A Day in the Life

I thought it might be interesting to outline what my average Tuesday is like here in Oxford.

6:45-Wake up and shower, while kids wake up.  It's always fun having just one bathroom in the house.  EC invariably needs to use the bathroom while one of us are in it.
7:30-In dungeon kitchen, fixing the kids breakfasts.  EC and Archer have probiotic yogurt and frozen pancakes. I usually make myself some tea, take my vitamins, and never have time to drink my tea while it's hot or consume any food.
8:00-clean all the dishes from breakfast (by hand!) and take wet clothes out of washing machine and hang them up on the drying racks and lines in our dungeon, read a few books to A, listen to EC's story, watch EC's dance, send EC upstairs to dress herself, dress A.
8:30-make last minute negotiations and adjustments to EC's outfit of choice that day.  Explain again that purple, hot pink, and magenta do not all go well together.
8:35-change A's diaper, as he always has a dirty one right before we need to walk out the door.
8:40-Put A's shoes back on that he took off, put his coat on, strap him into the stroller, zip up the "cozy toes," put the raincover on the stroller, put EC's coat, scarf, hat on.
8:45-remember that I forgot to pack EC's lunch.  Run down to the dungeon kitchen and throw a bunch of random things in the lunch bag like cheese sticks, hot dogs, applesauce, crisps, juice box.
8:50-push stroller out the front door, hold EC's hand and walk to school.
8:59-arrive at school and make sure EC hangs up coat on peg, register's with teacher, and puts lunch on trolly.
9:02-A and I head to city center.
9:09-I decide to stop for some food at my favorite place, Woodstock Road Deli.  Buy A a croissant, that he immediately throws on the floor.  Eat something fab, like cheese toast or roasted vegetable toast.
9:30-shops are now open, so I push onwards towards city center.
9:40-return a few things I bought previously at Next.  Buy a great pair of skinny jeans.  You can never have enough of those when all you wear is your Hunter boots.
10:15-buy a cup of green tea from Pret.  Buy A a banana that he smashes in to his face and then throws on the ground.
10:30-walk towards Primark.  See a store along the way with skanky clothes in the window, but a sign that flashes, "We unlock your phone!" so I head inside and question the turbaned man about unlocking my iphone. He says he can do it for 15 quid.  Mental note to return with iphone.
10:45-walk into Primark just to browse.  End up buying a cheap umbrella (my second one since arriving in England,) 2 stockings for the kids for Christmas, some Disney princess Christmas crackers and some Disney Pixar cars Christmas crackers.
11:30-head home and push stroller and several hundred leaves into house.  Take all of A's layers off, change his diaper, make him lunch, get him in bed for his nap.
12:30-eat lunch, drink tea that I made this morning, vacuum the leaves out of carpet, pick up the 16 books that A got off the shelves today, take out trash, take all my purchases upstairs, take dry clothes off line and put away, work on blog and check facebook.
2:00-get A up from nap and read 16 more books.
2:45-bundle up A again to head out to pick up EC from school.
3:05-pick up EC from school, negotiate no playground time today because she has ballet, extract her from the playground, bring her home, explain that she really does need to go potty before she puts on ballet outfit, help her change into ballet outfit.
3:15-put buggy board on stroller so that EC can stand as we make the long, cold, damp walk up to ballet.
3:45-EC goes to ballet while I chase A around the waiting room.
4:15-bundle kids back up to head home, invite friends over to play, walk home together.
4:45-talk with my friend while her daughters play in EC's room, watch A to make sure he doesn't destroy something
5:45-Jones arrives home, friends leave to go get dinner, I head to dungeon to make dinner.
6:30-We eat, while EC sings a never-ending song at decibels too high for good health, A throws food on the floor, and Jones tries to tell me about his rugby practice.
7:00-Jones takes A upstairs for his bath.  EC "helps" me clean up all the dinner dishes and wipe down the kitchen and sweep the floor where A threw his rice everywhere.
8:00-both kids are bathed and in bed.  Exhausted, I tidy up the books and toys on the floor one last time for the day, perhaps I remember to make EC's lunch, Jones and I both retire to our respective laptops.
10:00-bedtime!
Just in case you were wondering about the exciting life of a stay-at-home mom in Oxford.