Monday, November 3, 2008

What's Wrong With a Little OCD?

Personally, I never considered my daily habits as compulsory. I just figured this is what every stay-at-home mom did. Lately, however, I am realizing that I may have some issues...


In order for one to understand, I believe, they must join me on my journey through a typical day.


6:00 a.m. - Wake with crying baby and change diaper


6:30 a.m. - Feed Baby


6:45 a.m. - Dress sleeping 5 yr. old.


6:55 a.m. - Wake 5 yr. old (trust me, it works much more smoothly in this order!)


7:00 a.m. - Brush 5 yr. old's hair and teeth


7:05 - 7:18 - Feed 5 yr. old, Hubby and fish


7:18 - Persuade 5 yr. old to put on shoes and coat


7:24 - 5 yr. old saunters out to waiting bus


7:28 - change poopy diaper


7:30 - Hubby leaves for the day


Whew! Now we can start my day


7:35 - start a load of laundry


7:45 - clean up dishes left in sink from Hubby's dinner night before (he gets home well after I am asleep and apparently does not know that we own a dishwasher)


8:00 - Puck crying baby from the Bumbo or swing and soothe


8:15 - Soothing not working - try feeding


8:30 - Attempt to place sleeping baby in crib


8:35 - Finish dishes in sink


8:45 - Retrieve crying baby from crib and change diaper


8:48 - place baby in exersaucer in attempt to check emails


9:00 - soothe crying baby


9:15 - Check email with babe in lap and try to post new blog entry (this involves a lot of picking items up off the ground)


9:25 - Change Laundry, and collect more from various bedrooms


9:45 - Feed crying baby and attempt to put sleeping baby back into crib


10:00 - shower


10:05 - Flee shower to retrieve pacifier and reinsert into baby's mouth


10:10 - 10:30 - Dress, hair and (if lucky) makeup, Clean bathroom counter when finished and take towels to laundry


10:35 - try to finish blog entry


10:50 - Listen to talking baby in crib


11:00 - Place baby back into excersaucer and vacuum (VERY entertaining for baby)


Now, here I must insert one of my OCD nuances. Vacuuming to me is serious work. I vacuum every other day, if not daily, for the reason that I do have a baby that does spend quite a bit of time on the floor. We have a dog in the house and if the vacuuming is not done properly, the baby will be donning a beard consisting of baby slobber and dog hair. Therefore, the furniture is moved, the lines are made in evenly matched, horizontal patterns (as not to leave an inch of carpet untouched) and it is done from the innermost end of the room outwards.


OK- Maybe I followed these rules well before Aiden and Sarah were born - but they work here!






11:15 - Feed Baby green beans

11:30 - clean baby

11:35 - play with baby on the floor (to my future detriment, help him learn to crawl and pull up)


12:00 - Lunch Time! Make peanut butter and jelly sandwich
12:05 - Take fussy baby out of swing and place in lap and attempt to finish sandwich
12:07 - Give up on sandwich and down glass of milk instead
12:09 - pick up all the toys on the floor that baby has thrown
12:15 - clean up dishes and wash out sink, being careful to wipe all stainless steel surfaces to a nice shine, Start dishwasher
12:20 - change diaper
12:30 - Sit with crying baby and rock in attempt to get another nap in
12:45 - lay baby in crib
12:48 - Return to computer to finish blog post or add new post
1:10 - listen to bay in crib and wait for whailing to begin
1:15 - Whimpering starts
1:16 - Type faster
1:17 - get baby, change diaper
1:20 - Change laundry
1:25 - Decide to bake cookies
1:30 - mix wet ingrediants while balancing baby in one arm
1:35 - lay baby on floor and mix dry ingrediants
1:40 - turn on oven - oops
1:45 - notice that it is time to meet 5 yr. old at bus - go outside and sit on steps with baby
2:15 - Bus arrives with 5 yr. old
2:20 - Make 5 yr old a snack
2:30 - Lay baby on the floor and play
3:00- 3:45 - Better bake those cookies now
4:00 - sit with nursing baby - Thank you Oprah!
4:30 - baby falls asleep in arms, notice dust on livingroom tables
4:45 - baby wakes
4:46- dust livingroom
5:00 - hummmm - supper?
5:15 - Supper is decided and begun
5:30 - Put away laundry
5:35 - Empty Dishwasher
5:45 - Set table and serve dinner
6:00 - Clean table and wash pots and pans
6:15 - Color with 5 yr. old
6:30 - throw children into bath, pretend 5 yr. old is a mermaid
6:45 - Dry and dress baby for bed
7:00 - Dry and dress 5 yr. old for bed, brush teeth and hair
7:30 - Read stories
7:40 - get fresh water for 5 yr old - cold, with ice
7:45- Take 5 yr. old to bathroom
7:50 - sit baby on floor and play
8:30 - baby starts to show signs of tiring
9:30 - nurse baby and put to bed
9:35 - Replace pacifier in baby's mouth
9:45 - Replace pacifier in baby's mouth
10:00 - Replace pacifier in baby's mouth
10:30 - Coast is clear - Dive into bed
12:15 - Replace pacifier in baby's mouth

4 comments:

Tamie said...

You make me tired just reading about this... I don't even want to think of my schedule since I try to take care of anywhere from 1 to 9 children during various times of the day... Maybe that will be my objective for tomorrow as to keep track of my schedule... Makes me tired just thinking about it...

Jessica said...

Wow, you make me tired just reading that!

Anonymous said...

I can't decide if I should now avoid you or stay closer to you and realize just how sweet my dirty house is...hmmm....

Anonymous said...

Hmmmm no where in this post did I read "listen to NPR".
Dawn (Lynn's sister)