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3:18 AM // I wake up because my head hurts. Ughhh. I have had this same headache for three days now! I’m able to get back to sleep though.

5:00 AM // My alarm goes off but I turn it off. I’m not feeling it today.

5:11 AM // Liam wakes up and asks me what day it is. He always wants to know that lately. Thankfully he goes right back to sleep.

5:25 AM // I drag myself out of bed. I sit down to my Bible reading, but I doze off a few times. Eventually I complete it, but I probably should have made coffee first.

6:00 AM // Make my breakfast and listen to the pray-as-you-go podcast. I sit down to eat at the table and then move back to my chair to read a canto of the Inferno.

6:30 AM // The kids are up. Meredith takes Ziggy to the couch and turns on Charlotte’s Web to watch. I finish my reading.

6:40 AM // Take a super quick shower, give the kids some cereal, then get myself ready for the day.

7:00 AM // Pack lunches, get the kids dressed, and leave.

7:20 AM // Dropoff at daycare. Liam is crying because his foot hurts; he stubbed his toe awhile ago and now his toenail is coming off. Thankfully his teacher tells him he can take his shoe off while they are inside, so he calms down. I take a few minutes to brush Meredith’s hair since she doesn’t let me do it at home. She has really bad dandruff right now so I think we are going to have to start up her scalp medication again (which I hate).

7:30 AM // Drive to work and listen to The Simple Show. I also Vox my friend Sarah.

7:50 AM // Arrive at work. It should be a regular infusion day for me. I’m working with Jenny, my second coworker. Usually Susan is here on Wednesdays too, but she is off on vacation.

8:00 AM // My first patient is here, so I get her back, settled, and access her port/draw blood since she is here for chemo. Then I document.

8:30 AM // My second patient is ready, so I get her set up. This is a blood transfusion so I go pick up the blood from the blood bank and start it.

9:15 AM // I’m at my computer documenting and checking email.

9:45 AM // Give chemo premeds to my first patient. Then I make coffee and grab a snack, but I don’t have time to eat it because a nurse from another department arrives to do training. A patient arrives for a port flush, and the nurse-in-training does it but I have to walk her through it and it takes a lot longer than usual.

11:00 AM // I start chemo on my first patient, then go to the blood bank to switch to the second unit of blood for my other patient. Document and finally eat my snack and drink my lukewarm coffee.

12:05 PM // Switch my patient to her second bag of chemo, then eat lunch and read.

12:45 PM // I have some time to wait. I pace around the unit for awhile trying to get my Fitbit steps up.

1:15 PM // Discharge my chemo patient, then discharge my blood transfusion patient. Clean rooms, finish documenting, and make sure everything is ready to go for tomorrow. Pace around some more.

2:45 PM // Leave work. Overnight the weather dropped at least 20 degrees and it is cool and cloudy. On the way home I listen to The Simple Show. At home I check the mail and am excited to see the Magnificat my friend Meg sent me. I do the 7-minute workout, then David comes home. He left work early because of a bad headache. We talk for a few minutes, then he goes to lie down.

3:45 PM // School pickup! The kids are in decent moods. Wednesday is the only night when we don’t have any plans or obligations, and that can be a good or bad thing. We get back home and they are excited because David is home. They watch Sofia the First on TV and I give them a snack of chips and fruit, then I start right in on making dinner. It’s a new recipe for me, chicken parmesan.

5:00 PM // We sit down to eat dinner all together. I’m always crazy happy when this happens because it’s rare. David is usually at an AA meeting each evening, or we have plans. The meal is really good! Even the kids like it, even though we have to bribe Meredith to eat it.

5:40 PM // I serve dessert and then get Liam into the bath. Meredith does some math practice (she is supposed to do 15 minutes, four nights a week). Tonight she plays Pet Bingo on the iPad. I read while supervising Liam and then wash him off. Meanwhile David turned on Star Wars and falls asleep.

6:00 PM // I get Meredith into the shower, and Liam is just running around being crazy. I catch our cat River throwing up, so I have to clean that up. Meredith gave him a treat earlier and he has a sensitive stomach so I think that’s the reason. I spend some time on Voxer while I clean up the kitchen.

6:30 PM // Meredith is still in the shower, so I rest on my bed and do my Write the Word journal and read the day’s Magnificat. I wash Meredith’s hair and get her out of the shower (finally). The kids color for a little bit and I get myself ready for bed.

7:30 PM // It’s not that late but it feels like it because it’s been dark for awhile, so we get into bed and fall asleep quickly. I think we all needed the early night!

P.S. – Wednesday two years ago and three years ago.

5: 00 AM // My alarm goes off and I get up immediately. I have been restless for awhile because I have a headache, so it’s not hard. Although I try not to overmedicate myself, there are some headaches I just need help with so I take some ibuprofen. I know that if I sit down to do Bible reading right away I won’t be able to focus, so instead I make breakfast and coffee while listening to the pray-as-you-go podcast.

5:15 AM // I sit down to eat my breakfast and do my daily Bible reading and say a few prayers.

5:46 AM // Read a canto of Dante’s Inferno.

6:00 AM // I tidy up the kitchen and the kids come out. Liam starts coloring and Meredith cuddles with Ziggy on the couch. I give her some cereal and they choose to watch Goldie & Bear. Meanwhile I pack lunches and get myself dressed and ready.

6:35 AM // Back out in the kitchen, I make Liam toast and start the dishwasher. I get the kids dressed pretty quickly.

6:55 AM // Say goodbye to David, and the kids and I leave.

7:10 AM // Daycare dropoff is easy. Liam brought a coloring book with him so he gets right into that, and Meredith sits down to second breakfast. On my commute I listen to the Sorta Awesome podcast.

7:30 AM // Arrive at work. I’m much earlier than usual today, which is nice. I stop by the infusion center to say hi to Susan, but then I head up to the pre-op department where I am working today. Since the clinic doesn’t open until 8 AM, I chat with the other early nurse and check email.

8:15 AM // First patient is ready, and I take her back. The pre-op department involves updating all medical records in the computer system, signing consent forms, giving instructions, determining which tests or medical clearances are needed, and doing those tests or obtaining clearances from doctor’s offices. This first patient is healthy and it’s a low-risk surgery, so I don’t need anything additional.

8:45 AM // The patient leaves and I finish prepping the chart.

9:00 AM // It’s a slow morning in pre-op as well, so I have some time. I deal with some emails and pace around the unit.

10:20 AM // My coworker Susan in infusion needs some help, so I go downstairs. I pick up platelets for her, check chemo, and help prep some patients for blood transfusions.

11:00 AM // I’m back in pre-op and I take another patient. This case is similar to the one I did earlier, but I draw blood this time.

11:45 AM // Susan needs more help in infusion, so I go pick up blood and check it with her.

12:05 PM // Back in pre-op and I finish prepping my chart from my last patient.

12:20 PM // Eat lunch while reading my book. Another Lean Cuisine with a banana because I haven’t cooked yet this week.

1:05 PM // There are no patients, so I do a phone interview. These are for lower-risk surgeries who don’t need to come into the clinic for pre-op.

1:45 PM // I leave to go to a doctor’s appointment that is just down the road. I have to wait quite awhile to see her, which is really fine with me because it’s extra time to read. I finally see her and it only takes a few minutes to check in. This is my first follow-up appointment with the psychiatrist, from whom I’ve been prescribed anti-depressants six weeks ago. They are working wonderfully and I’m very pleased, so I will see her back in three months. On my way back to work I call my mom to see if she can pick up the kids from school, and she can.

3:05 PM // I’m back at work and there is a patient ready. I’m excited because it’s a patient I know from infusion who I used to give chemo to. I do her pre-op and we talk awhile too.

4:05 PM // The patient leaves and I finish up her chart.

4:20 PM // I leave work. Since my mom has picked up the kids and is taking them to her house for a bit, I go to Kroger, the closest grocery store. I pick up some things we need at home along with bread and fruit to take to small group tonight.

5:00 PM // At home I put away groceries, clean up, change clothes, and make a fruit salad.

5:30 PM // My mom arrives with the kids. Meredith again has a meltdown over having to do her homework. My mom helps me gets the kids fed (chicken nuggets for Liam and a sandwich for Meredith) while I clean the bathroom super quick.

6:00 PM // Our new babysitter Jennifer arrives. We made the decision to hire her for every Tuesday night while we go to small group because we need babysitting so often and we don’t want to burn out our families. She is awesome and a preschool teacher so it’s a natural fit. The kids are immediately well-behaved and barely look at me when I say goodbye.

6:30 PM // I arrive at the home of one of our small group members who has been hosting us. Her poor baby boy has just been throwing up but they let us all stay because he seems happy other than that. We spend about thirty minutes eating (usually the best meal I have every week) and socializing, then we do a Bible study. There are four couples total, and tonight we finished up studying the book of Ephesians.

8:10 PM // We get home and the kids are in their PJ’s and they all had a great time. Meredith even did some of her homework while we were gone! Jennifer leaves and I get myself ready for bed. Then I spend about ten minutes doing my Write the Word journal before gathering the kids for bed. Meredith wants to sleep with me again tonight which is fine.

8:47 PM // I sing “Down in the Valley” while rubbing Mereidth’s back, say prayers, and then lights out!

P.S. – Tuesday two years ago and three years ago.

Welcome to a week in my life! This is a yearly project that I haven’t done in two years (oops) and I’m excited to bring back. This is a fairly normal week for our family with a good mix of things going on. I am personally fascinated by other people’s day-to-day lives, so I hope you enjoy this peek into mine!

5:10 AM // I wanted to get up by myself, but Liam is awake too. We went to bed early last night because we had an exhausting weekend and the time just changed, so I’m not surprised that he’s up. We go sit in my chair and I begin my Bible reading. Since June I have been following a plan where I will read the Bible and the Catechism in a year, and I haven’t missed a day yet. Meanwhile Liam is cuddling with me and twisting my hair.

5:35 AM // Liam is starting to annoy me so I set him up in his high chair (we call it his “baby seat” which he still likes even though he is pretty much too big for it) with some cereal and I turn on Lego Spider-Man for him to watch. I finish my Bible reading.

5:50 AM // I make my breakfast, scrambled eggs with cheese, and coffee.

6:00 AM // Liam wants to color so I set him up at the table. I sit down with him and eat, while I read my daily recovery literature (from Courage to Change and The Language of Letting Go.)

6:10 AM // I leave Liam coloring and go back to my chair where I drink my coffee and start reading a canto from Dante’s Inferno which I am slowly working through.

6:25 AM // Meredith wakes up and both kids come climb on me. I can’t handle that for long so I set them up on the couch and get Meredith some cereal. She wants to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I finish reading.

6:35 AM // I get Meredith’s papers signed for school and then get myself ready for the day. I listen to the pray-as-you-go podcast.

6:50 AM // I get the kids dressed. Liam has begun to cry because they have swim lessons later and he is scared. He gets so mad at me about this that he hits me pretty hard on the back, and I have to put him in time out for awhile. While he is out of the way I pack Meredith’s and my lunches and load the car.

7:10 AM // We say goodbye to David, who is still sleeping, and the kids and I leave. On the way to school we talk about our plans for the afternoon and evening, and I try to convince Liam that he always has fun at swim lessons and he shouldn’t be scared.

7:20 AM // Despite being sad, Liam is calm at daycare dropoff. Meredith is happy. I brush her hair and she sits down to second breakfast. She takes a bus from daycare to school each morning. On my drive to work, I chat on Voxer. Today I talk to a group of Catholic friends, and my best friend Maggie who I usually check in with daily.

7:35 AM // I pull up at the hospital for work and head in. Today I’m working with Susan, and we don’t have a very busy day – only four patients planned. Since the clinic opens at 8, we chat and check email and set up.

8:00 AM // Our first two patients are here, so we bring them back and each take one. Mine is an easy maintenance chemo, so I spend about ten minutes checking vitals, getting the patient settled, accessing a port, and drawing blood. Then I go to the computer and document what I did, as well as check lab results and answer phone calls and handle some other admin tasks.

9:10 AM // Another patient arrives, so I get him settled as I did with the first. Finally my chemo is ready to be hung on my first patient, so I do that. Then I go back to document on my second patient and check for lab results. I also take a phone call and work on adding another patient to our schedule for today.

9:50 AM // My first patient is finished, so I discharge her. Then I go and administer premedications to my second patient.

10:10 AM // I have a small headache so I make coffee and have a snack.

10:35 AM // I hang chemo on my second patient. I take the rest of my break and drink coffee and read blogs.

12:10 PM // Quite a bit of time passes with not much to do. We are having a lot of slow days lately because of a change in doctors, and we are hoping that we will get busier again in January when our new doctor starts. Anyway, I pace around the unit some. Chat with Susan and an old coworker who stops by. A high school student comes to observe for an hour and I just give her materials to read over. Finally another patient arrives, who Susan takes care of. But I go to the blood bank to pick up a bag of platelets for her.

12:25 PM // Another patient is here, so I bring him back. We are prepping him for a blood transfusion for tomorrow, so I just draw a lab, go over instructions, and have him sign a consent form.

12:40 PM // My second patient’s first chemo is finished, so I switch him to his second bag. Then I clean rooms and document.

12:55 PM // Eat lunch. Today I just brought a Lean Cuisine and had a banana with it. I have a rule for myself that while I eat I only read, no checking my phone, so I read my book.

1:15 PM // Done eating, and I do a few tasks around the clinic like filling the coffee pot with water, returning some food trays to the cafeteria, and adding a patient to the schedule for tomorrow. Susan has finished up with her patients and now I’m just waiting for my chemo patient to finish. I take the opportunity to buy tickets to a holiday event I want to go to.

2:25 PM // My last remaining patient finishes, so I discharge him and wrap up my documentation.

2:40 PM // We are finished in clinic for the day, so I clock out. It’s nice to be able to leave early, but on the flip side I don’t get paid for the hours I don’t work. I leave and listen to the Sorta Awesome podcast while I drive. I try to get cash at the bank but the ATM is being serviced.

2:55 PM // I’m home. I change clothes and do the 7-minute workout. I still have a headache so I take Excedrin. I listen to my Voxes and send emails for Meredith’s school fundraiser. I also check out the parent checklist for the GT program at her school, but I decide it probably doesn’t apply to her.

3:45 PM // I pick up Meredith from school, which is only down the street. I can immediately tell she is in a bad mood. She is complaining that her lip hurts, so we stop by the house to get her an ice pack.

4:00 PM // We pick up Liam from daycare. He is grumpy because he doesn’t want to go to swim lessons. Our plans were to go to the library, but they are being so whiny that we almost don’t. But they pull it together.

4:15 PM // At the library the kids are pretty good. I read to Liam, and they pick out books. They get to pick out the same number as their age.

5:00 PM // We head home; it takes about twenty minutes because of school traffic. Meredith fell asleep in the car, and although I really wish we could get started on her homework I don’t feel like fighting that battle today when she is obviously so tired. I move her to the couch and let her nap. Liam and I eat leftovers for dinner. I spend some more time on Voxer while Liam plays around the house.

6:00 PM // I take a quick shower, then put on Liam’s swimsuit. But he is crying so much (and does every week) that I decide it isn’t worth it. I tell him that he doesn’t have to swim and he immediately calms down and happily cuddles with me.

6:30 PM // I wake up Meredith, make her a sandwich, and help her put on her swimsuit. We go to swim lessons and get there a little early. Meredith does great in her lesson and her coach tells me he will evaluate her next week to move her to the next level. While she is swimming I read and Liam plays in the kids’ area. Meredith changes into her PJ’s and gets a lollipop.

7:45 PM // We are back home and David is here. He stayed late after work to go to an AA meeting. The kids cuddle on the couch with him and keep watching Star Wars. I go in my room by myself, do my Write the Word journal and make my to-do list for the next day.

8:15 PM // I round up the kids. Meredith is transitioning to sleeping in her own bed, so I take her to her bunk and sing her songs and rub her back. But then she decides she wants to sleep with me after all.

8:30 PM // We are all in bed and lights out.

P.S. – Monday two years ago and three years ago.