a day in the life - nikki

Well, better than late than never right?  I completely dropped the ball on a reminder e-mail this week.  But luckily when Nikki finally did hear from me, she already had a post ready to go.  Because she is cool like that.  So I hope you enjoy a day in her life!

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Welcome to a day in the life of Nikki, Joe and Harper who is 2 and a half. I blog over at If I Could Only Find the Words. I'm a middle school math teacher, so I get to do the working mom thing and the stay at home mom thing. It really is the best of both worlds. I love my summers home with Harper, but I get to rock the classroom as well. I've documented a Sunday for you all today.

6:38 a.m.: I hear my morning call "MOMMY." Today is my morning to wake up with Harper. Joe and I take turns so each of us gets one morning a week to sleep in. I head over to her room and we check that she hasn't wet the bed, and do a happy dance when all is dry. She's been day time potty trained for a while now, but just last week said "I'm a big girl now, I don't want to wear diapers to bed." There's no arguing with that statement...and we've only had two nights with accidents, so not too bad.

6:45 a.m: After a trip to the restroom and feeding the cats, we head down for breakfast. Frosted flakes and coffee for me, and "both kinds" for Harper (frosted flakes and cheerios). In what seems to be her new trend she says to me "I'm a big girl now, I want a big bowl like you." I wonder how long until she says "I'm a big girl now, let me drive." If anyone has found that magic spell that locks them in at this age, send it my way. After breakfast, it's time for a check up. After much investigation she claims "I have a diagnosis. You have a case of bi-i-i-nosis" I get a shot and a band-aid and I'm all better. So we head downstairs for some cartoons.

8:30 am: Cartoon time is over and I ask Harper whether she would like to go to the art museum or put up Christmas decorations. She picks decorations so I pull everything out. We start to put up the fake tree we have for the basement, but I can't find the tree stand. We'll have to wait until Joe gets up to see if he knows where it is. So instead we start to play trains and Lego's. This is typically Joe's arena, but I do my best. We have quite the pirate battle. Then we spend quite a bit of time mixing and matching all the lego people and putting helmets on Harper's toes.

10:30 am: We head upstairs to bake some banana bread. I take a lot of help with a store bought mix, but add some real bananas for extra flavor. Harper helps smash the bananas, crack the eggs, and mix everything together. While it bakes we have lunch. Tuna sandwich for me, peanut butter sandwich for her and we both have pretzels, edamame, and a tangerine. Then it's dance party time in the kitchen. Joe wakes up and heads out for some breakfast. Part of our sleep in deal is on your morning to sleep in you can go to breakfast and read the paper by yourself. It's nice to take the time to recharge.

1:00pm: Nap time. During naps on the weekends I try to get lots of things done. Today it's organizing coupons, then off to the grocery store. I also run in to Target to grab an Elf on the Shelf. We've never had one before, but they sound like lots of fun, and since Harper is really in to Christmas this year, I figured she'd get a kick out of it. Other times during naps I get a workout in, or grade papers, but I will have to do those things a little later.

3:00 pm: Harper is awake and we finally convince her to get dressed for the day. We surprise her with a doorbell ring, and no one is there, but she finds a present. We introduce the Elf on the Shelf, which she names DeeDee. Then we head out to get our Christmas tree. We bring it home, and begin mass decorations of the house. We have "grab whatever" night for dinner so we can continue to decorate. This also allows us to watch a little "Mommy football" since the Bengals are on T.V.

6:45 pm: I head down to the basement to start grading some papers. Joe and Harper play upstairs in her room. Who knows what they are doing up there, but occasionally I hear some loud bumps and crazy laughing.

7:45 pm: I take a break from grading to have a snack and play some with Harper before bed time. Tonight is bath night so we head up around 8 to bathe, dress, jump on the bed and brush teeth. After she's down I head back down to finish grading and plan some lessons. I get myself to bed around 10:30 and I already feel behind for the week. I'll just have to make up some time this week after she goes to bed. I don't love to bring work home, but sometimes it's unavoidable...especially this year it seems.

Thanks for looking at a day in my life. Here's the answers to Ashley's questions:

What's the most surprising thing about being a mom?

I can't believe how much I think about Harper through out my day. I find myself wondering all kinds of things about what she'll be like when she grows, at the same time wishing she wouldn't grow up so fast. I'm surprised how I am able to dig deep down and find patience, understanding, and the ability to teach her new things after I feel I've exhausted all those things at work. I'm surprised how quickly she makes me smile. Lots of things surprise me about being a mom. I think the best part is how she surprised me with something new everyday.

What advice would you give to new or soon-to-be moms?

I think I said this the last time I did a day in the life post, but it still holds true...take time for yourself. A happy hour with friends, breakfast by yourself, or a trip to get a pedicure. It keeps me sane and helps me balance out my life so it's not all about work and family. My favorite way to take time for myself is a solo trip to Target. I peruse the clearance racks, wander through the shoes, and take time just to unwind and people watch. Reminds me of the time before I had a kid and could spend as long as I wanted in Target...I think I have a problem.

What are your top three baby products?
Since she's not a baby anymore I'll give my top three toddler products:
1. Velcro shoes - when we are going through the daily "I do it myself" battle before I have to leave for work, her easy slide on velcro shoes save both of us from having a melt down at 7 am.
2. Cleaning Toys - you know those kiddy mops and brooms. She loves them and will help us sweep whenever we need to, so we're still spending quality time with her and getting chores done. Anytime another little one comes over it's the number one toy of ours that they play with.
3. Clif Z-Bars - She eats a morning "breakfast" at daycare, but we like to give her a little something as we head out the door. These are easy for us, somewhat healthy, and she LOVES them. Sometimes I think a Costco membership would be worth it if we could make up the difference in Z-bars alone.

Honestly, the best thing in our lives as parents is our Daycare. I'm sure I'm not preaching to anyone when I say how important it is to find an amazing daycare. I love ours, and so does Harper. It's awesome to know that she's being as well cared for if I was doing it myself.

Thanks for enjoying a day in our lives. Pop on over anytime to see what crazy antics we are up to.

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Thanks so much for sharing your day with us Nikki!  Sorry I was a little behind in contacting you :o).