A Day In The Life Of

One of my first posts that I had planned to write about was what a day in my life was like. Then I got here, and promptly forgot. Now that 3 of the kids are in school down there, and then Andre and Jordan will be added to the school mix, PLUS be homeshooled, I have begun to think about my schedule and think about how am I going to get everything done.

My schedule, once I go back, will be adjsuted probably for the entire month of May until I get everything under control, but I think I have a basic schedule down.

Below is what my schedule was (before I broke my foot and couldn't do anything) and the stuff that is in blue will be what I have to add on.

3:20AM - the alarm goes off for Lale to get up to go up the mountain. I get up, turn off the alarm and wake up Lale. I lay back down complaining to myself that 3:20AM is just to freaking early to be waking up.

3:30AM - I again wake up Lale. I let him know that I am not waking him up again because I am going back to sleep, and if he doesn't wake up, or if he is late getting back with the milk, well its his own fault. He *usually* gets up.

4:00AM - Lale heads out the door to get the horse, and get him saddled. I get up go into the kitchen and make a cup of coffee for him to either drink before he goes up, or on the way. I also will make something for breakfast for everyone so that when the time comes it is already made and just needs to be re-heated. Unless its a cereal day.

4:30AM - Lale leaves to go up the mountain to milk the cows. I lay back down, but dont go back to sleep. I just lay there and enjoy the quiet for a bit.

5:00AM - I get up and start to gather the dirty clothes, soap and other clothes washing items that I need and head out the door. I also wake up Jordan and send her to my bed in case the baby wakes up.

5:15AM - 7:00AM - I spend this time (hopefully no one wakes up) washing the clothes out back - by hand. It would make it so much easier if we had a pila, and not just a cement/rock table that is to short for me. But I don't complain to much because believe it or not, I enjoy washing the clothes by hand. It gives me time to myself to think, and as silly as this sounds, I enjoy seeing them clean, and knowing that I did it.

6:15AM - time to wake up the kids to start the day. They make their beds, and clean up for breakfast. Jordan can make breakfast for Isa and Johan if I am not done with the clothes in time.

7:00AM - Kids sit down to eat breakfast, and I come in. Andre will go hang up the wet clothes. I take a quick shower and change my clothes.

7:15AM - I get Lale's breakfast made so that it is ready when he comes home. Once he gets home, I will get the milk ready to either be boiled if we are keeping it, or I get it strained and put in the right container if we are selling it to the milk man, while he gets the horse taken care of and put away. If he is working up the mountain and send the milk back with a moso (helper) then I have his breakfast and lunch already packed to send back with the moso.

7:20AM - Isa and Johan have to get ready for school.

7:30AM - I take Isa and Johan off to school, while the other kids finish up breakfast, wash the dishes and Andre and Jordan begin their schoolwork. Mickey and Lana also have 'school' to do for an hour. Then they can play.

8:30AM - I should be back by now and I check over schoolwork and to make sure they know what they are doing for the morning. I finish cleaning up the kitchen and begin to clean the house.

• sweep the entire house
• mop the entire house
• make my bed
• clean the kitchen counters
• do the weekly/daily deep cleaning
• work on lunch for the kids

11:00AM - have the older kids put away their schooling for now, eat and get ready for school. Get lunch ready for Lale.

11:30AM - drop off Mickey, Jordan and Andre at school. Pick up Isa and Johan and go home.

12:30PM - feed Johan and Isa lunch.

1:00PM - put little ones down for a nap. Johan and Isa can begin their homework while I finish the daily cleaning. (While the list doesn't look that long, it sort of it. The daily/weekly deep cleaning tasks take a while to do). Clean up after lunch, wash dishes.

3:00PM - begin dinner prep if there is any.

4:00PM - begin dinner

5:00PM - go pick up Andre, Jordan, and Mickey.

5:30PM - eat dinner

6:00PM - help the older three with their homework if needed, get the kitchen cleaned up from dinner, dishes washed etc. etc. Little kids to take a bath and get ready for bed.

7:00PM - older kids finish homework, and take a bath, little kids have play time for awhile

8:00PM - little kids clean up and in bed by 8:15PM

9:00PM - older kids in bed. Probably make a snack for Lale, as he usually is hungry again this time of night.

9:15PM - I take another shower (I have to go to bed clean, or I can't sleep), do last minute straightening of the house.

10:00PM - usually I am heading to bed about now. But it depends on the baby and what time she is up to eat.

After I finish cleaning up from dinner, I will sit down for a bit and watch a movie, or read a magazine (for the 500th time - because I only have so many books/magazines there) and will get up to do things as they come into my head.

On Sunday evenings I plan out the menu for the week, write out what needs to be done each day for the meals. For instance, lets say that friday we are having lemon soy pork chops, and on Sunday I want to make the Pioneer Womans Brisket - which takes 2 days to marinate (and you can make her Cowboy Nachos with it YUM!!). And on Saturday morning I want to make the Pioneer Womans Cinnamon Rolls. So on my paper, I have it listed that in the AM I will throw the pork chops in a container to marinate. I will also throw the brisket in a (different) container to marinate. Then in the PM I will make up a batch of the cinnamon rolls, and put them in the fridge, so that Saturday morning all that has to be done is they come up and can be thrown in the oven to cook. But I have my plan for the week.

I also would like to take a day - not sure if it is going to be Saturday or Sunday (am leaning more towards Sunday) and I will be baking rolls and bread for the week. Thats the plan anyways, but we will see how that works out, LOL. (I would make bread on a daily basis BUT I sold my bread machine before I moved down there last year - and making bread by hand daily, well that just seems to daunting to me.)

*The Pioneer Woman has a page listing her recipes if you are interested. I would highly suggest that you check it out! Just to see the pictures of the awesome food is worth it. While you are there, check out all of her other parts of her website too. (I have her to thank for me not losing anymore weight since having Ari. I have been making her recipes making sure that they are something that I can make in Honduras.)

Her cooking page is here.

Her recipe list is here.

I *heart* Pioneer Woman