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Typical Day
Updated January 2006
Having six young children, ages 2 to 15 years, isn't easy in any mother's book, and being a writer makes it
that much more difficult. But I am grateful to be at home with my children while they're young—even though
that means taking five or six hours to write what would normally take me two or three.
After waking up an average of two times a night with one of my younger children, I fall out of bed
at 7:09 when my husband turns on the primary songs on the CD Player (thanks TJ!). I usually feel groggy because
I stayed up so late the night before painting the house, or reading, doing laundry, or doing something
on the computer after the children went to bed.
After song, scripture study, and prayer my husband takes our high school junior (he's 15) and our ninth-grader
to their separate schools. I help the others with breakfast, making lunches, or with any last-minute homework
they forgot. Often my 1st grader wants me to test him in spelling. If I remember in time, I plaster the boys'
hair with water. I have to get two-year-old Liana up and dressed, and then everyone climbs into the van so I
can drive them to school by 8:30. It takes eight minutes to drive to the school, so we always try to leave by 8:12.
(It's okay that I'm still in my pajamas. No one really sees me.)
Back at home, I get Liana breakfast, grab something to eat if I haven't eaten before, and turn on the computer.
Liana spends much of the morning on my lap, usually falling asleep in my arms. Mostly, I just keep writing when
that happens because she'll sleep for a long time that way. Sometimes if I'm lucky, I'll be able to lay her on
a blanket on the floor next to my chair. Or she might fall asleep watching her favorite video,
The Incredibles,
which she calls Superman and would watch twenty times a day if I let her.
When she's awake, I have constant interruptions:
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"Mommy, I hungry."
"I want Superman. Pleeease?"
"Mommy, I need Band-Aid."
"I wanna hold you." (Meaning, of course, HOLD ME!--and I always do.)
"Mommy, I thirsty. I need water."
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I'm really blessed this year not to have a kindergartner to pick up halfway through the day, and that Liana's
long out of diapers. Rarely do I answer the phone because then I'll never get anything done. (I have Caller ID
to make sure the call is not from one of my kids.) Sometimes people come to the door, and only then do I realize
that I haven't combed my hair or put on my contacts. Maybe I ought to post a sign:
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DANGER
WRITER AT WORK
KNOCK AT YOUR OWN RISK!
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When I've finished my daily 2,000 word goal (if I'm writing a first draft), and there's still time before
I have to pick up my son from his college class at the high school, I'll go to my treadmill and enjoy myself
reading a book while I sweat. Then I do crunches with Denise Austin, whose bright and bubbly manner is the
only thing I've found that keeps me doing ab exercises. On rare days when I know I won't have to quit writing
early, I might actually go to the treadmill before writing, but I have to be sure I won't lose the writing time
with a dentist appointment or some other annoying but necessary errand (like grocery shopping).
Then it's time for a quick bath or shower and maybe, if there's time, a late snack for my lunch before I grab
some shoes and run out the door to pick up my oldest (in February he'll be able to drive—I can't wait!).
My daughter will have eaten so many snacks by then that she's really not hungry.
After I return home, I have 45 minutes to answer e-mail or complete some other errand or project. Then it's a
drive to the junior high and directly on to the grade school. When we pull up there, I run my fingers through
my hair and dab on a bit of makeup, just in case. (I've learned to carry an extra set in my purse.) About
this time I begin to pray that there's no reason I'll have to go in because you know what? If I didn't get
a chance to exercise—and that happens a lot—then it's likely I'm still in my pajamas! Well, so what?
Isn't working at home in your pajamas part of the American Dream? Well, it is for this author.
It's home then, and time for chores, homework, piano practice, and more errands (and changing OUT of the PJs).
On a good day, I'll I throw dinner in the oven, hoping my husband thinks about picking up some bread and fruit
on his way home from work. I usually make time to read at least a chapter from the book I'm reading, and having
the scriptures on my Palm has greatly increased my scripture study opportunities.
I usually have clean laundry . . . in several baskets around the house. I mop the entire floor . . . only
when my mother-in-law comes to visit—which unfortunately for my floor isn't very often since she lives
in Europe. And I burn almost everything I cook. In fact, for many years the first thing my husband did when
he returned home from work was to check the oven. My children have learned to like very well-done food. Now,
with my busy schedule, there are too many times when I haven't even gotten around to putting anything in the oven.
I'm so grateful for microwaves!
I have, by necessity, learned to delegate, and my children have learned to do their chores. Finally, after
many years of perseverance, they're actually helping. (I even have a child assigned to the kitchen floor, and
it gets done at least halfway, which is good enough for me.)
After dinner, it's time for brushing teeth and pajamas and family prayer. On some evenings I have speaking
engagements, meetings, or book signings, but on most nights I read aloud to the younger kids from a novel.
I think this is the children's favorite time of the whole day. Sometimes even on school nights they can
convince me to read more than I really should.
With the kids in bed, if not asleep, sometimes my husband and I, if we're not too exhausted or loaded with
website updates or other things we must do (did I mention grocery shopping?), will watch the news or another
program on TV. We like Perry Mason and I Love Lucy a lot better that the late night shows. We also like to eat
ice cream all alone without any kids to feed or clean up after. If we're really up on our work, we might each
read a book, or TJ might play a game on the computer while I read.
When we finally shut out the light, it's time for me to plan my next writing day. What direction will my
plot take? What new twists will emerge? Before I sleep, I must know where I'm going. I'm drifting off
and then I hear . . .
"Mommy!"
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