a day in the life - amanda

Surprise!  A day in the life on Friday again.  Today you get a little peek at Amanda's life.

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Thank you Ashley for a) reminding me it was my week to post b) giving me until Friday because I'm an e-mail slacker and I've had a cRaZy week! I absolutely love your blog and your weight loss has inspired me to get healthier.

A little about my blog and our family... My husband and I have been married for 7 years this June. I am one of those crazy girls that got married a month after I graduated and it worked out well for us! I think it's possibly because we had 3 years of marriage before my stepson came to live with us and 5 years before we had our first child together. We live on 5 acres in the middle of the woods and we love animals. We have a variety of dogs, fish, and turtles. We are adding some goats into the mix soon, we hope. I stay at home with the kiddos and my hubby brings home the bacon, for now. I am also a full time student (online) and I will graduate this coming December after taking 2 years off!

6:45-8:00
A typical day in our life begins at 6:45 in the morning. We wake up, make ourselves presentable, let the dogs out I get some coffee, Finley Kate gets some juice, Bryce fixes himself something to eat and then we head off to take Bryce to school. FK usually falls back asleep in the car, but on the rare occasion she doesn't she watched Toy Story.

8:00-10:30
Once we get back from the morning school drop off FK and I eat breakfast. She loves cheese grits (ewww) and I usually have cereal with almond milk. While she is eating I usually feed the dogs, put on some laundry, unload the dishes from the dishwasher, etc. Next I work on school work, blog, or do anything computer related. FK is usually coloring or watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Most of the time, I end up coloring and watching TV with her too.

10:30-12:00 
We usually have a snack and head to the playroom to color some more, read books, play baby dolls, Barbies, with the play kitchen or with some other toys she finds. If the weather is nice we go outside and play with the sidewalk chalk or in the yard. The dogs are with us outside too, it's another potty break and their exercise time as well.

And this is why we don't leave the pantry door open.... ever

12:00-2:00
Lunch time and then nap time for Miss Finley and sometimes for Mommy too ;) While she is sleeping I'm generally cleaning the house, dusting, folding laundry, having lunch, and doing school work and/or blogging. If all of the above is done I read using my Kindle app (I am finishing up The Mockingjay currently) or catch up on Grey's, Vampire Diaries, or some other guilty pleasure show (hello Kim K.)... I also usually take a shower during this time frame.

2:00-3:15
Snack time for Finley Kate  and I usually lay out some meat for dinner (or throw something in the crockpot), let the dogs out again. We color, read, vacuum, and weather permitting we usually head outside again. I love that FK is getting older and wants to be outside more. We have been really lucky this year because this winter  had been well above average in the temperature department!

3:15-4:15
We leave to get Bubba from school and Toy Story is usually playing on the DVD player. Once we get to the school she is asleep and I'm on the phone while waiting in line or reading on my phone using the Kindle app. On the days that he has baseball practice we don't leave to get him until 5 and aren't back home until 6:15 or so.

This is from a few weeks ago when we were all sick. Bryce is an amazing big brother!

4:15-6:45
We make dinner, finish up any remaining laundry and usually have another snack and some more juice (we do juice twice a day and water the rest of the day).  Finley plays with Bryce, watches TV with him, color some more. We play in the play room some more, read,  and I help Bryce with his homework, when he has it. We let the dogs out (again) and finish up anything that needs to be done.

6:45-8:00
Daddy gets home from work and we eat dinner as a family and clean up the kitchen.

8:00-9:30
Bath time for FK, and we watch TV together as a family, or spend time in the playroom and Finley Kate usually falls asleep and Bryce heads up to bed.

9:30- whenever I fall asleep!
I watch TV, read, tidy up the house one last time before bed! Get on Facebook, Pinterest, or anything else that is just for me! Some nights (especially this week) I just go straight to bed!

What is the most surprising thing about being a mom?
For me, the most surprising thing was how difficult it is to leave her. Before Finley was 1 she stayed with a babysitter one time it about killed me. It was only for a few hours and that was all I could take. Shortly after she turned 1 I had to complete my first block of student teaching and it was very hard on me, she was fine. In that same token, I am very picky about who I leave her with and I call every hour to check on her. The older she gets, and the better she can communicate it seems to get easier!

What advice would you give new or soon to be moms?
Enjoy every minute, even the crying and waking up through the all through the night (FK didn't sleep through the night until she was 15 months old!) because it goes by so quickly you will miss it! I don't think you can hold you baby enough the first year, but also know that it is okay if you need a break.

What are your top 3 baby products?

• Nursing Cover: This is an absolute must for modest nursing Mama's! I was very self conscious about nursing in public having a cover really helped me cope with my fear of NIP! The one I had was Udder Covers in the Maria print. I got it free, except shipping and handling, with a code I found online. They have them all the time if you are looking for one!
• Moby Wrap: The Moby was discovered when FK was 3 or 4 months old but I really wish I had it from the beginning. She is only just now beginning to get on a good schedule with napping and not need to be held to sleep. I used the Moby religiously once I got it for nursing in public (you seriously can't even tell they are nursing!) and for carrying her. It was  LIFESAVER while grocery shopping because she hated the carseat and I am too short to snap it into the buggy anyway. I had the green one but I seriously wish I would have known about the cute prints... but I love it either way!
• Jogging Stroller: I love my jogging stroller. I use it a lot even when I am not exercising because it is such a smooth ride for baby girl. Anytime I exercise I use it because I always have Finley with me, ya know being the over protective Mama I am and everything. 

There are a ton more items I could list but those are for sure my top 3! We also love Sophie the giraffe, anything Leapfrog, Up and Up diapers, Huggies wipes, and the Bumbo seat!

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No worries on being a bit behind Amanda, life happens!  Thank you for sharing your day with us!