A day in my life

I was going to post about my weekend but...this is such a fabulous prompt on the multiples blog that I can't resist.

* What is your schedule like? Do you work outside the home or stay home with the kids?

I work outside the home and I run a coaching business part-time. I happen to have a really good arrangement at work where I work in the office for 6 hours and then finish up at home when the babies are in bed. That's not always necessary because I'm highly productive (I coach time management for busy women LOL) and most days get everything done at work. At home, that's another matter altogether.

So, typical day.

7.20 wake when nanny arrives (babies are babbling away in their cots but D gives them morning bottles and plays with them/ changes nappies, etc.)

Faff around until about 7.45 - 8.00 and then start getting ready for work. Depending on time of first meeting I leave at either 8:00 or 8:30 (I prefer 8.30) as it takes me 25 minutes to drive to work and another 5 to walk from my parking space to my desk.

I set up everything the night before (all babies' things, notes to nanny, my lunch bag, work bag and even my clothes) as I'm USELESS in the mornings (see late wake-up) so I literally have to get dressed and go (less than 30 mins usually).

9:00 - 3:00/ 3:30 (if meeting I don't want to miss) - work - meetings, clients, bringing people together to get things done, etc, etc. Office chit-chat (love this!), Facebook and reading blogs over lunch.

3:30 most days - home - play with babies

4:00 - 5:00 babies' supper time & baths (I don't get involved as Nanny V handles it all perfectly - aren't you proud of me for not intervening? - in fact she gets more food down them than I do) so I check and respond to my business email, write my newsletter, do business stuff. I usually hear something cute happening during bath time so I dash around the corner with my camera and they stop doing the cute thing 90% of the time LOL

5:00 - 6:00 Nanny Viola leaves at 5 pm and I put them to bed with their bottles, tuck them in, pray with them, tell them I'll see them AFTER 6 in the morning (I believe in speaking in faith) and marvel at how sweet they are (is there anything better than a clean, sweet-smelling baby? I thought it was all like this before I had babies. Ha!).

6:00 - 6:30 - The Bold and The Beautiful plus a cup of tea ("me time" plus planning - I write my to-do list for the evening)

6:30 - 7:45 - gym on two nights

7:45 - 8:00 - heat food and have supper (these are the days I have my freezer meals)

8:00 - 9:00 - shower, make bottles for the next day, notes for V, take out/ cook food for the babies, pack lunch bag, etc. (while D's at the gym - we swop over on the same gym night), tidy house, etc.

9:00 - 10:30 - time with D/ business stuff/ work emails/ blogging

10:30 - 11:00 choose clothes, tidy desk, to-do list for next day

11:00 - 12:00 - reading and bed

On weekends

We are VERY relaxed and loosely follow the schedule. I basically give us an hour to do everything (e.g. during the week they have breakfast at 8 sharp; on weekends it's sometime between 8 & 9) related to meals. We usually end up very late... like tonight, they only went to sleep at 7 instead of before 6.

We usually only do one out-of-the-house trip a day although on Sundays we often do church and something else (today, lunch at a friend's house).

I'm not very structured with doing "activities" with the babies like reading, playing, etc. I let them get on with it and do whatever. Actually, I need to write a blog about this as I'm a major slacker mother.

On the non-gym nights I have time to work on and in the business more - client appointments, hosting teleseminars, etc.

D and I also eat earlier, together at 7:00 or as close to 7 as possible.

* Do you follow it very closely?

I like the babies to stay on schedule as closely as possible. For me, I have certain things I need to do daily and I'm flexible when in the evening they happen but they usually do happen.

* How much (or how little?) "help" do you have?

Well, of course, D participates fully with house and babies (that was our agreement when we got married - if we both work, we both work at home too. Did you have agreements before you married?) and I have our fabulous nanny, Viola.

Absolutely no family here on my side and D's live so far we have to make a "plan" to get MIL to babysit.

* What chores do you do on a daily basis?

Decluttering, restoring the house to order, cleaning the kitchen. I cook about 2 - 3 times a week and freeze the leftovers so that there are always meals in the freezer.

V does the babies' laundry daily and I do ours twice a week (one load each day). Have I mentioned that laundry is my worst?!

* Do you get any "me" time on an average day? What do you do then?

Definitely get me time! The B&B at 6 and my blogging time. Even if I just take 10 - 15 minutes to read with a cup of tea.

* What is your favorite part of each day?

Coming home and hearing the babies race to the door to meet me with big smiles. Connor's bath time is another favourite (he is a FISH!) and putting the babies to bed.

* What is your least favorite part of each day?

Babies' lunch and supper as I have an independent little boy who wants to feed himself and then takes FOREVER to eat.

* Are you able to make time for all the things that you want/need to fit in? If you could fit it all in, what else would you do?

Usually, yes.

As I said earlier, I coach time management and I believe 100% that I have to walk the talk if I teach these principles to my clients.

On days when I get overwhelmed/ lazy/ demotivated, I self-coach.... "if I were coaching me, what would I tell myself?" and I do it, usually :)

But if I had MORE time, I'd read more. I used to read for pleasure (because of course, I do read boring business cases and legal agreements at work) for hours a day but of course now I manage about an hour and some days I'm so tired I only manage 30 minutes.

What about your day?

Also, did anything shock you? Or is there anything you want to ask about?