Quarantine: A Day in the Life

My days are typically similar, but I pick Wednesday since it's Zac's payday and usually my busiest day.

7:30am: Zac's alarm goes off. I'm mostly asleep, but I feel him get up and he goes to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He gets dressed, kisses me goodbye, then goes in the kitchen to eat and heads out to work.

8:00am: My own alarm goes off, telling me "Wake Up". I'm already somewhat awake, so I get my phone and scroll through Instagram for a few minutes. Elias comes in to tell me he needs to potty. I help him brush his teeth, then he goes in the den. I brush my own teeth and hear the baby monitor chirp at me, letting me know Cole is up. I get him and change him while he chews on his toothbrush. I put both boys at the table and get them some food then empty the dishwasher. Their breakfast is usually a slice of bread I baked over the weekend with some yogurt.

8:30am: I go wake up the big kids. They groan and play dead, so I get Cole down from his high chair and turn on a movie for my boys. Today, it's Cars. I clean up the boys' breakfast messes and collect dirty laundry from around the house. I start the washer and wipe off the counters. Zac left the coffee pot on for me, so I pour a mug and make some toast for myself.

9:00am: Breakfast alarm goes off. Big kids are finally up and brushing their teeth. They argue over pet responsibilities, until they agree that Leah empties the litter box while Jac feeds the pets. I break up a fight between the boys and a toy car. The big kids eat some cereal while I put the laundry in the dryer. They go start their lessons and I load their dishes in the dishwasher and wipe table off so I can fold last night's laundry.

9:30am: I sit in the den with the boys and nurse Cole to relieve my own discomfort. I think about how nice it'll be to get my boobs back, but also a little sad that this is my last baby and maybe I could just do it a little longer. It's almost like he knows he's the last one so he's literally milking it as long as he can. I scroll through my phone a bit, texting between Katie and Jena or Mom. Cole is ready to get down and play, so I get my planner and figure out what bills are currently due, I check if my book matches the bank, then order groceries. I get lucky and am able to make an order for today that Zac can pick up on his way home. Otherwise, I'd order for tomorrow.

10:00am: Cars is over, so I put on Finding Nemo. The dryer is finished, so I fold those clothes, then go put them in their proper places. While I'm in my room, I make my bed and tidy up a few things, like the basket of diapers or my books. I collect our mugs from last night and bring them to the kitchen. I go ahead and make Jac's bed and straighten Cole's things, then make Leah's and Elias' beds and tidy up. I tell myself to enjoy doing this task because one day they'll be grown and I won't be able to do it anymore, also this means they'll do these chores over the weekend so I won't have to.

10:30am: I change Cole's diaper and crochet. I'm currently working on a shawl. It's design is beautiful, but I'm having to focus on counting stitches, which makes me crazy.

11:00am: Zac tells me he's on his way home for lunch and it's the kids' snack time. Zac gets home and we hang out for a little while while he eats lunch. I load more dishes into the dishwasher, remind Zac to pick up groceries on his way home, and we make plans for tonight to ride our bikes around the neighborhood, maybe play WoW together, or watch another James Bond movie. The kids eat their snacks and I get Cole's naptime bottle ready and lay him down in Jac's room. Jac rocks him until he falls asleep while he continues his lesson.

12:00pm: Zac heads back to work for the rest of his day. I clean up the snack mess, load more dishes into the dishwasher and tidy up toys in the den. By now, Elias is giving me some moodiness, so I leave Jac in charge and take Elias for a bike ride. He talks the whole time, mostly about birds and leaves and what would happen if we fell and he broke his skull, etc. Lovely. I feel good when I ride. It feels productive. I'm already seeing a decrease in my cellulite problem. Maybe I'll buy shorts.

12:30pm. I get back with Elias and give him an ice pop to cool him down, then fix him a veggie hot dog. Jac is finished with his school work and sits in the kitchen to draw for a little while. I get Elias settled on my bed to watch Bolt and have a quiet time so he can rest. He never falls asleep, but this rest time is crucial for my sanity. That boy can sass.

1:00pm: Lunch time. Cole is still asleep and Elias is still watching his movie. I cook some veggie hot dogs for the big kids. They eat, Leah goes back to finish her school work while Jac draws and I crochet for a bit. I eventually get bored and decide to read more of my book, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird.

2:00pm: Elias' movie is over, so he comes in the den and plays with his cars and blocks. Jac complains of being bored, so I have him sit and play with Elias. Some times, depending on the temperature, I'll send them outside to the trampoline. Leah is still doing her school work, Cole is still sleeping.

3:00pm. Cole wakes up. It's snack time, so I change him and feed him his missed lunch, the other three have snacks and I reheat my coffee... again. The boys play in the den, Jac goes to his room to play on his keyboard. Leah finally finishes her lesson and plays with her dollhouse. I clean up the snack messes and sit in the den to watch the boys. I've started doing some stretches to help my back, so they climb on me while I'm on the floor. I read a few board books out loud or help Elias with a puzzle.

4:00pm: Zac's off work. He picks up our groceries and comes home. He usually brings all the bags inside and I'll spray them down with alcohol or disinfectant before putting them away. It's an annoying step that I wish we didn't have to take to keep any potential viruses away. I get irritated thinking about how hard it is to find disinfectant and when we do, it's used to clean the groceries from out. An absurd cycle. We cook together and I finish cleaning up the kitchen for the night.

5:00pm: We take a bike ride together as a family so the kids can get some fresh air. I miss the playgrounds and remember when I pushed Jac and Leah on swing sets and how Cole has only been in swings a handful of times. Elias was just learning to swing in the big kid swings. I get mad that the current circumstances of the country are fucked up. I'm sad that we can't do the fun stuff on the weekends like go to the library or sit in a coffee shop or go on our weekly dates when the middles were participating in Awana at church on Wednesday nights. I miss C-Spire meetups and hanging out at Mom's. The thoughts eventually spiral into missing my dad and Emily and I have to remind myself to focus on the Now and how this will eventually get better. The kids count 17 cats on our ride before we get home. The crushed turtle is only a broken shell, the flattened snake no longer stinks. We don't see the dead squirrel, which means something found it and dragged it away. I think of what it would be like to bike through New Mexico or Alaska or California or New York.

5:45pm: We get back home, tired and hot. Zac takes his shower. I turn on a TV show for the boys.  They're really into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Leah and Jac go watch Adventure Time in Jac's room. Zac gets out the shower and relaxes in the den for a bit, usually playing on his switch or hanging out with the big kids. Sometimes they'll take turns playing the Pokemon card game or they'll watch some YouTube videos. I put the boys in the bathtub so they can splash for a while. Cole gets bathed first, so I get him out and lotioned up, put his pajamas on, and put him back in the den with Zac. I bathe Elias and try to encourage him to bathe himself, get him out and lotioned up, then pajamas on. He goes back in the den and I drain the tub and collect their clothes.

7:00pm. The kids have one last snack before bed. Big kids feed the pets and empty the litterbox again. Zac lets the dogs out and fixes our snack. We usually have chips or a taco bowl. Jac takes his shower. The boys play in the den together with blocks. I break up a fight because Cole keeps destroying Elias' castle. Cole keeps biting. Cole keeps pinching, etc.

7:30pm: Jac gets out the shower and plays on his keyboard, Leah gets in the tub.

8:00pm: Leah still in bath. I tell her to hurry up, then run the dishwasher. I have Elias pick out tonight's stories. He picks four "because I'm four". Cole is starting to get tired and fussy, so I get him his pacifier and hold him while I read two stories. I tuck Elias in and show Cole how I make his bottle. Zac reads Elias his other two stories and Elias falls asleep.

8:30pm: I get Cole tucked in. Jac rocks him since he's the only one Cole will fall asleep for. Leah finally gets out the shower and gets her pajamas on.

9:00pm. I take my own shower and enjoy that it's uninterrupted. I usually daydream about traveling. It happens a lot these days. I just want to take a road trip and see everything. I think about going back to work or maybe school. I don't know what I want to study. I don't know what I want to do. I feel like it's too late because I'll be 40 by the time I finish school and by then, if I had already had a career, I'd be planning my retirement. It's frustrating and I wonder if I failed at doing something considered "adult", but I feel like I'm a good mom and try to boost myself back up.

9:30pm. I get out the shower. Zac recently shaved under my hair again, so it dries a little faster. The big kids pick up the food the pets didn't finish, then brush their teeth and go to their rooms. They usually read at night. Both are very much into the Goosebumps series. I make sure all the doors are locked and turn out the lights. Zac takes his shower, then we catch up on YouTube subscriptions, play WoW, or watch a movie together.

11:00pm. Zac goes and tells the kids to go on to sleep. I read a chapter in my book and we go to bed. Sometimes I can't sleep because I sipped my coffee all day long, so I'll scroll through Instagram until my phone hits me in the face.