What is the your routine when you first walk in the door?
I set down all my crap, empty my pockets into a little dish I have for that purpose, and head to the bedroom. Then I strip, (gotta get that bra off!) remove my jewelry, go pee, and put on loose shorts and a ratty tee.
Pretty much the exact same thing, except I’m a guy so I don’t wear a bra (or jewelry, for that matter). But otherwise, identical procedure.
I come in, drop my purse, briefcase and, if I have any that day, shopping bags on the chair across from the door (we call it the golden chair–don’t ask), hug and kiss the babies (except for the ten year old–he gets a ‘hey, buddy’ and friendly pat on the back), kiss the hubby, kick off my heels and take a load off for a few minutes.
Ah, but I must ask!
(I forgot about the kiss hubby part. I do that too. And pet the dog’s belly for a sec. Then off with the bra! I hate it.)
I’m first greeted by butt-shaking dog. I drop my purse and whatever other junk I’ve got on me on the entryway bench, put leash on butt-shaking dog, catch a few licks to the hand, and head outside. Put dog on chain, give him some ear scritches, come back inside. Pick up purse, move to dining room table. Head to bathroom. While I’m peeing, I’m greeted by one to three cats. I’m expected to pet all of them while I’m peeing. After that I strip down and put on something comfortable—shorts and a T-shirt in the summer, sweat pants and sweatshirt in winter. And yes, definitely gotta get that bra off!
I get off the train, into my car, and drive to the barn. I feed my horses late supper, check their water, turn them out for the night unless the weather’s bad. Then drive home.
I come in from the garage to the basement mudroom, kick off my shoes, go upstairs, say hello to Eddy, who’s waiting at the top. Talk to the hungry swarming felinity. Check my answering machine for messages. Go to the kitchen/dining area, put my backpack on a chair, wash my hands, feed the cats.
Go pee. Unpack my backpack. Take work and other office stuff upstairs to the workroom, and check for email/message board new posts. Eat supper.
Keys go on the bookshelf, the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. If the keys don’t go to the key place immediately, I can plan on spending 20 minutes the next time I leave the house saying “hey, what happened to my keys?” as I turn the place upside down while looking for them.
Next, bathroom stop. This coincides with greeting the cat, for some reason he likes to hang out in the bathroom, and it doesn’t bother me to have the cat in the room while I am, you know, doing bathroom things. Mr. Del thinks this is the height of gross.
Finally, change clothes into something more comfortable.
Man, and here I was thinking I was going to freak people out by reporting that I greet the cat and pee at the same time! I’m impressed you manage three cats in the bathroom.
Since you guys have admiited it, I do my main greeting of the dog when he follows me into the bathroom. He puts his front legs up across my lap to get his back and butt scratched while I’m peeing.
(How embarassing. But we’re among friends, right?)
I hug my boy and greet my wife and baby, then change into something casual.
I put my keychain (which is huge - I have three sets of car keys, two remote door-opening fobs, house keys, a little Swiss Army Knife, and one of those secret random code generators you use to log into a remote computer system) on a little shelf with assorted other junk. I wanted to clean up that area, so I bought a key hook. But then I didn’t want to install the key hook near the shelf, because it was kind of unsightly. Like an idiot, I installed it in the kitchen, which is way out of the way of my entry path. So I never use it, and my keys still go on the same old shelf.
Open the door
Drop my bag in box beside door
Scoop up escaping cat
Close the door
Snuggle cat as I walk into bedroom
Deposit cat on top of armoire and give a treat
Get naked
Pee - pet other grumpy cats who missed treats
Give all cats treats
Take afternoon meds
Dodge cat scampering ahead of me into kitchen
Start supper
It happens when I come home for lunch, too. If I get up to go during the night, I’m usually greeted by one cat. In our house, going potty in front of each other is no big. We all do it. I didn’t think it was anything to be embarrassed about until you guys were embarrassed to admit to it. Chicken butts.
When we moved into our new house, I bought a pier cabinet to go inside the hallway by the front door, specifically so we would have a place to put keys! Mr. SCL had a wicker basket and I have a glass elephant.
One thing it took some “getting used to” when we moved was being able to do bathroom things in privacy! With all the cats in the “cat suite” I don’t have a tail-deprived black cat in my lap while peeing or a Siamese lecturing me while I’m in the bath!
The cat suite is where I go when I first get home and drop the keys in the elephant.
Check mail.
Open door.
Drop keys, thermos, and purse on table by door.
Remove pants if they are dark.
Drape pants over least furry chair.
Pee. Whilest peeing greet three cats and turn on faucet for them.
Let dog out of cage, praise wildly if she hasn’t whined yet.
If pants are on, let dog outside, if pants are off, let Bird Man do it when he comes home.
Take pants to bedroom, change into jeans or pajama pants, or just be pantless if its too warm. Change shirt if nessesary.
If let dog out, let her back in.
Bask in glow of animal love for a few minutes until Bird Man gets home, then leap onto the computer before he claims it for the night.
I walk in, scritch the cat that’s waiting by the door, and dump my purse on the dining room table. I yell “Hello!” to the kids in the basement, then, probably, “Get up here and clean up your mess in the kitchen!”. I kick off my shoes and sort through the mail for interesting stuff. Then it varies by whatever I’m doing next - change to go for a walk, grab a book and curl up in a comfie chair, head out to drop a kid somewhere, whatever.
Ditto, only then I take a nap.
Walk in the door, calm the cats that think they’re going to be fed immdiately.
Bring in the mail, check for junk, open mine, leave the rest on the table for whoever to open.
Drop backpack, go pee.
Tell cats to shut up once again.
If necessary, start some laundry.
Change to go workout.
Decide that feeding the cats is less trouble than constantly shushing at them.
Go workout.
Come home (again)
Check mail.
Open door and check messages.
Drop jacket/purse/umbrella combination on the chair nearest the door.
Kick off shoes.
Try valiantly not to trip over a cat.
Pee.
Pet cats while peeing. My cats are never so eager for love as when someone is sitting on the pot. Or eating. God forbid you should actually shut the door all the way so that they can’t come in while you pee. This is an occasion for endless pathetic crying.
Strip outerwear.
Put on comfy house clothes (boxers and a fairly disreputable shirt).
Plop on the couch or pester the SO as he attempts to watch Monster Garage.
Start dinner.
After this there’s no one set routine - it varies from day to day.
Carry in groceries and random crap from car, while corraling my kiddo into the apartment.
Check caller id.
Get food out to make dinner.
Go to bathroom.
Start dinner.
Take shower (if I have worked out).
Give kiddo a bath.
Eat dinner in front of television.
Read magazine, book, or whatever.
Talk on phone throughout.
SO gets there.
Watch DVD or something.
Go to bed.
Close front door
Hang keys and purse on hook on wall behind door. (Hang jacket/scarf also if winter)
Drop all other baggage on dining room table.
Call out “Hey babies” or other such endearments to the rats in their cage as walking past bedroom to get to bathroom.
Pee. (And I’m amused by how this is a step for almost all of us.)
Switch on home computer, pull down email. Play games at neopets for a little while. (Usually “Freaky Factory” or “Destruct-o-match II”)
from there it varies depending on day, and what else needs to be done around the house.