Saturday, May 7, 2011

A Typical Day...

I don't really know what qualifies as a typical day these days cos it can change... but for now this is how a typical work day for me is like.

I've to be up by 6 a.m. And it's straight to the kitchen from the bed. My kitchen will be abuzz with activity once the light comes on. Depending on the menu of the day, there'll usually be either some blending, steaming, frying or boiling. I've 40 minutes to finish preparing breakfast, then pack them for my kids. Cups of drinks (they're usually Milo with milk, or just plain milk or freshly blended juice) will be there for everyone to gulp down before they leave home.

Then the washing and clearing up... so that I'd not get overly 'mang-chan' when I get home from work later. Coming home to a messed up can be a rather stressful event. Once that's done, a quick shower (real quickie) and then change into my work clothes. No time for all those make up thingy. Then I'd lug my bags into my car.... and if I can steal some more time, water my plants before I leave the house. My keladi plant is thriving and needs to drink a lot.. 8) And while I am at it, might as well do the rest of the plants too. But I am glad for the water timer that Other Half has fixed up. It at least keeps the plants watered on those really harried days.

Then it's off to work. Work used to be therapeutic... I get out of the house, meet friends but lately there are lots of things that defy sensibilities. Sometimes I wonder whether I should be a stay-at-home mom, maybe there won't be all these mad rushes. But I enjoy my financial independence too....

Once I get back from work, it's back to the grind of housework. Dinners (thank God for the catered food on certain days), clothes to hang (and fold sometimes), plants to water, cleaning up.... the same mundane tasks cos I can never win this battle against the dust (and cobwebs).

Nights.... nights are mostly occupied. Lessons, sit downs with my gal, badminton (yay! I still have my own night out) and sometimes dinner with friends. Kids cannot be left alone to do their own work while they are still marginal people. Even those coming out from the marginal world still requires lots of reminders...

Weekends (and holidays) mean I'll have more time to potter around and do my stuff. And that's when I do my grocery shopping. Free time is a luxury. I do have free time but most of the time, I don't feel like going out after work...

But I am thankful for my day help who comes in and do the general cleaning, and also all those household gadgets that make my life more manageable... robot vacuum cleaner, washing machine (I don't know what I'd do without it), water boiler with timer, pressure pump, etc, etc. They make my work less strenuous... I've been watching my friends and neighbours with maids... notice that many of them hand wash their clothes and I wonder why they don't use the washing machine.

When I first got married, life was harried but not as harried as today. Maybe in a decade or so, a typical day might one that involves us just cruising along slowly....

A time for everything... and this happens to be a busier juncture.

2 comments:

Thomas C B Chua said...

AJ7, after reading all your chores, routines, work etc etc etc, my final diagnosis is that "You are alive and well." So, stop fretting. You are on the right track.

AJ7 said...

Nah! I am not fretting.... just putting it down for records. Who knows! A couple of years down the road, I might look back and reminisce and actually miss this mad routine! I happen to think that it's better to be busy than have nothing to do..... I hope when this phase is over, I will continue to be able to fill my time with other things... and that they will keep me busy too. 8)

Broken?

Education in doldrums... An already broken education system given a really hard whack by Covid-19.  I used to read about pandemics, that a b...