Topic Tuesday: What is your daily routine?

We start most days at 7am. Bentley wakes up, I nurse him and then we spend the morning playing on the floor, reading books and just hanging out. I usually try to throw a load of laundry in during this time as well. Thanks to Hannah we also started doing 5 minutes of room time. So far that five minutes consists of him screaming in his room and me sitting by the door where he can't see me:(.  Between 8:30 and 9 he goes down for a nap. His first nap allows me to take a shower pick up the house, change over the laundry and that sort of thing. He wakes up around 10, 10:30 and has a snack (mango, Avocado, banana, something of that nature) This next chunk of time we usually go out. If we need to run any errands, visit any friends, or go to the park this is the time. He goes down for his next nap around 1. Now this nap is my time! I will spend it taking a nap myself, watching a show, or messing around on the computer. Bentley wakes up around 2:30 and we go for a walk, play outside, or play with toys inside. Throughout the day I try to get some cleaning in while he plays near by. His last nap of the day is around 4:30. During this nap I get dinner started and pick up toys that have been left out or whatever else needs done. He is up around 5:30 and hopefully Ryan is on his way home. We eat dinner and the three of us go for a walk. When we get home we start our bedtime routine: bath, nurse, story, and in bed by 7. Now we do have 3 different routines because Ryan works 3 different shifts. Not a whole lot changes but the days that Ryan doesn't go to work until 2pm we might do something more fun in the morning as a family.

So... I have a slightly different routine every day of the week because of my work schedule. But my routine on Monday/Wednesday is similar since I work in the morning and Tuesday/Thursday is similar since I work in the afternoon/early evening. Saturday is the day I do most of the cleaning and catch up on things around the house (unless it is my Saturday to work all day, which happens every 4 weeks). Sundays we go to church and spend time together as a family. Also, my girls come to work with me (we live at the place I work so half the time they are in the house napping or playing -super convenient). So anyways, this is what a typical Tuesday/Thursday looks like for me: 6am the baby wakes up and I bring her to my bed to snuggle and nurse and we both fall back asleep until around 7:30 when my other daughter comes in to announce she needs more cereal (my hubby is up when she gets up around 7 but then he leaves for work or school usually). We all do breakfast (baby gets some solids) and we get ready for the day. My oldest does her morning routine with an hour of roomtime at the end. Her roomtime usually coincides with the baby’s' nap at 9 so I have a little time to myself to finish getting ready for the day or do whatever I need to do around the house. The baby is up around 10:30 and I nurse her and then give her solids when we eat lunch around 11. We usually go out in the morning and do errands or meet a friend for a play date. If we go out early I will have the baby take her nap in the car seat. We are usually home by 12:15/12:30 for the baby to go down for her second nap and then I will play with my oldest/do things around the house/go to work. My oldest goes down for her nap at 2pm and we read a few books beforehand. The baby is up around 2:30 and I nurse her and then my oldest is up at 4 and she has a snack. If I am not working we do a learning activity or just play for a while. Or if I am working I will set my oldest up doing an independent craft (playdough, coloring, etc.) in the office by me. The baby will nurse again around 5:30 then go down for a short 45 min nap (she sometimes skips this nap though if her other ones have gone well during the day). I then make dinner and we eat around 6/6:30 (the baby gets some solids here too). We then clean up the kitchen and do a "main area" house clean up and my daughter starts her bedtime routine. Then we will do baths (every other night typically) or we will play in the backyard for a little bit if we have time. At 7:30 I usually put on a short show for my oldest (unless my husband is home) while I nurse the baby and put her to bed. I then hang out with my oldest for a little bit and finish getting her ready for bed and read some books before tucking her in around 8:30pm. The next two hours I have to myself to do whatever (blog, edit pictures, read, watch a movie while folding laundry of course, etc.). Or I hang out with my husband if he is home early enough (three or four days a week he will be at work until 10pm or so but he does come home throughout the day between work/school). I do a dreamfeed (meaning the baby nurses but she is half awake) at 10:30/11pm and then go to sleep! 

 

Our routine is fairly consistent each day. Our morning starts between 7 and 7:30 when Lewis wakes up. I nurse him and then we head down stairs for some breakfast. Breakfast is generally a leisurely affair. We eat slowly and relax. After breakfast we play in Lewis's room and I get him dressed and ready for the day. I generally try to get in a little exercise in the morning like a walk or run with the stroller. Around 9 or 9:30 Lewis goes down for a 45 minute nap (he is transitioning out of his morning nap) during which I jump in the shower and clean up our breakfast mess. After Lewis wakes up he eats a snack and then we usually run errands, grocery shop, or meet up with friends. I like to do one big activity per day just to get out of the house and mix things up a little. After our errands we come home and I fix us lunch and then we play some more (outside if it is sunny and inside if not) before Lewis's afternoon nap. His afternoon nap is usually around 2 or 2.5 hours long right now so I generally use the time to clean (a never ending endeavor), watch a show, read, or nap :) I need this time to re-energize each day and savor every minute. When Lewis wakes up from his nap he eats another little snack and then we go to the park or walk down the street to the mail box. After that Lewis plays in the living room/kitchen while I get dinner together. This can be tricky because he is usually a little fussy during this time of day and sometimes its hard to keep him occupied. When Jeff gets home from work we eat, he gives Lewis his bath while I clean up the kitchen, and then its bed time for Lew around 7:30/ 8