The Daily Dime / / September 2017

I haven't had much motivation to blog since returning to school a month ago (it happens every August/September), but today is our fourth installment of The Daily Dime so here I go!


Date: Monday, September 11, 2017
Brantley is 5 years + 2 months.
Holden is 3 years + 4 months.
Rhett is 9 months old.
Craig left mid-day for a work trip to Nashville so I was one my own with all three kids.
All photos were taken with my iPhone 6.

My alarm goes off at 5:30am.  I lay in bed for a snooze or two and then roll out of bed to go get ready.  I wouldn't call myself a morning person, but once I'm up, I'm fine.  My clothes are laid out because I'm still excited about dressing up and on top of my wardrobe game.  Plus, after being pregnant last year, it's like I have all new work apparel that I had forgotten about!  I decide to curl my hair to avoid having to wash it (if you've been around for awhile, you know I hate showering).  Rhett wakes around 6am so I go get him a bottle and give it to him in his crib in his dark room.  At 6:44am, we are both ready for our day (and the only ones awake) so we take a mirror selfie.


The other boys' clocks turn green (and Craig's alarm goes off) at 6:45.  I lay out some clothes for the boys, give everyone kisses, grab my things (coffee, breakfast, lunch, snacks, and purse) and head out for school shortly before 7.  Craig is in charge of drop off for all three boys; I do pick-up.  I have a short drive to work, only about eight minutes away.


On this particular day, I have to be at school for an NHS meeting (I'm a co-sponsor) at 7:20 so I arrive around 7:10.  Normal days start at 7:30.  I do like going to work before the masses; it's mostly peaceful on the roads at 7am and I get to see some great sunrises.  Here's a picture of my school upon arrival.  My classroom is just outside of view, one or two windows to the left.


School starts at 7:50.  This year (and for two second year in a row), I have five blocks of Honors Math 2 (Geometry/Algebra 2) and one block of Math 2 Support (a remedial class where I review, reteach, and help students better understand the material).  It's a pretty sweet schedule, I'm not going to lie!  This was a blue day (block scheduling), so I teach first block and have second block plan.  I use my plan time to grade, make copies, respond to emails, plan upcoming lessons, attend meetings, organize NHS files, etc.  I love teaching, but I really love plan time, mainly because I love thinking about how to adequately teach particular topics.  I always eat a mid-morning snack, lately it's always an apple!


The rest of the day is business as usual.  Third and fourth blocks (with lunch in between), then seminar, which is like an end-of-day study hall.  My contract day ends at 3:30, but I hardly ever leave at that time!  I would rather stay later and get my work done at school than have to take it home.  Plus, I'm a perfectionist and everything has to be just so before I leave.


I did pack up to leave at 3:36 on this day because I had scheduled a Walmart grocery pickup for between 3 and 4.  One of my favorite parts of our new daycare/preschool situation is the proximity to our house/my work, which allows me to swing by the grocery store on my way home.  Still, to save time, I generally order my groceries online and schedule a pickup for the following day.  (Sundays/Mondays are grocery days in our house.)  Also, grocery pickup (and delivery) is the next best thing since sliced bread.  If you're not using it, you should be.  (Click here to save $10 on your first-ever Walmart order.)  


I try to always get the kids by 4:30, but I can leave them until 5 (Rhett) and 5:45 (older boys) if need be.  Once home, the older boys unpack their backpacks.  We all love their new preschool, but holy moly, the amount of papers that come home with them is crazy!  Most end up in the trash...what can I say, I don't like clutter.


The moment I'm home, my work clothes + heels come off and my hair promptly goes in a mom bun. #duh


The boys go outside to play football, while I get dinner ready.  Since Daddy is out of town, dinner consists of corn dogs and leftover mac & cheese for the kids and a leftover Asian skillet meal for me.  (Ain't no cookin' when I'm solo.)  By the way, football is the current sport of choice in our house.  However, it literally changes with the season.  Since football is on t.v., that's what they play!  Give it two months and the basketball goal will be in the middle of our dining room floor.


Dinner for Rhett.  At nine months, he's eating a mixture of pureed baby food and finger foods.  Tonight he ate some diced banana, diced peas, diced watermelon, and puffs (to keep him occupied while I did a few things).  Then, I fed him rice, pureed blueberry/carrot mixture, and meat while the boys ate their dinner of champions.  He's such a happy, fun boy these days!


After dinner, I cleaned up (which took forever, despite the meal of leftovers😩...boys are messy!) and washed/prepped bottles for the following day.  The older boys had gone to play with some neighbors.  It happened to be 9/11 and there was a Royals pregame tribute for the victims of the terrorist attacks.  Taps is what drew me in so I watched while solemnly thinking about that day 16 years prior.  It is still so incredibly sad, yet it absolutely blows my mind that those attacks were so many years ago.  (On a side note, most of the students I currently have in class were not even born then!!  A kid I had last year was born on that exact day.)


Shortly after, it was already 7pm (solo evenings seriously feel like a marathon) so I put Rhett to bed--along with another bottle--and sat down for a few moments.  Around 7:25, I walked to the culdesac behind our house to get our boys.  The sky was gorgeous and I'm a sucker for a pretty sky.  It was a struggle to drag home the boys (they love their neighbor friends), but they were finally in bed at 7:55pm and I had some quiet time to catch up on social media and watch the Royals, my normal nightly things.


Before heading to bed, I got everything ready for the next morning - lunch packed, coffee tumbler ready, Keurig prepped, water bottles filled, boys' breakfast laid out, dog food ready to go, etc. etc. etc.  I don't typically do all of this, but since Craig was out of town, I needed to get up extra early and drop off all three kids en route to work so I over-prepare myself for a smooth morning.  


Once upstairs, I hopped in the shower and made sure to shave my legs (dress/skirt season).  I put my wet hair in a messy ponytail/bun to sleep so that I could just get up and go in the morning.  I didn't take a photo, but I was in bed shortly after 10pm and ready to do it all again the next day!  So there's my day in 10 13 photos.  I can't seem to do it in ten...

Now, tell me about your day and link up below.  Link-up will be open for two weeks so you have plenty of time!  I would especially love to read about other teachers' days!  And fyi, next month's link-up will go live on Wednesday, October 18 so mark your blogging calendars now!

Hosts:
 Kristin // Taz + Belly
Kristy // Seven Graces
Kerry // XO Kerry
Chelsea // Binkies and Baubles
Courtney // Our Alabama Life

Guest Host this Month:
Jacqui German // Drink the Day

5 comments:

  1. Good luck solo parenting! I need to do a day in the life - haven't done one in awhile! And with Sadie starting Kindergarten I feel you on the papers coming home! 99% of them get tossed!

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  2. Oh my gosh his little face covered in dinner is SO cute!! Looks like you kicked butt on this solo day! Thanks for letting me cohost with you lovely ladies!! :)

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  3. Your day sounds so much like mine! I'm out the door by 7:10 - and Russ does drop off. I pick up usually between 4 and 4:30!

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  4. Such a busy day!! I really need to try grocery pickup. Is there an added fee for that?

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  5. I love getting a glimpse of your day! I had to laugh about the showering comment. I totally hate it, too!

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