31 Things | Days 2 & 3

I am loving this project! It could have something to do with the fact that I have the house all to myself today... Hmm... maybe? ;) I love that I'm not so worried about getting the perfect picture. The photo I used for Day 1 was taken during Week in the Life 2010, and the photo for Day 2 was taken during Week in the Life 2011! How's that for being eco-friendly! I don't think "reduce, reuse, and recycle" really applies to digital photos, though. Anyway... Here are Days 2 and 3. The little patterned strips of paper are from another super cute kit by Wishing Well Creations called Picket Fences.



Day 2 | Morning Routine
I am not a morning person. I usually get woken up by Cameron coming in to tell me something. David gets up before me now that school is out. He turns the shower on for me before he leaves for work (around 7:00). It takes five minutes for the water to get hot. Sometimes I set the timer on my iPhone so I don’t snooze and let the hot water run out.

David always lets the dogs out and empties the dishwasher before he leaves, and often changes Cameron’s diaper and gets the boys’ drinks too. On Sunday mornings (and school days), I set the alarm on my iPhone for 6:10 AM. On those days, I usually get up before David. The goal is to hit snooze once and then get up to take my shower.

Now that it’s summer break, our mornings vary based on what the plan is for the day. If we’re going somewhere, then I’ll get up and get ready. The boys get up on their own, go into the living room, and turn on the TV. We leave it set to the Disney Channel. Braden likes to watch Curious George on PBS Kids, though, so he will sometimes change the channel, and then Cameron will argue because he would rather watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. If they really get into it (not often), and I’m actually up at 7:00 AM, then I remind Braden that he can watch Curious George when it comes on in the afternoon.

My shower is usually interrupted by Cameron coming in to ask me something. I used to lock the bedroom door, but then he would stand outside and scream, and that just doesn’t make for a pleasant shower experience. He wants to be able to come in and talk to me, and I’m OK with that for now (he’s only 3).

After my shower, I usually start a load of laundry. My goal is to do one load each day, except for Sunday. Our mornings are typically filled with cartoons, pajamas, juice, and granola bars. I don’t eat breakfast unless we’re going somewhere, and then I will have a Quaker Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Granola Bar and a Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino (basically a bottle of milk with vanilla, coffee, and sugar in it) in the car. If we’re staying home, I’ll make myself a cup of coffee using my Keurig coffee maker. I saw a poster on Pinterest.com that said, “I drink coffee for your protection,” and I think about that almost every morning when I drink my coffee. It really does put me in a better mood.

Day 3 | Read
When I was young, I read books all the time, and loved it. As I got older, my time was spent reading books that were assigned for school, and I didn’t always enjoy that. I looked forward to finishing college so I would have time to read for fun again. It never really came back, though. I found other things to fill my time. Now with two kids and the Internet constantly at my fingertips, I don’t have or make time to read books for fun. The exception has been the Harry Potter series. I have read and reread those books.

I do read every day – just not novels. I read blogs and information online. I read my Journey devotional magazine and my Bible every day. I’ve started using the Bible app on my iPhone a lot. I also read to the boys. We read Braden’s More devotional magazine every night, and Cameron often asks me to read a story out of his Veggie Tales Bible Storybook or some other random book. I need to read to both of them more. At the beginning of the school year, I read The Sign of the Beaver to Braden, and then we started The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but haven’t finished it. I need to make reading aloud to them more of a priority.

I get really engrossed in books, and the stories become part of me, so I choose books very carefully. When I do read, I enjoy young adult fiction or non-fiction. I like to sit and read for hours at a time, and I just don’t have that luxury in this season of my life. I’ve tried reading books a little at a time, and I end up getting lost and forgetting what’s going on, or being frustrated when I have to put the book down. So, I’ve pretty much quit doing it. Maybe as the boys get older, I’ll have more opportunities to read for fun.