the boys want to watch TV. I lay down on the floor for some rest before work. It's not very quiet today. N wants to climb on me and J wants to talk. I think I nodded off for awhile, but I don't really know. I feel okay to be up all night though, so I get up.
The boys tell me it is snack time. Didn't they just eat?! We get a snack.
It is already 2:15. The girls are staying late at school today, so I get another hour to accomplish things before picking them up. I put some laundry in the wash, start up the dishwasher, and make a mental list of the other things I want to do before getting the girls. The boys are building with blocks, so this might be a good time to read.
*At this point, my blog post ends. I am sure I did not get to read. I would have picked up the girls at 3:30, come home and fetched everyone another snack, encouraged everyone to do their daily reading, then started making supper. We would have eaten dinner at 5:30, then I would have retreated upstairs to shower and get ready for work while Tim finished dinner with the kids and cleaned up the kitchen. At 6:40 I would have left for my shift at work, which I am sure included a nice lunch break where I could attempt this blog post. I am also sure the laundry never made it to the dryer that day, and the groceries sat on the kitchen floor for approximately one week. Some things don't change. ;) *
November 10, 2020:
I worked last night. Morning report went a little longer than usual. I was in the covid unit, so I took the time to sanitize my shoes and change my clothes at work before coming home. This got me home around 8:15. The family had just gotten back from dropping S off at school, and the youngest four were packing toys and schoolwork to take to the church. Today was supposed to be a school day for all. However, we got a message last night that the kids' elementary school is doing remote learning for a week and a half due to many staff members being quarantined for covid. Thankfully, the kids can just read and play at the church today while Tim works.
2020 is so weird.
I unpack my work gear and head upstairs to sleep. Last night was busy, with a lot of physical labor. I am exhausted, and I am in bed by 8:45 and fall asleep immediately. Next thing I know, my alarm is ringing. It is 2:00 and I need to pick S up from school. 5.25 hours of sleep. The lack of sleep is the hardest part of working night shift.
I get dressed, put on a touch of makeup, grab a mask and some coffee, and head out the door. I get S from school and swing by the grocery store. We need butter to make dinner tonight. And cream for coffee. And some food for work tonight. Drinks too. And S needs candy.
Together, she and I head back to the truck and drive to the church to swap out vehicles and bring home the little kids. I need to get the boys started on their schoolwork. They have read at the church, but they are not focused enough to do their other schoolwork there.
3:20, we arrive at home. Everyone wants a snack. (That hasn't changed.) I tell them no though. We have a schedule to keep! The girls are all finished with their work, so they head off to play. I get the boys set up at the table, and we start their school packets. N is motivated and works through his packet quickly. J is taking his time and doing everything super neatly. Finally, we get to a point in their work where they need to color, cut, and glue. Yay! Independent work! I seize this opportunity to begin making dinner and pack myself a lunch for work.
At 5:00, dinner is ready. We clear the table, eat together, and then I head upstairs to shower while Tim cleans the kitchen. I return at 5:30 to help the boys with the rest of their school work. N finishes his and runs off to play. J and I continue to work together until 6:05. Then he is done, so we clean up the table again. I return upstairs to finish getting ready for work.
6:45, I am heading out the door. This is later than I intended to leave, but it was unavoidable today and I will still be on time.
I change my clothes at work, gather my supplies, and head to the covid unit for report. I have the same assignment as last night, so I know what to expect. This makes the night flow a bit more smoothly. Working the covid unit is not easy though. My shoes are covered with disposable booties. I wear a hairnet. When I go into a patient's room, I change out of my white mask, into my StarWars-esque respirator. I put on goggles, a face shield, gloves, and a disposable gown. This process is time-consuming, but necessary. Then when I exit the patient's room, I carefully remove and sanitize all these items. I have a meticulous routine, and it is time-consuming. Tasks that would normally be very quick, turn into a 20 minute process. I have learned to plan ahead and prioritize better. I try to do as much as I can each trip into a patient's room, to minimize the amount of times I enter and exit. But I still have to make some calls from the patients' rooms, asking my co-workers for supplies that I have forgotten.
We have an excellent work team. We support one another and help out as much as we can. Work is very different than it was 18 months ago, but I am thankful for the group I am blessed to experience it with!
Tonight's work is not as physically taxing as last night. It is emotionally draining though, and I am exhausted again by the end of the shift. I sanitize my shoes, change my clothes, and clock out. I head home to sleep until lunch time, when I will get up to do school with the kids, pick up my grocery order, and swing by the library. It is going to be a busy day again.
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I am sure 2021 will be vastly different than the two years prior. While I enjoy today and embrace the chaos, I also look forward to seeing what next year holds. I wonder what that next "typical day" post will look like.
