Growing up in a very small town with 3 much older siblings, safety wasn't my…
What does a day in my life look like? I think the better question is what doesn’t it look like? On any given day – like most parents – I wear more hats than a milliner’s dream customer. Chauffeur, chef, general manager, accountant, freelance writer, dishwasher, comforter, singer, children’s entertainer, protector, volunteer, marketer, friend, wife, sister, daughter and most recently blogger. Since I am not gifted in the art of juggling, I would say that the common theme running through my life is balance. I balance work life and home life, time with my children and my hubby, play time and rest, my bank accounts and my daughters wobbly attempts to walk.
Our daily routine is definitely a balancing act, a veritable tightrope of time that can take a huge tumble with one little slip. Given that my hubby works midnights, we need to run like a well oiled machine to get everything done. An ideal day has my 4.5 year old up at 7, and my 7.5 month old sleeping in until 7:30 so I can get breakfast and lunch made for the older one, and maybe even a coffee for myself. A typical day however, has both kids up at 6:15 and me pulling out my hair to get everything done in time. Hubby comes home in time to take Adri to kindergarten and I get Aven fed. We have some playtime at home and then she is down for her nap 2-3 hours from when she wakes up. This is when I decide if I will a) work, b) blog or c) catch up on the latest episode of the Blacklist. In an ideal world, Aven will sleep for 2 hours and I will be energized from the break and ready to have a ton of fun. In reality, she can nap anywhere from 20 minutes to 2.5 hours with no way to predict which it will swing. The only pattern I can discern is that the length of nap time is inversely proportional to the length of my to do list.
Once she is awake, our afternoons vary. If its a beautiful day, we may go for a walk to the park and do some swinging. We may go to our Gymboree classes or playtime or have a playdate with a friend. On the other hand, I may drag her along to a meeting, workshop or other work related event. This usually means one or more meals and naps in the car seat as we navigate to and from events and often swinging by to pick up big sister along the way. After a bit of fun on the playground its back home to wake up Daddy. Then a few afternoons a week it’s work time for Mommy, followed by dinner, bath and bed. An average person’s day would end there, however I have a 7 month old who only sleeps for 2-3 hours at a time so its cuddling and feeding all night long – rinse, lather, repeat.
Given the helter-skelter nature of our days (and nights), I’m always envious of families who have a neatly scheduled, predictable daily routine. Since I wasn’t that way before kids, I have an inkling that there is not much hope with 2 munchkins thrown in the mix. However, when the stars align, the universe is in balance and hubby and I can sneak a mid day date while one child is napping and one is at school, or wake up with happy, snuggling kids at a reasonable time of day, it makes walking the crazy tightrope of our unusual schedule totally worth it!
This post is part of a blog train including 16 amazing bloggers from the West Coast Parent Bloggers group. Check out the other posts below!
Oh you bloggers with babies! I dont know how I did it when mine were little ~ lots of coffee???? TFS! xo
Haha, yes lots of coffee, lots of middle of the night posts from my iPhone and lots of help from hubby!!
When my husband and I got together, my punctuality took a hit as did my scheduling. I’m thankful to say that those traits have resurfaced (after almost 2 years floundering as a sahm). However, I really admire the ability to roll with the punches because my ideas of scheduling and promptness often lead to frustration.
I’m not sure how much I “roll” and how much I trip over myself (and others), but when it actually does work, its awesome!! Maybe someday when kids are bigger I’ll have a schedule again 🙂
I’m so glad you joined in Heather, I love reading about all the parent bloggers, especially the ones with toddlers and infants because I can so relate to the lack of sleep. And don’t even get me started on naptimes – I think your science is right about the correlation of the to-do list.
Thanks! It’s been a great experience and I’m learning so much. Lack of sleep is tough, but hoping it will turn around soon 🙂
They DO look cute when they are sleeping 🙂
There are lots of bloggers with babies in our linkup and I’m just in awe of how y’all do it… my kids are all grown up and some days I’m still trying to find the right balance…
I’m in awe of anyone who has kids of any age AND animals. I’m sure when my kids are a bit bigger there will still be any number of things to occupy my time. Maybe my house will not be the permanent disaster area that it currently is. Or maybe I’ll shower everyday…..
My baby’s only sleeping a few hours at a time at night too, it sure is exhausting, isn’t it? Plus we just got 2 new kittens and they run around all night long and attack our feet. Thank goodness for coffee!!
Yes it sure is exhausting! I’ve always wanted to introduce animals into our family but I just can’t imagine one more thing needing me so much! lol
OMG. I am in awe of your lexicon girl! I am still trying to write in coherent sentences most days 🙂
Aww thanks. I honestly don’t know where it comes from. One of the few things that it seems I can do an ok job of on no sleep. Maybe it actually benefits having no sleep and once I start sleeping again it will disappear (lol)
I really enjoyed reading about your day Heather. It seems like parent’s of little ones can make things work, with little sleep or no sleep. You seem to have a very happy family and that’s the important thing!
Thanks Salma! You do what you gotta do its true.
I can totally understand! My 8-month-old is currently down for her nap but it’s also completely unpredictable (I’m enjoying every minute she keeps sleeping!). Our routine also revolves around my older girls’ school schedule and mornings are helter-skelter. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Yes, I swear having a child in kindergarten is a full time job in and of itself!!
You are surviving beautifully with WAY less sleep than I do and I am a stumbling idiot. Bravo to you!
Surviving, perhaps. Beautifully, not a chance. Just ask my poor hubby whose head I routinely bite off. Or my doc who had me in floods with the mention of sleep training. If I didn’t have a 5 year old sleeping champ to show me the light at the end of the tunnel I’m quite sure I would have moved out long ago 😉 but I appreciate the kind words!
Yes, we do live the same life. Let’s get together and commiserate.
Ha! I’m glad I’m not the only one. Yes commiserate over a bottle of wine perhaps?
Definitely!