Yep, this is just an average day in the life of a parent…
5.15am: I spend 10 minutes mentally running through the day ahead. Philip and Caterina need sports uniforms today, but not Giovanni. Where did I put his tie? Task 1: Planning.
5.30am: I swing my legs out of bed and flick on the heater in the hall to warm up the house before the kids wake up. That’s Task 2, quickly followed by Tasks 3, 4 and 5 when I plug their iPods into chargers.
I iron Giovanni’s shirt and lay out uniforms, shoes, socks and undies. I make coffee and start unpacking, then repacking their school bags. Rubbish comes out, I fill up their water bottles, add fruit to brown bags and pack lunches which have been made the night before. Oh, and I check my emails and messages while I use the toilet.
Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by the Australian Government Department of Human Services, but all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.
6am: Coffee in hand, I turn the shower on and call out for Philip who stumbles in. Task 32, completed at 6am.
I have just enough time to post some story ideas for work, feed the dog and quickly edit an article I need to send in as all three kids use the toilet and have showers.
Then, breakfast.
8am: Time to drive the kids to school.
Back home and I need a quick jog to settle my nerves. I take the puppy, Sadie. I put on a load of laundry before I go. Task 44.
8.20am: I arrive home and hang up the laundry before I step into a soothing shower. I make my breakfast and a coffee to replace the one I lost earlier that day and sit down at my computer to get to work. I have one and a half hours before I have to leave for a parent-only appointment for my son – I’d better pay for that. A quick visit to online banking and task 46 is done.