Day-to-Day

It has been months since Chip started Primary One. My daily routine has changed quite drastically as a result. With both boys in morning school, I get to spend a few good hours with my little Bunny, which is truly a privilege to be thankful for.

A typical weekday (kids @ 9 yr, 7 yr and 2yr old)

6am - 8am: Boys leave for school. On days when I get boys ready, I head to the gym after they leave, while Bunny sleeps in with E.

8am - 12pm: Breakfast with Bunny, play and learning time. Grocery shopping and light chores too.

12pm - 2pm: Lunch preparation, feed Bunny before nap time.

2pm - 5.30pm: Boys back from school. Lunch, homework, play/relax time. Twice a week, I try to fit in 45min coaching time while Bunny is napping.

5.30pm - 9pm: Dinner preparation, chores. The daddy returns. Bonding time and bedtime for kids.

9pm - 12mn: Whatever else that needs to be done before my me-time.

There are mornings when I take my own sweet time and laze around in bed with Bunny, accompanied by just a huge stack of books. Other days are more productive, peppered with playgrounds, small trips and brief unstructured learning sessions at home.

But, rain or shine, rushed or not, I cook lunch daily. That is my way of ensuring that kids are fed nutritious and wholesome food, at least once a day. Dinners are less certain, depending on the day's schedule, the husband's preference and my mood, though the toddler still gets home-cooked dinner without fail. On average, boys are still served home-cooked dinner at least four times a week.

I no longer coach the boys concurrently as I find one-to-one time to be more effective. If the toddler is awake, the boy who is not sitting with me will babysit her. The boys are getting really wonderful in their babysitting duties, which they often carry out happily and responsibly, with some supervision and under my watchful eye.

The hectic hours are usually in the afternoons when the boys are back. Nearly every day, I feel an urgency to complete more tasks than I can possibly handle (no thanks to my Type A personality as well), and like every household with young kids and without a second adult to help out, there are always unexpected events that consume energy and time that could otherwise be used more productively.

Good days or not, the weeks just flew by.

And I try to remind myself to count my blessings, be thankful for my typical days and even for the not-so-typical ones, for they may be the ones that I remember in the years to come.