Home on the range...

Some of my favorite mom-to-many bloggers are live-blogging their day today, so we can all get a glimpse of how life in a large family might (or might not) flow.  
You can visit them here:
In a Shoe
Smockity Frocks
Raising Olives
The Common Room


Just reading so far has been so much fun, I wanted to do live-blog my own day.  No, I don't have a 'large' family, but I've learned it only takes one kid to make things chaotic fun.  


So.... here's how things are rolling in our day today:


6:15 - Tyler wakes up and I settle in on the couch to nurse.


6:30 - Begin reading Bible and cuddling with a happy baby.


7:00 - Move happy baby to upright, chest-to-chest position.  Think "he never spits up this long after he's done eating."


7:02 - Proven wrong.


7:03 - Deposit Tyler in bouncy seat (his clothes are dry) and head to shower.


7:15 - Wrapped in towel, hear a knock on the bathroom door.  Dale would like to use the facilities.


7:17 - Vacate bathroom and check on Tyler.  Miracles of miracles, he has fallen asleep in his seat.  I had expected crying while I was showering.  Turn on computer and make the rounds, checking email, blogs, and twitter.


7:50 - Dale and I begin breakfast.  He cracks the eggs while I retrieve muffins from the freezer and start the coffee.  I experiment by constantly stirring eggs in skillet with a whisk instead of a spatula.  I learn this is a bad idea and makes very crumbly eggs.


8:15 - The two sleepy heads join us just in time for breakfast.


8:40 - We all work together cleaning up the kitchen.  Except Alan - he finds this a good time to sit on the potty a while.  And Tyler.  He's still sleeping in the bouncy seat.


9:00 - Dale starts a load of laundry.


9:10 - Dale works in his spelling workbook.  I make a coleslaw to take to a funeral later.


9:35 - Daddy goes out to till the garden.  Alan and Dale head out to watch.  They also have plans to spend time on the new swing and in the sandbox.


9:45 - I load blogs to check on the live-bloggers.  Tyler wakes up and gets fed.  I start this post.


10:20 - Tilling is done, guys are outside.  Tyler needs a diaper.  Check back later!
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10:25 - Spend 5 minutes smiling and cooing at Tyler, then remember I forgot to put on deodorant earlier.  Putting on deodorant reminds me I haven't brushed my teeth either.  (And I wonder where Dale gets his distractability, hm?)


10:27 - Change that diaper.


10:30 - Put Tyler in the floor for tummy time and pick up a few things out of the living room.


10:33 - 'Tummy time' not going to well.  Thankfully Daddy Buffalo is here to hold crying babies.  Begin pea salad for funeral food.


10:50 - Pea salad done.  Go and get the mail with Alan.  Watch Daddy leave for church to take food.  Alan provides appropriate 'beep-beep-beep' as Daddy backs up.  Clean up salad messes.


11:01 - Rescue a crying Tyler from his swing.  


11:05 - Dale comes in from sandbox and starts math.


11:09 - Tyler back in bouncy seat.  Alan entertains him while I switch out, fold, and put away laundry.


11:20 - Big boys head outside to see Daddy and discover today's big event: a bike ride along neighboring town's fancy trail.  They watch Daddy pack up bicycles and trailer.  I bounce Tyler to sleep in his seat and update the blog!
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11:30 - Check in on Moms-to-Many live bloggers.


11:37 - Make PBJs for Dale & Alan.  Pour milk and slice carrot sticks.


11:45 - Put on makeup.  Scurry around gathering up stuff for the bikers and for Tyler and myself.  My mom's working odd hours today, so we're going to share leftovers with her and Gramps for lunch.  Make salad dressing.


12:05 - Gramps arrives to leave some gardening stuff we'll be borrowing.


12:17 - Everyone into their respective vehicles.  It is now that I notice the clock in the van is still on 'old time'.  I check my watch for comparison.  Huh.  Haven't rolled that forward yet either!


12:23 - One block from my parents' house and I realize I forgot the salad dressing I just made.  Drop off the food and Tyler and I turn around and go back.


12:32 - Rearrive at Mimi & Gramps'.  Begin heating food and making salad.


12:40 - Nurse Tyler. 


12:55 - Eat lunch. Clean up.


1:35 - Change a diaper.


1:40 - Update the blog!
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1:40 - 4:00 - Visited with parents.  Surfed blogs, looked for ideas for house decor, and ideas for Spring / Easter activities for boys.  Nursed Tyler around 3:00.  He napped in various places for assorted lengths of time, and I changed a couple of diapers.


4:00 - The riders return!  Smelling of sunblock and grape slushes, with glowing reports of the bike trail.  And Home Depot.  Because what guys day out is complete without a trip to Home Depot, right?


4:00 - 5:15 - More visiting, and playing outside and Greg retrieves the funeral dishes from the church.


5:15 - We arrive home.  I change a diaper.  Greg unloads bicycles, the boys play outside, and I start looking for something for supper.  I put together a quick coleslaw to go with a beef n' bean dish from the freezer.  The last of our freezer meals from before Tyler was born.  I mix batter for cornmeal pancakes. Or fritters or whatever.  Can't make cornbread because the oven element is out.  Tyler cries in his swing.  Tyler cries in Daddy's arms.  Tyler cries in Daddy's chair.  


5:55 - Daddy takes over the pancakes and I sit down to nurse Tyler and work on this post.  Dale and Alan come in to set the table.
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6:15 - Tyler sleeps in the bassinet while we eat.  As we finish I read aloud Dale's Bible story for the day.


6:35 - Tyler wakes up, swings.  I rotate laundry and start cleaning up supper.  Dale draws a picture to go with his Bible story.  We don't usually do school after supper.  Not sure if I'm showing off for live blogging or really trying hard to get off to a good start on our new work-box system.  I'll go with the latter.


6:40 - Greg starts cleaning the oven before putting in the new heating element.


6:42 - Dale asks what you have to subtract from 9 trillion to get 100.  So we get out the marker board and figure out that 9,000,000,000,000 - 8,999,999,999,900 = 100.  By "we" I mean Greg and I.


6:52 - Alan dumps a tablespoon or two of soft-scrub into the oven.  He sort of misses.


6:57 - I begin rinsing soft-scrub off all the muffin tins and cookie sheets from the under-the-oven-drawer.


7:00 - Dale's picture is done.  He 'composes' on the piano while Alan marches around playing a toy saxophone.  Tyler watches all from the swing.


7:05 - Dishes are done.  Dale narrates his Bible story for me to write under his picture.  Alan draws on chalk board.


7:07 - The new element is hot!  And orange!


7:11 - I kiss my husband in the kitchen.


7:15 - Dale and I bring in and water our seedlings.  (Are they seedlings before they sprout?  Or just cups of dirt?)


7:20 - Dale and Alan are in a tub full of bubbles and toys.  This usually results in them coming out at least somewhat cleaner than they went in.  Tyler can't decide whether to be happy or not.  I update the blog.


7:27 - Folded laundry


7:32  - Worked on menu and grocery list for Daddy's early morning trip to the store tomorrow.  Yes, he's still doing the grocery buying.


7:50 - Tyler asleep in his bouncy seat, Dale and Alan getting out of the tub.


8:11 - Two adults and two pj-clad boys gather around the table for a snack (mashed banana / peanut butter / syrup stuff with crackers & milk).


8:20 - Alan learns the meaning of the phrase "no use crying over spilled milk". And gets a new set of pjs.


8:30 - Nursing Tyler


8:40 - Boys gather around me & Tyler in living room for bedtime prayers.


8:45 - Bedtime kisses all around, and Daddy goes to tuck in the big boys.  Now I'm signing off to spend some time with my hubs and my baby.  Night all!