Wednesday, March 5, 2008

A Day In The Life Of A Children's Home House Mom

People are always curious when I tell them what we do for a living. They either think houseparenting sounds great and want to know where they can sign up, or they imagine us living on a compound, where life is anything but normal.

Being a house mom can be great and incredibly rewarding, but it can also be very tiring and emotionally draining. If anyone is considering doing serving in this minitry, because it does provide a way for mama's to stay home with their children and still receive a salary (plus all living expenses are paid), you cannot do it for that reason alone. The kids have an innate way of being able to tell if you truly care about them, and if they know you are there for the wrong reasons, they will make your life a living nightmare. Trust me. And even if they do know that you care, it can take a lot of work to break through the layers of stone that they have built up over the last fifteen years of their lives. That being said, we do not live on a compound and our life is very normal! We have a schedule, we laugh, we go to school and church. We eat out as a family, go to Wal Mart, the movies, and the mall. I admit that the big girls tend to get a bit silly whenever we venture out into public, but that doesn't stop us from going. I just make them walk fifteen steps behind. Maybe. So here you go. A glamorous day in the life of a children's home house mom.

4 am - Our internal alarm clocks go off, and we hold our breaths waiting for Kate to wake up, as we are still not used to her sleeping through the night!

6 am - The real alarm clock goes off, followed by Kate, and my sweet husband gets up four out of five days a week to handle the morning routine. I am spoiled and blessed! At this point, I roll over and go back to sleep, knowing that the house is in the hands of my capable husband.

6 am to 8 am - Boss gets all of the girls up and out the door. He makes sure that they take their medicine, their lunches are packed, that they are dressed appropriately, and that they have their homework. Again, I am so blessed. I usually wake up around 8 am in time to spend a few minutes with Boss and kiss him as he walks out the door.

8 am to 10 am - If there are no appointments, then Emma, Kate and I usually stay in our jammies during this time. We have a silly tradition of getting dish cloths to place over the girls laps, so they can sit on the couch and watch cartoons while they eat their cereal. It is so cute to watch Kate get her cloth and head to the couch every morning. I will miss this time when they start school!

10 am to 2 pm - On Mondays and Wednesdays we have no plans, so we stay at home and play or color, or we use that time to run errands. Tuesday is our busy day, as I have a staff meeting, we go to ballet, and then we stop at McDonald's for Happy Meals and play time. On Thursday mornings, Emma's friend Carly comes to play and then I have a staff luncheon, and on Fridays we are part of a playgroup with mama's and kids from our church.

2 pm - I am always home by 2 pm, so that I can get the house picked up and have snacks made for the big girls who arrive home from school at 2:45 pm.

3 pm to 5 pm - I put Kate down for her afternoon nap, and then we have snack time, study time, and there is usually some sort of drama that needs to be worked through. I also use this time to prepare dinner, and we usually eat around 5:30 pm.

6 pm to 8 pm - After dinner we have chore time, and then we usually play a game or watch TV. During basketball and volleyball season, we go to the games at Boss' school.

8 pm to 9 pm - The big girls get their showers and then head to their rooms. Our family spends some quality time together, before Kate goes to bed at 9 pm.

I am a night owl and usually use that time to unwind, blog, fill out paperwork, or read. I usually head to bed around 11 pm.

So, there you have it! We are just like any other family. Our days are long and full, but we are most definitely blessed, and for the time being, I would want life no other way.

3 comments:

Brady and Kristin said...

Kinda makes me miss it! :)

Ryan and Angie said...

I miss our old life. I miss our kids and I miss you. Once again I am figuring out I am not cut out to be a ministers wife! I loved being a house wife and I miss our house Kids and our Family time. If it was up to me we would be in Ohio Tomorrow!!

Paula said...

Sounds like a great schedule. Your hubby is like mine, he takes care of the morning stuff. That is great.