a day in the life - shelly

I meant to post yesterday, but I started reading The Hunger Games and got sucked in.  And read 300+ pages.  I'm so close to done so I figure I better just finish it so my productivity can go back up :o).

Today I'd like you to meet Shelly.  Her family has a special place in my heart, but I'll let her do the talking first!

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Hi there. I’m Shelly from Mother Hen Book. My husband and I are blessed with Kylie Claire, our almost four year old daughter. My husband and I both work full time, so this post may be a slight different than the traditional ones. We live in Chicago. My husband works from home when not traveling (30%).

Our lives are ruled by routine…So in essence this is our everyday Monday thru Friday.

6:00 am-Alarm goes off and I plea for 15 more minutes of shut eye. But alas, I know I have an early meeting so I pull myself out of bed to get ready.

6:30 am-I turn Kylie’s light on in her room. She likes to slowly wake up, just like the rest of us.

7:15 am-Head out the door. If we leave at this exact time we will miss the commuter trains that run every 15 minutes. Kylie eats her breakfast in the car. It generally consists of one omega vitamin, two vegetable supplements and two fruit supplements. She also eats a piece of fruit or granola bar. She’s not a big eater in the mornings.

7:30 am-Kiss and hug my deary good bye for the day. Don’t get me wrong, we love her school and her teachers, but perhaps the hardest part of my day is leaving her. Fun Fact: Did you know I actually personally know Ashley? She was Kylie’s teacher when we lived in Kansas (until she left us to have the beautiful Ryann).

 

8:00 am until 4:30 pm-Work. I’m a Regulatory Compliance Manager for Sara Lee. It does not get too much more exciting than this folks (Do you sense my sarcasm?). I have a BS and MS in Food Science & Nutrition. So, in short I provide the nutritionals and ingredient statements for packaging. I also approve any claims (ie Low Fat, Fat Free etc) going on the packaging to make sure they are USDA and FDA compliant. I told you it was exciting…

 

Anyway, now its 5:00 pm-I go on a run. I have been a runner for years and years and years…more like 15 years. During the week I’ll go between four and six miles a day. I reserve Saturday and Sunday for lengthy runs. Three times a week our Airedale, Hercules, will jog 2 miles with me. Otherwise in Andy’s absence I’ve got to squeeze a short walk in for him at this time too. I run outdoors year round. Winter is perhaps my favorite season…well, until it’s summer and then summer will be my favorite season...

 

6:15 pm-I go get Kylie if Andy is traveling. If he is not traveling Kylie will already be home by now.

7:00 pm-If Andy is not traveling he makes dinner for us. If he is traveling we fine-dine on peanut butter and jelly (usually). You may be obliged to read more into my thoughts on that here. We seldom watch television during the week…there’s just not enough time in our days. Instead we read books, paint and build stuff, like tents or Lego princess castles.

8:30 pm-Kylie’s bath is had and we snuggle down to read a few good books before drifting off.

10:00 pm-I’m zonked and not looking forward to getting up in the morning. I hit the sack.

 

Okay, now for perhaps a little more interesting section to read!

1. What is the most surprising thing about being a mom? I’m about to get all sappy here. For me the most surprising thing about being a mom is the capacity of love I hold for this little person. I’ve only known her for four years (ish)…How can I love her this much already? Don’t get me wrong…I can want to scream my head off one minute then the next be in tears over a thoughtful ‘sorry’ or ‘I love you’. I know some mothers say “I love every minute” but I’ll cut the crap and tell you if I loved every minute I wouldn’t be working full time. I love the time I have with her. I love the time I have to expand my horizons as well.

2. What advice would you give new or soon-to-be moms? The advice I would give any new or soon-to-be moms is to do it your own way. There’s a whole lot of mom’s out there and a whole lot of different ways to do stuff. There’s a great possibility not one of those ways is right for you and your family. Oh, and remember to laugh.

3. What are your top three baby products? Oh this is a toughy as Kylie is going on four…But probably DaBib was a staple. Soft, absorbent and always fit like a glove. I also was able to use cloth diapers for Kylie’s entire first year (my wonderful in-home caretaker even washed them for me)…Kylie’s bum was so sensitive disposable diapers rashed her out…so I’ll give a shout out to Bum Genius for keeping my kiddo’s bum silky smooth. Lastly I’ll comment on Charlie’s Soap, the detergent I actually used until about six months ago. Fragrance free and never left a poo stain on a Bum Genius.

Thank you Ashley for asking me to participate in your Day in the Life Posts!

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Thank you for sharing with us Shelly! I seriously can't believe Miss Kylie Claire is almost 4.  That little peanut learned to walk in my class!  And just because... I have a few photos of kiddos I've taught on my phone that I haven't been able to make myself delete yet.  Here are a couple of Kylie :o)

Have a good one!