Daily Routine With Kids

Before kids I was always up before the sunset and would have my to-do list done by the afternoon, now I’m lucky if I get to shower!  Fast forward a few years and my time is consumed by my 1 year old son and 1 month old daughter.  Its no longer about me, or only my husband, and getting my daily routine completed on my own time.  Now my days are compiled with diaper changes, feedings (pumping breast milk and bottle feeding it to my daughter), running after my toddler, and rocking a baby to sleep at all hours of the day and night.   The daily routine I once had known has changed from an attitude of”on time” to “it’ll get done when it gets done”, but that’s okay!  I love my crazy, chaotic lifestyle, even if that means a messy house and messy faces running around naked (true story on multiple occasions!).

I’ve attempted at having a daily routine go as scheduled while having two kids under the age of 2 within this past month, but that is not happening anytime soon in this household!  I’ve realized after becoming a mother to two that there are days where nearly everything gets done in a timely manner with only a few things that got left undone, and then there are days where absolutely nothing gets done, and I’m lucky that I haven’t pulled out all of my hair with a fewer than less empty tear ducts following shortly behind.

But I have found out that if I wake up an hour before both kids are awake that I feel more refreshed and put together throughout the craziness of it all.  That typically means getting out of bed at 5:30-6:00 AM, or sooner depending on the baby’s waking hour to eat/snuggle, but I’ve found that if I sleep in until 6:30-7:00 AM I fall behind on the morning routine and I lose my patience far too fast, and nothing gets done throughout the day.

I think I would rather lose an hour of sleep in the morning than have a household that doesn’t run somewhat smoothly.  So on a typical day, my mommy routine looks as follows:

5:30 AM-wake up, watch news while pumping, drink coffee, let dogs out

6:00-baby wakes up: feed and change her

6:30/7:00- second cup of coffee (much needed!), toddler wakes up: feed and change him

7:30- smoothie time for mommy!, pump (again!)

9:00-snack time, pump (again!)

11:00-pump (again!), lunch

12/1:00 PM-nap time for toddler (very rarely will the baby be asleep at the same time!), pump (again!)

2:00-toddler wakes up, snack time

2:30-start dinner

3:00-pump (again!)

3:30/4:00-husband gets home, dinner, wash dishes

5:00-pump (again!)

7:00- pump (again!), close up shop (close blinds/curtains, clean up kids toys), get both kids ready for bed

8:00-toddler in bed (yay!)

9:00-pump (again!), mommy bed time(double yay!-unless baby stays up longer)

11:00-wake up and pump (ugh!)–won’t do again until 3 AM (moms need their sleep too!)

I’ve also kept at a cleaning schedule to keep the semi-cleanliness look achievable::

Tuesday-sweep, wash clothes

Wednesday-vacuum, wash towels and sheets

Friday-wash clothes

Saturday-deep clean the house (vacuum, dust, sweep, mop, clean bathrooms)

So as you can see my day is filled up!  Some days I’ll hand off both kids to my husband around 6PM and I’ll take an hour nap, while some days I’ll walk around like a zombie mom running on “E”.

Obviously I don’t want to seem like the “all-together, Pinterest perfect mother”, so I will admit 9 out of 10 times my day will not go according to schedule, in fact just last weekend the house did not get clean (gasp!), but I do try to the best of my ability to get it all done.

While this may all seem crazy to you with all the scheduling, it really works for my family.  We even have Sunday “Family Day” where we do absolutely nothing, except lay around the house in our pj’s all day (unless we decide to go to the farmer’s market and the park).  The only thing I do is menu plan our dinners for the week, which trust me helps us out tremendously throughout the week!

What do you do to help keep your family and household together?

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Juggeling Life

I’m exhausted, and I mean all the time.  Between being a full time online student, a SAHM to my 8 month old, a homemaker, and a wife, I clearly am stunned at the amount of time spent doing for others and the household over any sort of ‘me’ time. And to top it off I may take on a part time job in the evening hours to help out with the finances.  I’m so overwhelmed as it is at home, I have no idea what I was thinking while filling out the application.  I imagine our low finances was at the top of my mind at the time, but all I can think about now is leaving my baby at home with his Da-Da for a few hours out of the week.  I can’t even go to the corner store without wanting to have him tag along with me.  I love him so much, and for me possibly getting this job breaks my heart into a million pieces.

I always dreamed of being a SAHM, and when that dream finally happened last December I was overwhelmed with love and joy.  By the time my son was two weeks old I was consumed with pumping my breast milk, feedings, changing diapers and outfits, laundry, housework, and schoolwork.  I knew I could juggle it all, but I didn’t know how exhausted I would be.  I knew I would lose me time, quality time with my husband, and any socialization outside of my little bundle of joy, but never did I pout in despair. I was happy, and in love once again.

Even eight months later I am overjoyed with my little family. I love my chaotic life that I juggle from 6AM-11PM, of course this doesn’t include the occasional whimpers in the night from my little man to want a cuddle squeezed in before he nuzzles off to slumber-land again.

Of course there are some days that are harder than others.  There are days where the dishes lay dirty in the sink, laundry is piled up clean, yet unfolded on the couch, and I’m still in my pajamas at 3’oclock in the evening. But the way I look at it is; if my homework is done, my baby is taken care of, and my hair is still intact, I’m doing a damn good job!

There are even days where it seems the cat, the dog, and my son work hand in hand to make my life even more crazy, but that’s okay.  I easily laugh off the house when it is in messy mode.  My house is meant to be lived in, not be a model of perfection.

I am blessed to have a husband who understands that he may not come home to a house clean and tidy, or that my hair is in knots with a screaming hyper baby attached to my hip.

Juggling life is not easy, and I’m okay with that.