# Describe a typical day with your child



## Auraji (Sep 19, 2008)

From waking up to going to bed.

Im very curious as to how mothers spent their day with their children, what activities take place, what kind of food do they eat, how do they behave, how do you deal with discipline. Everything really


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

I'd love to oblige, but we really don't have a typical day. Activities are all over the map. Breakfast is usually cereal (Cheerios or oatmeal, most often). Occasionally, I do scrambled eggs. Supper is at 6:30 to 7:00 - used to be more like 7:00, but I'm getting better - and is quite varied, from classic North American comfort food (homemade mac and cheese) to Indian Butter Chicken to tacos to...whatever. We do some soups and stews, and some casseroles. Just whatever. Lunch is all over the map. It could be evil KD, a PB&J sandwich or an assortment of bits and pieces (say a piece of cheese, a couple walnuts, some broccoli, a few grapes, slices of mango...a mix of stuff that I think they'll like), grilled cheese...

There have been weeks when we've had some kind of dessert every night, and months when we've had no dessert at all.

Some days, we're here all day doing fun, interactive stuff (baking, crafts, homeschooling flash cards/games for dd, whatever). Right now, dd and ds2 are watching ds1's old Inspector Gadget movie. When the weather's decent (we've been snowed in a bit), I try to get the kids out for some kind of activity, even just the playground, at least 3-4 days a week, plus a whole family activity most weekends.

We're really random around here. I'm trying to work on that a little, but I do have ds2 to deal with, and he's the living incarnation of random...


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## ginadc (Jun 13, 2006)

We have no typical days, either. (Well, they're typically chaotic, but that's about all that's typical!







)

We have three distinct sets of days: Mondays and Fridays, when DH is at work and the kids are home with me; Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, when I work from home (freelance writer), DH is at work, and the kids are in day care 8:30-6; and weekends, when we're all home together.

So a typical Monday is: DS, 10 months, wakes up about 6 am and comes into our bed to nurse. DH gets up about 6:30, DS and I stay in bed nursing/sleeping off and on until about 7:30. That's usually when DD (almost 3) wakes up. She comes into our room and eats a cereal bar and drinks a sippy of milk in bed with me and DS, DH says goodbye, and the three of us cuddle and play for a bit. Then DD watches Curious George and DS plays with toys in the bathroom while I take a shower and dress. They'll eat a bit more breakfast after that.

We usually have a class/activity in the morning; this term it's Music Together at 10:30. I will try to settle DS down for an early-morning nap (he really needs one) before we leave, but that usually doesn't last long. After MT or whatever, we have lunch together. If it's nice we usually walk to one of several cafes nearby; if not, we've driven there and will head home and eat there. DD usually has a sandwich, grilled chicken, toddler ravioli or turkey meatballs for lunch, along with fruit (her favorite is watermelon and anything ending in -berry when we can get it) and cheese, beans or a veggie. DS now just eats off my plate--he's noshing everything. He nurses in there at random...he's not on much of a "schedule" for nursing.

After lunch, we play--Play-Doh, DD's doll house, painting, books, puzzles--and then it's nap time. DD goes down around 1:30 and usually naps at least 2 hours these days. DS and I play a little solo after DD goes down to nap, and then we lie down on our bed and I nurse him to sleep. Sometimes we both nap, sometimes I wake up and read next to him. He'll nap a good long time if I'm there, but if not, the nap is abbreviated!

After wake-up (usually around 3:30-4), we play some more, go to the park if it's nice (we have a gorgeous new park near us that has a crazy huge array of equipment and DD can't get enough of it), and run errands or do stuff around the house like empty the dishwasher and put in the laundry. Sometimes we'll have a play date with one of DD's friends from day care--she has a really close little posse of buddies that have been together since babyhood.

Dinner for the kids is around 6:30. DH gets home around 7:30, and that commences our nightly routine--a little play, bathtime (though not every night), then bedtime routines. I usually nurse DS down to sleep while DH is getting DD into her pajamas, teeth brushed, and reading her first story. Then I come in and do the rest of the stories while DH starts dinner for the two of us. If we're lucky, both kids are in bed and asleep or close to it by about 8:30.


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Well, I WOH 4 days a week, and at home the other day so there isn't a typical day either, but I'll describe our day yesterday with dd (4 1/2) when I was home. Ds (7 1/2) is at school from 8:15 to 3:15. But this is a pretty typical day, I'd say.

7:30 Dd gets up
7:30-8:00 dd watches TV while I have my breakfast/tea and dh gets ds off to the bus stop.
8:00 dd has breakfast (cold cereal or toast)
8:15-?? dd plays by herself for a bit while
10 ish - dd wants some interaction with me, so we play for a bit
11 ish - dd watches her second TV show
11:30-12:00 ish lunch
12:00-1:00 dd plays, I try to get some work done (answer urgent e-mails, plan lessons for the next day, grade papers)
1:00 or so - often we go on an outing. If the weather is good, we'll walk some place. yesterday we went to the Children's Museum. Sometimes it's grocery shopping or to the library.
3:15: ds comes home , dd plays with ds for a bit.
4:00 pm ds and dd watch Arthur on TV (that's her last TV show for the day)
4:30 ds and dd play/argue; sometimes dd helps me make dinner/set the table
6:00 dinner
6:30 15 minute "chore time" where the whole family cleans/picks up
6:45-7:30 play time (with me, dh or ds or all 3)
7:30 'homework time' for ds. Dd often asks for 'homework' of her own to do.
7:45-8:00 pajama time (varies depending on how long homework takes -- ds' homework takes about 10 minutes if he's not interrupted and a lot longer if he is!)
8:00 snack time
8:15 story time
8:45 lights out


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## Murihiku (Oct 2, 2008)

I can't do this. If I did this, I'd have to write "Check MDC again" about twenty-five times and seeing that written down would throw me into a pit of guilt so deep . . .


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## AlpineMama (Aug 16, 2007)

Cutting and pasting from another thread where I described a typical day.

DS (22 months) and DD (11 months) wake up at the same time. I get them changed and dressed and give them a snack of cereal, and leave them downstairs where all their toys are. I go upstairs and get dressed myself, do my hair, check my email. Then we have breakfast together.

Then DS either has therapy, or we go out to see people or run errands. Or if we're at home for the day, I do chores. DS will sometimes help with these chores, other times he'd rather play with blocks or whatever.

Then naptime for both of them (DD naps while nursing, DS on his own). After that, usually lunch. Then another errand or playtime for them downstairs while I'm upstairs writing/researching/reading/whatever. I can hear them just fine, so whenever I hear an unhappy cry I go check on them and comfort as needed. And usually every 15 minutes or so I run downstairs anyway for whatever, and I do a fly-by activity. "Oh, you're looking at books, do you want to read one?" or "Oh, awesome tower, here, let me put one together too." And then I move on. Then it's time to make dinner (they hang out in the kitchen with me) and then bathtime, and then bed. That's a typical day.

We get up around 5 am and they go to sleep around 5 pm. I go to sleep a bit later.

For first breakfast they usually have cold cereal, then second breakfast is something warm like fried apples or eggs. They have a snack (popcorn or rice cakes) before nap. For lunch we usually do breadless sandwiches. (They get all the fillings but no bread because DS is gluten free). Afternoon snack is fruit. Dinner is usually some variant of beef or pork, and vegetables, and usually potatoes, but sometimes we have hot sandwiches or soups. Sometimes I make two dishes. The kids and I eat whatever we want (ethnic or vegetarian or something) while my picky DH gets something from a box, like Hamburger Helper... because he considers it comfort food.


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## boigrrrlwonder (Jan 18, 2007)

We wake up around 9AM. We have breakfast - generally leftovers from last night's dinner, because for whatever reason, I don't get why people can only eat certain things for breakfast and even though I'm lucky and have a night owl kid, I'm not a morning person either. So we have leftovers. Once a week we go to story time and once a month we go to a morning LLL meeting, but otherwise, after breakfast we do morning chores loosely based on FlyLady interspersed with reading books, doing blocks, setting up painting, etc... when my DD asks me to play with her and won't get involved with my activities (though I often try to at least knit while I play with her). Then I nurse her down for her nap. I set up lunch; eventually she needs milk and we lay and nurse for the rest of her nap. When she gets up, we eat lunch and do afternoon chores. I live in a two-bedroom apartment, so with the kitchen, bathroom, and dining room/living room, we have five rooms, so with five weekdays, I go through cleaning those throughout the week (I do my baking and shopping on the weekend) while continuing the reading/painting/etc... I did with morning chores. In the summer, we used to go to the park after this (I'm embarrassed by how little outside time she gets, but she wants to nurse as soon as we get outside.














Then, I make dinner. My fantasy being that I'll have it done in time for DH when he gets home, but often I'm still cooking then. We eat dinner. I clean up. DD and I take a bath while DH lies down for a bit. We brush teeth and then go on a walk before bed. She goes to sleep around 11PM.

Weekends are more chaotic - I often go to my parents' home, but there's no set schedule, really.


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## mama_mojo (Jun 5, 2005)

We're up about 6. DH makes breakfast while I walk the dog. One of us usually rides herd on the kids to have them dressed for breakfast by 7:15. DH leaves for the day around 8:00. Breakfast 4 or 5 days a week is eggs, meat, and a simple carb. The other days are oatmeal, biscuits, or pancakes.

We do "school" from around 8:30 until around 11:00. Lunch around 12:00, tends to be sandwiches or leftovers or hearty soup.

Kids have quiet time from 1:00 until 3:00. Sometimes, we do a bit of "school" during this time.

Snack tends to be popcorn, yogurt or peanut butter.

I make dinner, tends to be meat, carb, and two or three veggies.

Kids in bed, the littlest by 6:30, the oldest by 8:00.


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## Theoretica (Feb 2, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Murihiku* 
I can't do this. If I did this, I'd have to write "Check MDC again" about twenty-five times and seeing that written down would throw me into a pit of guilt so deep . . .

















:








:


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## mistymama (Oct 12, 2004)

Our days are pretty typical, at least week days. Weekends are more relaxed, but ds has sensory issues and always does best on a set routine where he knows what is going to happen next.

I wake up about 5am, take puppy out & feed him and make ds's lunch for school. Dh leaves for work by about 5:30am and I usually start getting dressed for work, then get ds up around 6-6:30am. We eat breakfast together, breakfast is usually toast or cereal, sometimes a wheat bagel with cream cheese. I help him pick out his outfit and get dressed, get his backpack together and we walk the puppy together before we leave for school. We try to leave by about 7:15-7:30am at the latest.

After I drop ds off at school I go to work. I can stay at the office as long or as little as I want (most of my work can be done from home) so at least one or two days a week I leave before noon to go have lunch with ds at school. Ds brings his lunch to school (refuses to eat school lunches .. I don't blame him!) and his lunch is usually pb & J or a ham sandwich, yogurt, juice & water, raisins or apples, carrots and maybe a granola bar. We provide snack as well as lunch, so that's why it's so much. He usually eats it all. On days I don't have lunch with him I usually leave work by about 1:30pm, go home and walk the dog, work a little more, then take the dog with me to pick ds up from school at 2:45pm.

On Mondays ds & I go grocery shopping for the week on our way home from school. Other days we go straight home, get a snack and talk about his day/go over the stuff in his backpack. I







to hear about how much fun he has in school.

Ds needs downtime after school, so he will often play in his room or out in the living room while I work for another hour or two. Often he's building lego ships right at my feet while I work, I so enjoy that. We can talk, be together, and I can still do my job. Other days he likes to take the dog out and play with him or take him for a walk.

By about 5pm ds and I do a quick clean up of the house together. Then we prep dinner, ds loves nothing more than to chop veggies and is actually getting pretty good at cooking on the stove, I'll have him saute onions and garlic while I prep another part of the meal. Our dinners are all over the place, I love to cook and try new things. Like this week we have on the menu: crab melt sands with rotini with brocoli & garlic, blue cheese turkey burgers with sweet potato fries and salad, vegetable soup with grilled cheese, and taco salad! I love this time together, we laugh, talk, joke and it's so special to me. I hope he never stops wanting to cook with me!

Dh usually gets home between 6-7:00pm (long hours!) and at that moment ds is all over him, and they spend time together while I finish up dinner. We all eat together, but not at a table. We like to eat in the living room (tv off) and talk while sitting around the coffee table.









At 7:30pm I run ds's bath and help him wash his hair, he likes to play in there about 20mins, then we brush teeth and get ready for bed. Dh and I alternate nights reading/putting him to sleep. Ds gets to pick his book each night and we'll read to him, snuggle and chat about his day, then it's lights out by about 8:15 or so.

And the whole thing starts again at 5am!









On weekends we are much more relaxed and family centered. Dh and I like to sleep in, and ds will let us for a little while, then he's in jumping on us and we spend time chatting and playing with him in our bed. Most weekends we'll cook breakfast, or sometimes run errands and go out to lunch together. Weekends are all about us spending time together, with dh, because we do see so little of him during the week.

I feel very lucky to have so much time to spend with ds, and I hope that can continue for a long, long time.


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## Super Glue Mommy (Jan 4, 2009)

Kids wake up around 6-7am.
Once awake we do potty and get dressed.
Breakfast - gfcf pancakes or eggs and bacon generally - with fruit
M-F DS1 has school (learning delayed). I walk him to school around 7:30
Once I get home I usually let the kids watch an educational DVD. This is my chance to get "set up" for the day which includes some morning time cleaning and selecting some activities and just getting "mentally prepared".
There is no real set thing the rest of the day. we are potty training so we stop every 1 hour to use the potty. we have a big back yard so I try to use it. We do a lot of pretend play, taking care of dolls and pretend cooking. We also do real cooking. We do a lot of puzzles, read stories, counting games, etc. Lunchtime happens sometime between 11 and 1 - whenever we get hungry. Sandwhiches or left overs from dinner the night before are common lunch time meals.
Before 2pm I walk over to pick up my son from school. When he gets home I have to clean out his back pack, talk to him about his day, encourage him to use the potty, get everyone a snack.
Then we do an afternoon movie - sometimes non educational - which usually they watch a short amount of and then go and play in my daughters room which is also the playroom... gives me some sanity to get through the rest of the day with 3 kids age 3 and under. I can get dinner ready, maybe do some laundry or other chores.
Around 5 we have dinner. Usually a meat and a vegetable. Such as a GFCF meatloaf with potatoes or chicken wings... or a pot roast...My DD clears the table afterward and my DS wipes it down, or vice versa. Then is bath time, then we clean up all the toys from around the house. 6:30 we begin the bedtime routine, which is pretty simple. We have a story, then we spell the kids name from over their bed. DS1 likes to help tuck in DD. We give her all her stuffed animals. She says no to most of them but keeps one. sometimes she keeps then all. its kind of a game. Then I say good night I love you see when the sun is shining and she waves to me bye bye and is usually very giggly about the whole ordeal. somtimes I hear her playing with her toys in her room for a bit before she goes to sleep (DS1 does the same) then DS1 time to go to bed, and he asks for drink first, then potty, then he brings his writing desk with him to his bed, spells his name from the wall, I tuck him in with the goodnight i love you see when the sun is shining and he says goodnight, and usually I hear him playing with his writing desk for a while before he goes to sleep too. Then I nurse my DS2 down for a nap. I clean the house. Take a shower. Then spend time with DS2 when he wakes up... then when I'm tired I nurse him to sleep and we cosleep with him still he's 7 months and that is our day... on a weekday. Weekends are different - more hectic... the same in a lot of ways but I dont have time to explain the differnces. I do pop online when I get the chance to take a break, like now...


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## lotus.blossom (Mar 1, 2005)

6:30ish DS wakes up. I make him a pb&j sammy and myself some toast.
Then I have to work on the fire to warm up the house and he plays around.
I sit down and check my email while he watches curious george.

8:00 my DH wakes up and I make him coffee and breakfast while the kid runs around. Sometimes dh will put on another show for him.

Between 9 and 12 we do various things. I try to entertain him upstairs while I do laundry, make my bed, clean up his room (all while he is sabotaging me







)
Sometimes we'll play blocks or play dough, he really is a hard one to keep entertained with toys.

noon I make lunch and DH comes upstairs to eat with us.

1ish we sit down to relax on the couch. I'll admit sometimes we watch a solid 2-3 hour block of tv. I'm pregnant and tired and not ashamed to admit it. I try to nap or clean the kitchen so that I can get ready for dinner.

4 I make dinner while the kid pulls everythign out of the drawers and generally makes a mess of the house.

between 5-6 my DH comes in for dinner. Sometimes he stays sometimes he goes back to work.

7:00 I get the kid into PJ's and brush teeth and he watches an episode of Little Bear and by 7:30 he goes to bed.

Then mama feels human again (after washing the dishes, picking up toys, and cleaning up little messe everywhere)

I go to bed around 10 if I don't fall asleep on the couch before that.


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## mrspineau (Jan 15, 2008)

A day for us is varied. I shop a lot







so often my days involve being out and about. But when we are home, we wake up around 6 or 7, have breakfast, watch yo gabba gabba dvd/play and I clean the kitchen and pick up around. Then I play with him until around 10 or 11 and he has a nap. sometimes he sleeps for two hours, sometimes twenty minutes. you just never know. then we eat lunch and play some more. then around 2 he takes another nap. this one is usually a fairly long one. at LEAST 2 hrs. then I start thinking about supper, and he plays. then dh comes home around 5:30, although some days he comes home early and some days he comes home late, and we eat supper, and then play for a bit, ds has a bath, then wind down for bed which is usually around nine.


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## sharon.gmc (Nov 17, 2008)

We wake up very early at around 7am because my kids go to school at 8. I take them to school. And then in the afternoon my DH take them home.


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## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

Like most, it varies.

We wake up anywhere between 6:30 and 9 depending on when we went to bed. My husband or I make breakfast and it ranges between yogurt/fruit/granola, eggs/cheese/meat, cream of wheat, and cold cereal. My husband heads to work Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays by about 8:30. There is much checking of email, diaper changing, and snuggling before that time. Wednesdays and Fridays he works from home so he is in his home office by 8.

My daughter has been thrilled with playing on the floor up till naptime lately. While she rolls around and plays with her rattles and stuffed animals I have a variety of things I do. Some days I do house chores. Some days I sit around and read the internet (like MDC but usually I stick to livejournal). Some days I do reading and studying for my Masters comprehensive exam. Some days I work towards whatever project I have at the moment (they vary over time).

Shanna goes down for a nap sometime between 9:30 and 12 depending on when we got up. If she is really early for her nap I generally let her sleep on the Boppy and she only stays asleep for ~30 minutes. If she goes to sleep around 9:30 there will be another nap at 12 anyway. The 12 nap usually lasts two hours. While she is napping I take a bath, or clean house if she was clingy in the morning, or do food prep, or do anything I can't be distracted while doing.

When she wakes up she generally wants to be held/played with for a while as she wakes up. She will also want to be on and off the breast a lot for about an hour. After she gets through the clingy phase she is happy to play on the floor again. Often for a couple of hours I play on the internet while sitting near where she is playing. Otherwise I do more stuff around the house.

I tend to have days where I stay home and I focus on getting a lot done during the day (mostly the schedule above) two or three days a week. On other days I run errands, go visit friends, go visit family, and generally try to be anywhere but here so the schedule looks very different.


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