We've fallen into a pretty nice routine around here :) Thinking back over the past months we've had sooo many transitions (some kind of HUGE change every month or two around our house!)... Gary as stay-at-home dad, Gary starting his new job in Cincinnati and Alex in daycare, me on maternity leave and Alex back at home, new baby, finding out about the new job/move, moving, settling into a new home... and now finally, 2 months after being here, I'm starting to feel a bit more settled and starting to feel like Nathan is a bit older and we're all falling into a nice routine/schedule :) With (hopefully!) no more surprises/huge changes for a while, I feel like we can get into a good routine and stick to it for a while!! I really like to have a predictable routine... I think it helps the kids, as well as helps me to get everything done and feel productive! Our typical day goes like this:
5:30 Wake up call! (with me usually hitting snooze a couple of times :) )
6:15-7:30 Pack Gary's lunch, empty dishwasher, nurse, coffee/news, morning devotionals, and put Nathan down for his first nap of the day after he's been up about an hour (usually his first nap is about 45 minutes long or so)
7:30-9:30 Alex gets up and watches a morning cartoon while I check e-mail/facebook/blog and snuggle with him on the couch! Then we eat breakfast and Nathan usually wakes up and the kids get baths (if it is a bath day) and I get them dressed for the day. I also take my shower/get ready while Nathan is in his bouncy seat and Alex has some "room time" (some independent play time in his room). He's usually in his room 30-45 minutes.
9:30-12:30 We usually venture out in the mornings 3 days a week or so (Bible study, play group, errands, library, park, etc.) This is our biggest chunk of time between feedings/nap (Nathan often takes a 30 minute cat nap... or two... while we're out) On days that we're home we spend this time playing and I catch up on laundry/clean the apartment as well :)
12:30-1:30 Nurse, lunch, nap time routine, both boys down for naps at 1:30ish
1:30-4:00 Naptime for the kids (I'm trying to get this to be a consistent naptime for Nathan... he goes in his pack and play each day at this time and is usually in there for at least 40 minutes... then sometimes he wakes up and I try to get him back down, some days he sleeps an hour and a half or two hours, and other days we snuggle the rest of his "nap time" and fall asleep together.) I try to do some kind of work out during this time (workout video or wii fit), do chores and such, and spend a little time relaxing/resting (especially on nights where I'm up through the night!)
4:00-6:00 Alex gets up and watches a cartoon, we play, we clean up from our day, and I make dinner.
6:00-7:30 Dinner, nurse, and family time. Depending on Nathan's afternoon nap, he sometimes takes a 30 minute cat nap around 6:15
7:30-8:00 Nathan nurses and goes to bed around 7:30 and Alex gets his PJs on and does his bedtime routine and is in bed at 8:00
8:00-10:00 Relax with the hubby :) (or catch up on anything that needs done that I couldn't get done throughout the day!)
One thing that I've noticed about being home all the time is that even though there is more time to do housework, there is also a lot more housework to be done! haha. We make more messes... even right after I clean, I feel like it's messy again! I think some of this is apartment living as well... with a smaller space, just a few things out of place means the apartment looks cluttered! I don't worry about a few toys being out or whatever, but there also isn't as much room to play if things aren't picked up! The main room that I really HAVE to have cleaned up is the kitchen! I can't stand a messy kitchen!
So, if you're wondering what stay-at-home moms do all day... that's pretty much it! Throw in about 10 diaper changes a day between the two kids, an extra outfit change for Nathan (he somehow manages to demand a new set of clothes at some point each day! haha!), 7 nursing sessions a day (every 3 hours and then right before bed and usually once through the night still), lots of snuggles, hugs, giggles, and "let's play mommy!"s and there you have it! Our days are busy, full, and lots of fun! :)
I'm starting to get involved in a few things too! We decided on a church this past week, which I'm really excited about! It reminds me a lot of our old church, but it is still hard not to compare. I know, with time, this will feel like OUR church... but right now, it's really just the "church we've decided to start going to". I joined a morning Bible study though and went for the first time this morning! It was a great study and fun to get out and have some other women to talk to... and Alex LOVED getting to play with friends for a couple of hours! I think it's really good, and important, for the boys to spend some time in the care of another adult on a regular basis too. Learning to respect and listen to their teachers and learning how to be away from mommy and not have me there to depend on constantly is really good for them. Of course, it's also great for them to play with the other kids and have a focused Bible lesson a couple of times a week too :) Other than that, I've also joined a playgroup I found online and we've been going to their events 1-2 times each week. There are a lot of moms in the group and it's not the same ones at each event, so I don't feel like I've really gotten to know anyone too well yet. We've done some fun things though! We've gone to a gym play date, an in-home play date, a park play date, and a "crafty" playdate with them so far. It has helped me get to know the area a bit better and learn about some of the parks and things to do around here, which has been a great perk :)
I think we've made some good progress in settling in here over the past few weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing what the next months bring in terms of new relationships and friendships!
