Not Enough Time in the Day

The #1 question we have been asked since we've moved into the new home is, "Where do you find the time?"  So today, as we celebrate 1 month being in the new house, I thought it would be fun to take a break from The List, and give you all a peek into our schedule.

Thanks to my new and amazing short commute, Ryder and I leave the house each morning at 8AM, and that gives me plenty of time to drop him off at daycare and get to work by 8:30.  (Hallelujah!)  If I'm on the ball, I try to use my lunch break to run our errands to the various home improvement box stores, Ikea etc...  Luckily all these stores are within 10 minutes of my office, so it's an easy lunch hour round trip.  I leave the office around 5PM, and again am home with the little man by 5:30. (Hallelujah x2!)  Then Ry and I usually try to fit in a quick workout, either a run with Ry in the jogger, or a little Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred for some cardio & weight intervals.  Fitting in time for a workout is not optional for me, because it helps keep my energy up, and it's comforting to keep up a familiar routine.  (Plus, I eat ice cream like other people chew gum.)  There have been days that I thought I couldn't pound another hammer, and after a 30 minute workout I'm rearing to go again.

Ryder loves to do work out videos with me.  He puts on his own "Workout Outfit" and does jumping jacks, sit ups and push ups.  I get an extra ab workout from the laughing. 

After a quick workout, I make Ryder some dinner and then usually clean, fold a load of laundry or tinker with a small home improvement project while he's eating.  Not to give you the impression that our house is clean.  Because it's not.  Not. Even. Close.  We hang out a little after dinner together before he's down for bed at 8PM sharp.  We are super lucky to have an amazingly good sleeper, and all I have to do is ask him to look at the clock and he makes a break for his robot bed.

After bedtime the work begins, and I usually spend from 8PM until whenever I put myself to bed, usually between 11PM and 12AM, working on the project du jour.  That gives me about 7 hours of sleep before I need to wake up for work the next morning, which has so far been plenty for me.  Not to say that I'm not tired, because I am.  Oh Lord I'm tired.  In fact, the other day I had a dentist appointment and I noticed that I was enjoying the ability just to sit still for a few minutes WAY too much considering the buzzing noises coming from my mouth. Weekends are an all out marathon, working 7AM-10PM on nothing but projects, with the evenings reserved for sitting on the couch and blogging about our progress.

With all that said, we have A TON of help.  We're lucky that the Hubby works a schedule that is 4 days on, 4 days off.  Which means sometimes he works Monday-Thursday and is home with me for a super productive weekend Friday-Sunday.  Other weeks he works the weekend though, and is home with Ryder for the week. (Less daycare = More $$ for home improvements!)  While he is much too tired after his 12-14 hour work days to help me out with projects in the evenings, when he is home for his 4 days straight he really knocks it out!  I'm always impressed on what he is able to accomplish, while at home with Ry by himself, all while I'm away at work.

To top it off we have had the help an support of a lot of family and friends.  My parents have been an incredible help, probably because they see a lot of themselves in us.  When I was seven my parents knocked down the house next door, just before my Dad's summer vacation as a teacher, and built a brand new one from the basement up.  My Dad is the ultimate DIYer, and did it all with the help of my Mom and some family and friends.  We were moved in by November of that year.  Yep, I told you that he was amazing.

My Dad Gary, with my brother, on the foundation of the house he built for us.

My Brother and I paying on the scaffolding at the new house.  Apparently it started for me at a young age.

So our little huge home project feels pretty nostalgic for them I'm sure, and they have been so fabulous to come up and help us with our big dump.  Other friends and family have been generous enough to come over and spend a couple of hours with Ryder on the weekends or just take him to the park so that we can have a big chunk of time to dedicate to work.  This has been so helpful, as we want to build a comfortable and safe home for Ryder, but we still want him to enjoy the process and not feel left out.

And the result?  We have been living in The Lodge for 30 days today, and we have officially completed 39 items off The List.  (I haven't posted about all of them yet, as I need a few days to catch up to real life on the blog for photo editing, writing posts, etc...)  That's not to say that we always plan to keep up this pace, because we can't.  Not without a little Jessie Spano, caffeine pill enhanced "I'm So Excited" meltdown.  We're just in overdrive right now because I am compulsively obsessed with getting this home livable for my family.  Truly, it's all I think about.  When I close my eyes at night- I dream about it.  Imagine- walking though my house in bare feet.  Sitting on a sofa in the Living Room. Ahh... So we went a little insane that first month painting, tearing up floors, installing floors, etc...  but it was just because we really want to have a place that feels like a home, not a foreclosure.  After this big stuff is done though, we hope to slow down a little bit on the major projects and spend a little time with some fun stuff like arranging bookcases and hanging pictures.

So that's our story.  Crazy?  Yeah, I can't deny that.   But the progress we've made is so gratifying.  Thanks for your comments and encouragement along the way.  I swear they are keeping me sane.  (Realitively speaking.)