It's a crazy Crain life!: Back at work

So, I planned to do this post last weekend but never got around to it. I think it will be more interesting and detailed today since I've had two weeks back at work. Here's a basic rundown of my day:

5 AM - wake up
5-5:45ish - feed, burp, and snuggle each baby.
5:45-6:15 - get ready, pack pump parts and food for the day, prep bottles, leave.
6:40-2:45 - work. I usually leave between 2:45 & 3:00.
3:15-3:30 - arrive home. This part looks different every day. Many days I'm greeted by sleeping babies. Sometimes one has awoken and needs some snuggles; I certainly don't mind that.
3:30 - 5:00 - this time usually encompasses a feeding and snuggling. I can usually get a quick chore done: unload pumped milk, wash bottles, throw dirty clothes in the wash, take something out of the freezer for dinner.
5-5:30 - if I'm lucky, this is some quiet time. The babies are usually back to sleep by now and Maddex isn't home from the sitter yet. Eventually this will become cooking time, but for now it is relax, do some quick schoolwork, or do another chore.
5:30- Maddex gets home. We play and eat dinner.
7:00- nighttime routine begins. Ideally, I get the babies up between 6:30 and 7:00 and feed them again then play. Mitch bathes Maddex between 7 & 7:30.
7:30-8 - put Maddex to bed, bathe twins.
8:30- feed twins again. Put them down at 9:00. I go to bed as soon as possible after they are down.
On a GREAT night, they'll sleep until 2:00 and wake to eat. This has happened a couple of times. They usually wake between 12 and 1 AM for a feeding. Then again maybe around 4:00. This totally throws off my schedule of their first feeding at 5, but we work with it and adjust.
So, on a good night I'm up twice to feed. I am very thankful that they are sleeping how they do. I am super tired, BUT I realize it could be SO much worse!

Of course in addition to everything there, we have diaper changes for all 3, medicine, changing clothes/swaddlers/bibs, cleaning up the kitchen, cleaning bottles for the next day, etc, etc.

My daily/weekly chores are made much simpler thanks to my mom! She usually finds time to fold laundry, do dishes, dust, sweep/swiffer the floor while she's here. Hallelujah for that or my house would be NASTY! Thanks, mom :)

I really enjoy my job. In a season where many teachers are overwhelmed, stressed, and fed up, I am truly enjoying my job. I think this is for several reasons: 1 - I love teaching. It's what I was born to do. 2 - staying at home with the babies right now would probably be harder! There would certainly be advantages to being home with them all day, but taking care of twins is no joke! Working feels like a nice break :) 3 - I prayed, and continue to pray, that the Lord would grant me freedom from stress this year and He had answered! I'm just going to continue to "do my thing" and not let everything else involved get to me too much. I know that I'm good at what I do; I welcome specific, constructive feedback. Until I have that, I'm going to keep moving on in the best way I can during this current season.

The hardest things about being back at work are the lack of sleep (it's SO much nicer to get to go back to sleep after that 5 AM feeding on the weekends!) and the difficulty of doing anything else in the evenings. This week I had life group and a doctor's appointment, and I found how difficult it is to get out of the house AGAIN or to come home late. For the next few months I think most of my days will include just work.

With work, graduate school, three kids, and church, I'm starting to notice how crazy my schedule is becoming. I'm so excited about this new beauty that came in the mail today! I ordered an Erin Condren life planner to help keep my life organized. I love a good planner and this one is the mac daddy. I'm so excited to fill it with all of my events :) And almost more exciting than the planner itself are the fun extras it came with: pretty paper in the back for notes, a bunch of labels w/ my name, stickers to put all over the planner for events, and a zipper pouch. So much fun!