A Day In The Life – By The Numbers!

Have you seen any “Day in the life” posts? I first came across them on Living Lighter in Atlanta, then later on other blogs. The idea is to write down what you do during the day as a parent – it’s a fairly raw post while also giving clear insight into what you do as a mom.

At first, reading one of those made me feel a bit like a voyeur … but I soon realized how fascinating those posts are! It’s half validation that my typical days (however boring they might feel) are just like others’ typical days. And the other half is just plain interesting – to read how others live and learn some new ideas and projects.

So, I had the idea to combine a Day in the Life post with a twist a la my favorite post, 2016 By the Numbers. Over the course of several days, I counted some things I feel like I do a lot. Voila a typical day around here – the good, the bad, the tiring….

28. The number of times I wash my hands on a typical day. I bet this would beat a surgeon’s count! This number includes when I used the toilet, helped Toddler at the toilet, changed Baby’s diaper, cooked meals, and cleaned up.

37. This is how often I said “no” to my kids. In one day!! Okay, I feel like a very bad mother after this … a very mean mother …. Is there any redemption?

64. Yes, there is redemption. Baby gets a lot of kisses every day … 64 on this count, in fact. I guess I’m not such a mean mother after all. (Right?)

9.  The number of messes I cleaned up. This includes spills, food thrown by Baby during mealtime, and oregano spilled because I let my kids play with my spices. I’m actually surprised this total isn’t higher.

9. This is how often I said “stop” to my girls. I guess combined with “no,” this is a lot. I think I also say “hold on” a lot, but I didn’t end up counting that. Must be that I’m too busy cleaning up messes and washing everything and anything, so I need to say, “hold on” to them frequently.

27. I’ve said often before that I get up from the dining table a lot during meals. Do you think my food is warm or cold by the time I finish it? Am I the only mom who just can’t sit down through a meal??

6. This is the number of times I brush teeth every day. Mine, Baby’s, and Toddler’s get brushed twice daily. Is it any wonder my own dental hygiene is occasionally forgotten?

I could go on and on … 10 plates of food prepared, 6 cups of milk poured, etc. etc. Seeing my day distilled into pure numbers reinforces how repetitive some days feel …

… how mundane some days feel …

… how full of hand washing and cleaning some days feel….

If it weren’t for those 64 kisses and the uncounted ones for Toddler and my husband – and the uncounted hugs – I might want to throw in the towel! (Haha, get it?! I guess I still have my sense of humor!)