a day in the life - gia

Morning blog world!  My mama is coming to stay with us for a few days, and Ryann is going to MDO twice this week, so starting today we are hardcore hitting the rest of my nesting list.  Part of me is really excited, part of me is dreading it.  But the good news is stuff is going to get done!

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Hi there!  My name is Gia and I blog over at A Life in Progress.  I am married to C and we are lucky enough to have three amazing children.  Jamie (16, 10th grade) and Alexys (14, 9th grade) are my stepdaughters and live with us full time, and we also have a son named Logan, who is two.  I teach high school English full-time and spend a good portion of my time playing taxi and driving the girls to all of their activities.  I love being a mom and wife and teacher and wouldn't trade my life for anything!

5:00 AM: My alarm starts going off and I hit snooze repeatedly.  With three females that need to get showered and ready for the day, it is a battle for the bathroom/straightener/mirror.  Jamie ends up in the shower before me, so I roll out of bed at 5:30 and shower and get ready for the day.

6:30 AM: I am dressed and ready to go and get Logan out of bed.  The kid makes me laugh even first thing in the morning.  Chuck takes him to daycare today so I head right to work.

Me, dressed for work.  In a dusty mirror.  Wow.
I borrowed the scarf from Jamie.  Or, as I call her, my accessory closet.

6:55 AM: Didn't have time for breakfast, so I stop for a granola bar and water at Sheetz.  Ok, and an apple fritter.

7:10: Arrive at school!  Start up the coffee in our English office and boot up my computer.  I check my agenda for the day and work on what the rest of the week is going to look like.  I teach three preps, have an extra class this year and one of those preps is a brand new Honors class, so sometimes my day is overwhelming.  I have found the key is to be highly prepared and attempt to be ready to go on a daily basis.

9:10: My free period, so I have a snack and work on getting copies ready.

12:30: Lunchtime!

There was a chicken puff in here.  Make them! 

2:50-3:15: Class is out!  End of the day, time to go to Target for diapers and a few other odds and ends.

My happy place.  Or "The Black Hole That Takes All of My Money"

4:15: Arrive to get Logan from day care.  No meltdown today and he was pretty good with putting on his coat.  No nap though, so I become nervous about how he is going to be tonight.  He runs to the steps and starts counting them as he walks up. We head across the street to the high school to get Jamie from costume crew and head home.
  

Have you had this?  My in-the-car snack for the ride home.  It is AH-MAZING!

4:40: Still waiting for Jamie.  I spend half of my life waiting for high schoolers...

5:00 Pm: Home to play with the little man.  He gets a snack and milk and we usually watch the Thomas the Train episode from the day.  Have you ever paid attention to Thomas?  He is the WORST role model for kids.  I mean, really.  He makes poor decisions and acts selfishly and OF COURSE it turns out okay in the end.  Plus, in most episodes their mouths don't move and it freaks me out.

Ready for spring...so over it.

5:01: I immediately put on comfy clothes and this definitely happens:

Yes.  I need to do laundry.

5:15-6:15: I hang out with the little guy, Lexy does homework and Jamie catches up on her DVRd shows.  I attempt to cook dinner while Logan "hides" behind my legs and insists I play with his choo-choos.  It is not easy.

6:15 PM: C is working late, so the kids and I eat a dinner consisting of pasta and tomato sauce from our CSA from Fresh Fork Market.  (not a huge fan of the rosemary pasta.  It was too "herby").  It is SUPER IMPORTANT for us to sit down as a family daily.  We are all SO SO busy and whoever is home  sits and eats together.  We catch up on our days and lives and honestly, we laugh so much together.  I consider myself very blessed to have two teenagers that still like their parents :)

7:00 PM: Bath, book, bedtime for Logan!  We read "Go Dog Go" for the millionth time.  At 2, he has the words memorized, I swear.  He doesn't go to sleep right away and stays up talking to himself for about 20 minutes.

7:15: Dinner clean-up.  C gets home and we chat about our days while the girls wander in and out.  If C is home, he usually will clean up or give Logan a bath.  We try to alternate.

7:50: C takes Alexys to dance for her class from 8-9, and he and I watch Jeopardy!  It is our tradition and we try and watch it after dinner and after Logan is in bed.  The girls refuse to participate in our nerdy activity, but Chuck and I get pretty competitive over it, lol.  I usually go to the gym during this time, but I am fighting a sinus infection or something and feel pretty crappy.

9:00: Time for some Gia time.  I grab a snack and catch up on an episode of Rehab Addict and then The Chew.  I am a self-admitted television addict but I hardly have time to watch anything in the afternoon, so the evening is my time.

  

10:00 PM: As weird as it sounds, I like packing the girls' lunches.  It makes me happy knowing they have a (relatively) well-balanced lunch instead of yucky stuff at school. And yes, they are high schoolers, but I sometimes leave them notes or riddles.  They love it!

10:30 PM: Finally in bed.  I read for about 30 minutes before finally falling asleep.

Ashley's questions!!
1.  What is the most surprising thing about being a mom?
   
How much it changes you.  I used to be a yeller and extremely impatient.  I have had to learn how to talk calmly and rationally about things and now I know we can talk things out and it will be okay.  And it is always surprising how much you can love a little person.  My kids are the light of my life.  Being a stepmom is SO hard, and we have been through more than words can say with our girls, but I love them like they were my blood.  They are as much a part of my heart as Logan is.

2.  What advice would you give new or soon-to-be-mamas?

Pick your battles.  With kids of all ages, sometimes it just is not worth the fight.  And when your kids become teenagers, it is okay to let them be themselves.  They need to discover who they truly are, even if you don't like the music or the clothes or the friends.  If you have done your job, they will make the right decision.    Oh, and TALK TO THEM.  Dialogue is so important.  Respect their thoughts and opinions and let them talk to you.

3.  What are your top 3 baby products?

This doesn't really apply to use anymore :)  But Logan LOVED his bouncy seat and we used it until his butt was literally touching the ground!

Thanks for reading!!

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Thanks for sharing your day with us Gia!