a day in the life of shannan

you are invited to spend a day in the life of her.

the gal who you might think has it all together.  the mama who seems to do it all. 
guess what?  she doesn't.

let's fight those lies.  this series is an effort to dispel the superwoman myth.  it is a time to be encouraged and a place to be challenged. 

i have invited some wonderful women who want to be real with y'all.  they want to share their struggles and triumphs.  they want to give you a true glimpse into their everyday.  it might not be glamorous, but it is real and beautiful.

  come walk a bit in the shoes of another.  

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please welcome shannan of flower patch farmgirl
 

Something struck me as I set out to write my Day in the Life post for Cutie Annalea - there really is no "typical" day around here. For all of my efforts to explain to my husband about the Groundhog Dayness of it all, upon closer inspection, it's really not always the same.

There's plenty of overlap, and by "overlap", I mean "cleaning poopy underwear every. single. day. Sometimes twice." but there is almost always a streak of Wild running through our days. Some wild is fun and flashy. Some wild makes me cry. But it's always there and I'm comforted by the realization. Maybe I'll not expire from terminal monotony after all. Here's to the glass half-wild! *clink*

Tuesday, February 28, 2010

(FYI, I did just write "2010". It rolled right off the tips of my fingers. This hints at the general befuddlement that I have recently become in light of all the dirty britches, doctor's appointments and kitchen carpeting. Let's try again.)

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

6:50 - Alarm goes off. I roll over and jab Cory in the ribs (lightly, of course) to find out what time he has to be at work. Not until 8! Score. Miraculously, the kids are not up yet, and Cory can drop Calvin off at school, so we both slide blissfully back into 20 extra minutes of sleep.

7:10 - Calvin (6) and Ruby (5) come in, dressed and ready. They are both a couple of layering fools, so I'm always entertained by my first glimpse of them.

7:15 - Breakfast. Cinnamon raisin toast, yogurt, and kiwi. Milk. Mama has a cup of tea with her toast. I have to say, it helps.

7:40 - Calvin and Cory (aka Daddy) leave.

7:45 - I hop into the shower while Silas is still sleeping. If I dare wait, I will live to regret it. (editor's note: I dared to wait today and was gifted with a bathroom sink clogged with soggy toilet paper. And I was in the room when it happened...)

8:00 - Get dressed. This is exceedingly easy right now because I'm wearing the same thing almost every day. Jen Hatmaker made me do it. I haven't explained it to anyone yet, but the short version is, I'm wearing only 9 articles of clothing (unmentionables not withstanding) for the month of March. I have much to say about this, but this probably isn't the time/place. Stay tuned! 

Here's what I wore: 

faded jeans

white long sleeved T

gray, pilly sweater

 I liked it so much, I wore it again today.

I dried my hair 50% because it's all I could stomach #what'sahaircut?

I put on concealer, a bit of tinted moisturizer and a swirl of blush. Plus my favorite, Red Dahlia lip balm by Burt's Bees.

8:15 - Silas is up and happy! He's so precious that I don't mind his morning breath a single bit. Truth be told, I kinda like it.

8:30 - My nephews, Colin and Jack, arrive. They have 15 minutes to play before I drop them off at pre-school. (A recent Tues. a.m. tradition that we all love.)

9:00 - Pre-school drop-off

9:10 - Ready for adventure, Silas, Ruby and I head for a massive indoor garage sale that recently opened up in an old RV showroom. You heard me. Turns out, they don't open until 10. Crudders. We head to Hobby Lobby instead, to grab a couple of birthday gifts. While there, Silas repeatedly lays face-down on the floor, lying motionless for up to a minute at a time. Mommy repeatedly feels his forehead for fever and is relieved/puzzled that he isn't warm.

11 - Back home and ready to make lunch. We listen to the Classical station on Pandora, just for kicks.

(Editor's note: I covered the table in paper for last week's art project and I've grown strangely attached.)

11:45 - Kids eat.

Ruby: A mini frozen pizza, grapes, pineapple.

Silas: Left-over spaghetti, grapes, pineapple.

This is one of our wild-cards. The kids don't normally get different lunches, but I declared a "clean out the fridge" lunch. Everyone was pleased.

12:15 - Mommy eats.

I eat with the kids about half the time. The other half, I wait until they go down for quiet time.

Today I waited until they were done, but then they were inspired to stack up all of the cans and boxes of food on the lower shelves of the pantry. It was their happiest 20 minutes of cooperative play, so I rolled with it.

I present to you, one of my favorite meals in all the earth: Taco bowl. A

smidge of left-over taco meat, loads of black beans, a heap of thinly sliced lettuce

(it matters), grape tomatoes, jalapenos, black olives, chopped onion,

sour cream, taco sauce. And okay, fine, a glob of "nacho cheese" from a

jar (we were out of real cheese.)

I know it looks like an alarming amount of food, but I'm pretty sure it's just an optical illusion?

While the kids still happily stacked, I grab Cory's Bible and opened it to the Psalms. There's always something new. Always what I need. I was so taken by this verse that I grabbed a marker and paper from the craft box and jotted it down. It's now taped over the kitchen sink because...

I do dishes twice a day. I almost always have a helper (aka Super Cute Slower Downer). Sometimes Cory takes the night shift.

Dear dish washer,

I miss you like mad. Never forget what we had together!

Love,

Shannan

(Editorial note: We have been living in a rental house since October. There is a dish washer, but its only purpose is serving as my make-shift island/junk-mail collection site. I always sound bratty when I whine about it, but I haven't managed to stop yet.)

12:45 - Throw in a load of laundry. Run dish water.

1:00 - Quiet time commences. Praise!

Silas has asked to wear pojammies at nap-time for two days in a row. Miraculously, he has actually napped both days. (That almost never happens.)

1:15 - Dishes done. Eat a spoonful of left-over dark chocolate truffle and check email.

Ruby has quiet time in her room for one hour. Every single day she asks if she has to. Like clock-work. (Once over Christmas break I let her stay out with me. She hasn't forgotten.) She usually takes a couple of books in with her. Today, she also takes a Dora coloring book and her markers. She always colors the faces of her people brown. It's instinctive, and it makes me punch-pleased.

2:00 - Ruby and I play a matching word game, then she plays with Duplo blocks while I read.

I have a real book problem.

And a real junked-up desk problem.

2:50 - Calvin gets off bus, Silas wakes up.

3:00 - Throw everyone in the van with water bottles and dry cereal in little cups (Calvin's request) to leave for Calvin's blood draw.

3:40 - He is a Superhero! Doesn't make a single peep, other then peppering the phlebotomist with questions about her jewelry, her Ethnic Cuisine preferences, the length of her boyfriend's hair and the temperature of blood.

4:15 - Drop the kids off at Nana's house.

4:30 - Back home to a silent house! What to do? I really need to vacuum. Like, desperately. Instead, I hunker down and flip through the March issue of Country Living. I've had it for nearly a month and haven't even opened it yet! (I like saving things. I'm a "pleasant experience" hoarder. Is there a show for that?)

5:15 - Cory's home!

5:30 - Therapy session via Google+

This was our 3rd session with an A-Mazing therapist who is helping us (virtually) deal with some of our Siley challenges. Again, so much to say about this. And soon.

6:45 - We're starved! Might as well take the opportunity for a "date". There are two options in town: Subway or McDs

7:00 - Cory picks McDs. HUH?

We enjoy our romantic dinner for two. At McDonalds. In a gas station. I sneak bits and pieces from Access Hollywood on the corner TV. FYI, J Lo swears it wasn't a wardrobe malfunction.

7:30 - Pick up kiddos.

7:40 - Cory winds them up almost past the point of return.

8:15 - Medicine, potty, teeth, prayers, bed.

8:15 - We realize the PBS American Experience: The Amish airs tonight! I fold laundry then we share the blanket and sit mesmerized for both hours. I scoff at the historian who calls them "Ame-ish". Silly expert! I lament that they are only showing Holmes County Ohio and Lancaster County Pennsylvania. At last, there we are! LaGrange County, Indiana. (close enough) They show the Ame-ishmen working in a local factory and my jaw is on the floor. I've always been told how crazy it is working on the line of one of these factories, but I've never seen it myself. Homeboys run. The entire time. Whilst power-tooling!

We check nary an email nor a news feed. In fact, the computer stays shut. It is wonderful.

10:00 - Bed checks. Silas's room smells mysteriously of Chinese food. Calvin and Ruby's room smells of moldy cheese. I don't ask questions. Also? My heart aches for my beautiful, hilarious, peace-dreaming babies. I'm the luckiest girl in all the world.

10:10 - Measure 3.5 cups of water into a sauce pan and set out oatmeal for tomorrow. (Have I mentioned that I'm not a morning person?)

10:30 Lights out. You don't even know how weird this is. We are staunch mid-nighters. But! We've given up "staying up late" for Lent. I knew it would be tough for us, and it is. The night feels so blissfully long! I'm suspiciously able to pry my eyes open in the morning! It's fishy.

So there's a day in my life. It's not normal, because there is no normal. It's often hectic and messy. Sometimes it's a little gray and sometimes it's gold as a sunbeam. It's me and it's them and it's us. It's my very favorite.

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shannan, you are one funny and inspiring lady.  thank you for making me feel more normal for my lack of normal.  does that make sense?   also, wearing the same clothes everyday is kinda my norm and the lettuce does taste better when cut thinly.  but really, thank you for sharing a real and beautiful and joy-filled day.

xoxo,
annalea