Unemployment: A Day in the Life of Loosey

6:50 a.m. 

Wake up to X-man stirring.

7 a.m. 

Give morning hugs and talk to X-man. 

Set X-man up with "Bob the Builder"

Pee, wash up, brush teeth, get dressed.

Remember that I forgot to take out the garbage and run downstairs to get it on the curb.

Remember that I forgot to dry X-man's rashguard, swimsuit and towel for school: Do laundry.

Put away laundry that was in the dryer.

Feed five cats, dog, fish.

Pill elderly cat.

Empty diaper genie and all garbage bags upstairs. 

Collect dry cleaning.

Haul bags downstairs. 

Put garbage out. 

Dump drycleaning next to door.

Get X-man into a clean diaper and dressed for school.

7:45 a.m. 

Have a 15-minute conversation with X-man about what he wants for breakfast. Lots of tears and frustration, as he refuses everything. He asks for "Curious George." I cave and sit him down to eat his Cheerios with bananas and watered down apple juice in front of George.

8 a.m. 

I make a point of eating 1/2 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of banana and 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup of skim milk. 4 points, Weight Watchers.

I take two fiber supplements, two calcium supplements, a multi-vitamin, two ibuprofen (broken glasses are killing my head) and a zyrtec for my allergies.

8:10 a.m. 

Prepare X-man's swim bag with his items for school, including replacement shorts, since he peed through his last Thursday and I forgot to take new ones in on Friday.

Haul bedspread and bag of dry cleaning to the car.

Get broken glass case with nose pad that fell off on Saturday in case and in car. 

Get checks to deposit. 

Shit -- I forgot to let the dog out to pee. 

Let dog in. 

Put dog in car because he refuses to miss going to school with X-man.

Bring dirty juice cups and pool stuff from car into house. 

Put swim bag in car.

8:30 a.m. 

Take 5 minutes to confirm X-man is done with his breakfast.

Pick him up and haul him to car after he clings to the chair refusing to go and shouting for Dada.

Get him in the car. Get hit three times to communicate his refusal.

Tell him "Hitting HURTS! Use your words." 

2-minute time out in the car seat.

Baby cries all the way to school. 

Baby gets carried with swim bag into school. He's moaning. 

In the classroom, I hang up his swim bag and take him to wash his hands. 

It takes him 2 minutes to decide which sink he wants to wash his hands in (there are two). 

He walks outside ready to play, notices me signing him in and clings to my legs crying. 

Ms. Holly has to peel him off my leg, and I leave with him in hysterics.

Drop dry cleaning off at cleaner's next to daycare.

Deposit checks.

Run by Chittick Eye Center to get nose piece fixed and pick up extra glasses and ask if I can renew my contacts, or if I need to make another appointment to get my eyes checked.

9:05 a.m. 

Call Rogers and check in to see how she's doing.

9:20 a.m. 

Empty baby pool, clean up all the stuff blown around the yard due to the storms.

Clip pedometer to shorts.

Mow back yard.

9:45 a.m.

Come inside sneezing. 

Have water.

Transfer money from Checking to pay part of Joel's Am Ex bill.

Transfer money from Money Market to Checking to pay my Chase credit card bill.

Fill out Daycare Tax Reimbursement Form so I can start getting back some of the money we've paid toward daycare this year in our Flexible Daycare Spending account.

Call Joel and check in. 

Mail Mike his Father's Day card.

Start this blog.

11 a.m. 

Trim around garden, hot tub, sandbox and areas of the back fence.

Spray out baby pool, reinflate and fill.

Fill with water to weight it down in the wind.

Put up metal yard fixtures and plant peas to grow up them in area where Raspberry bushes are either dead or questionable... 

Allergy attack.

Let out Dog

11:30 

Eat left over Turkey WW chili from last week 6 points. 

Drink water.

Blow nose a lot.

E-mail MacTroll about end of month stock needs. 

Take dishes out of dishwasher.

Put dirty dishes in dishwasher.

Get/Read Mail.

11:50 a.m. 

Refill lawn mower gas.

Mow front and side yards.

1 p.m. 

Check CARE board.

Update item, RSVP, member relations/maintenance.

Research Quicken 2007 home finance software for the Mac at Amazon.com

1:15 p.m. 

Take a shower.

"Oh look, I have hives on my underarms and knees/legs from mowing the grass. How nice. They go lovely with the sunburn on my shoulders. Ouch!"

Apply prescription facial cream.

Put on robe -- carefully.

1:25 p.m.

Turn down hot tub to 60 degrees.

Order Quicken with free shipping from Amazon.

1:30 p.m.

Eat a Dannon Lit and Fit Yogurt 1 point and drink 16 oz of water.

Apply lotion to sunburns. 

Read News-Gazette.com and The Chicago-Tribune

Rest.

3:30 p.m.

Wake up with a start. 

Ouch -- headache, but the hives are gone.

Cancel garden meet up. Call the only other person likely to attend today.

Get dressed.

Figure out what will be for dinner and if I have enough ingredients.

4:15 p.m. 

Get flex benefits signed at NG.

Drop off Box Tops for Education that I've been dutifully collecting.

Pick up X-man.

Drive home.

4:45

Start Dinner. 

Low-fat pesto with a green salad with tomato and a hint of avocado for me. 

Low-fat pesto, bread, grapes and kalamata olives for X-man.

 

5:15 p.m 

Sit down to dinner with child. 

Attempt bonding conversation with 2 year old about his day.

5:40 p.m.

I can't sit still any longer.

X-man asks for "Curious George."

I give it to him, and I feed the cats and the dog.

I pick up the kitchen and run the dishwasher.

I write down my foods for the day.

I frame a photo and think about where I'd like to hang it.

I check my e-mail.

I create some meet-ups for the Dads for CARE.

I list my carpet remnants at CARE since Freecycle didn't work out.

6 p.m.

X-man announces he's finished. 

He's eaten everything on the plate clean, but only 1/2 of the pesto.

He plays with car.

Freak drops by to borrow Seasons 1 and 2 of Buffy and pick up her magnet letters.

We go outside.

He asks for a popsicle and gets one.

He wants mommy's skinny cow one instead.

So I go in and throw his kid-one away and get another.

Then we play with his Little Tyke car, blow bubbles, play with chalk and watch the house across the street from us also get Green siding (woot!).

He's covered in dirt, popsicle and bubble fluid.

I announce the 5-minute warning about bath time.

I announce the 2-minute warning about bath time.

X-man helps me put away the bubbles, but refuses to go inside.

I pick him up and carry him inside.

7:15 p.m.

Temper tantrum ensues on 2nd floor.

We go into the guest room, so there's nothing to throw.

I sit in front of the door and repeat: "I know you want to keep playing. I'm sorry you're frustrated, but it's time to take a bath and get ready for bed. I love you. Can you calm down and talk to me."

There was mild violence toward me, but the temper tantrum was in crazy kid mode... so time out wasn't working. 

7:40 p.m.

X-man stops crying and asks for hugs.

X-man gives me gentle touches.

X-man gives me a bigger, tighter hug.

X-man climbs up onto the guest bed and says, "Big Bed! Here, Mama, here."

I lie down with him and remind him about bath.

He whimpers.

I pick him up and put him in the bathtub. 

He asks to brush his teeth.

I wash him while he brushes.

He plays with his ducks.

When he' done, he asks to try the potty.

8:05 p.m.

I put on his overnight diaper and long t-shirt from the Monticello Train Museum.

X-man picks out three books to read.

I read him the three books.

I turn on his night-time music.

He curls up in bed with his blankie and book and the Grumpy Care Bear my Grampy gave me when I was around 8 years old.

8:15 p.m. 

I start writing this entry.

8:45 p.m. 

I finish writing this entry.

Quigs is coming over for a key. And then I'm going to go to bed and getting up tomorrow and doing the same stuff, pretty much, except substitute indoor stuff for outdoor stuff tomorrow.

But technically, I've been "unemployed" for three weeks. If you actually have the time (which apparently I did today) feel free to share your own "unemployment" day (traditional working parents and part-timers are welcome to share too!)

I'll read your blog and send you good supportive vibes!