a day in the life - maria

If someone wants to come over to my house and clean my bathrooms that would be awesome.  It is one item on my to-do list that I have ZERO desire to do (does anyone ever want to clean the bathrooms?).  Since you probably don't feel like doing that, I guess you can have a peek at Maria's day :).

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Hi! I'm Maria from Momma Maria. I've been married to my wonderful husband, Brandon, who works as a web designer, for almost 5 years now. We've been blessed with a daughter, Lillian, who is 14 months old. I'm a SAHM, so our days sometimes seem long -- especially when I write out everything we do! But, I wouldn't trade it for the world!!

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6:15 - Brandon wakes me up to tell me good-bye. I'm in a bit of a haze. Usually I feel him get out of bed. Or hear his alarm. This morning -- nothing. After a quick, morning-breath kiss from his woman, he's out the door.

6:30 - My alarm goes off, but I hit the snooze until 7:00. That's right. I set my alarm for an entire half hour before I have to get up. Then at 7:00, my phone won't give me the option to snooze anymore. :(

7:00 - I wake up, make the bed, go to the bathroom, put in a load of laundry (which is upstairs in our master bathroom = love), brush my teeth, then get dressed and do my hair.

7:12 - I head downstairs and put the dishes away from last night. Then I enjoy my breakfast in peaceful silence. Today it is a fruit & grain bar & milk.

7:30 - I make my way to my computer. I realize I need to straighten up my desk.

7:35 - A little Facebook/Reader/Pinterest first, please.

7:54 - Start to hear Lil move around. Realize I really need to get going on my desk.

8:00 - Lil seems to have gone back asleep, so I take a look at the new blog design my husband is doing for me, note a few changes I'd like to make, write a post, & brainstorm future post ideas.

8:13 - Lil finally wakes up. I go up, change her diaper & get her dressed. I let her play while I take dirty clothes to the laundry room.

8:24 - We head back downstairs for her breakfast. Today it is yogurt and eggs.

8:39 - Breakfast is done, so the dogs I clean up the egg that made it to the floor. I head back to the computer to finish a post while Lil plays. It doesn't last long -- I end up playing with her and her kitchen set.

9:13 - I can tell she is getting cranky. We head upstairs to play in her room until nap time.

9:45 - I'm back at my computer. The grandmas have been on me to update Lil's and my Amazon wish lists for Christmas. So, I spend some time browsing through Mellisa & Doug toys, as well as some clothes for me.

10:15 - I can hear Lil crying through the monitor, which usually means a dirty diaper. So, I change her diaper and we snuggle while I sing her songs (Twinkle Twinkle, Little Houses, Jesus Loves Me (('cause singing that after the Weeds theme song makes it better)), and Amazing Grace). She lays back down peacefully.

11:02 - After spending a lotsome time on Pinterest I decide to start browning our bulk meat to freeze.

11:28 - Lil wakes up again, but this time for good. I get her lunch ready: meatballs and veggies. I have leftover BBQ and chips.

11:58 - Lunch is cleaned up -- just like at breakfast -- so now its play time!

12:01 - Eko (our black lab -- we also have a pug/boxer mix, Dharma -- anyone Lost fans, too?) pees on the floor. Kidding me? I yell for Lillian to come back to me. She, of course, thinks it is a game and takes off running. She belly slides through the pee. I couldn't make this up. Worst. Mom. Ever.

Sorry -- no pictures of this. I'm too stressed about the fact that my daughter is laying and splashing her hands in dog pee to even think about grabbing the camera.

12:18 - Bath is over for Lillian, she is changed and playing in her room. I clean up and sanitize the floor. I then join Lil & play in her room. We do some puzzles, which are her favorites right now.

12:46 - Cranky baby = nap time.

12:55 - I start watching Desperate Housewives, Pan Am (which I think I'm going to love), and Modern Family online.

2:45 - Lil wakes up. I set her in her high chair to color while I do some dishes. We then move into the living room to watch Sesame Street.

3:25 - Brandon's home!!

4:23 - She's cranky again and keeps rubbing her eyes, so we lay her down for a nap. She's been sleeping a lot lately due to teething, I'm guessing. I use the time to watch Pawn Stars on Netflix. However, I just end up napping. Brandon goes into his office to work on my blog.

5:00 - Lil & I wake up. I start dinner. Tonight it is Nacho Pie.

5:45 - We eat dinner (I don't have any pictures of this... I guess I forgot).

6:30 - We all head up to The Lillian's room for playtime/stories. Right now we are reading Freddy in Peril. It's an awesome series. Highly recommend it. (It's a five book series. Here is book 1)

8:00 - We put Lillian to bed. Brandon and I head downstairs. He works some more; I watch Heavy on Nextflix.

9:30 - We start Bridesmaids. Not as good as I hoped, but still good.

11:45 - We go to bed. Waaaaaay later than normal. Usually we try to get there by 10:30. I'll be feeling it tomorrow.

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Thanks to Ashley for letting me share my day with all of you!

Now for the questions:

1. What is the most surprising thing about being a mom?

The most surprising thing is how much I've learned to trust God. I have major problems worrying over everything (from bumps to rashes, schedules to learning activities, & everything in between). Caring so much about Lil has made me a little crazy. I've learned that keeping my daily time with God means I keep my impulses and troubling thoughts at bay.

2. What advice would you give new or soon-to-be moms?
My advice would be to be sure to schedule alone time with your husband. It is so important to keep your relationship on track. We lost that for a while & nothing felt better than that first alone date after baby to get things back to normal. I also firmly believe that keeping your relationship with your husband in line makes your baby feel safer, more secure, and happier!

3. What are your top three baby products?

• Glow Worm - which is actually a seahorse...but that's not what we call it. It's been with her since the day she started sleeping in her crib. It is soothing to even us when we hear it through the monitor at night.
• Nursing Covers - maybe this is an obvious one. But, honestly, I breast fed everywhere. They are so much nicer than having to deal with a blanket. My mom bought be one as a present, but since I've stopped breast feeding, I've made one using this tutorial for a friend. I love it because you can make it as big as you want -- which is especially nice those first few months when you feel like you have a lot going on down there.
• Chicco Polly Highchair - We got it in the vinyl covering, but it comes in fabric, too. We liked ours so much, my mom bought one for her house. We've used it since day 1 with Lil. When she was a newborn, we would recline the seat and put of up the foot rest. She would snooze in there while I was on the computer, while we were eating, etc. With our hard floors, I can easily maneuver the chair from the kitchen to dining room. The seat levels change, so we now have it lowered enough so she eats off the table with us! We just removed one of our dining chairs and pushed her up! If we ever have to buy another highchair, we will be getting the same one, but in fabric. It cleans in the washer much better than the vinyl.

Thanks so much for sharing my day with me! And thanks again to Ashley for hosting me! Be sure to visit me!

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Thanks for sharing your day with us Maria!