mama confessions: another day in the life

Sometimes Hubby will joke around with me and ask, 

"What do you do all day?"  

{at least I think he is joking}

Well, babe, this one's for you...

6am - Mama up.  First and foremost, coffee must be made.  I blog and check FB and email, plan my day in my trusty planner, or sometimes scrap all that and head to an early class at the gym.

7am - Baby up.  Change diaper, hang out with Dada, walk the dog and have some outside time.

7:30am - Bottle. 

8:00am - Breakfast for mama and baby!  We eat together most always.  We eat the same things, for convenience sake.  Fruit, toast, yogurt, hot cereal are typical.  

  Then I clean up the kitchen while he bangs around on the kitchen floor with whatever crap I hand him.  Kid-friendly crap, of course.

8:30am - Cleaning time...meaning I quickly do that day's "special cleaning task" {ie bathrooms or mirrors/windows or vacuuming, or whatever it is} while baby hangs out with me playing with toys or being entertained by me.  Multi-tasking - this is a skill that mamas quickly master.

Also, patience -- because everything takes ten times longer to accomplish.

I do as much as I can in these 15-20 minutes.

I'm glad I have a fairly small home to clean.

8:45am - Playtime in nursery.  Now is when we wind down for the first nap.  We have a lot of fun.   I find I really love to play around with him - particularly physical, rough-and-tumble play.
Which works well as a 'boy mama.' 

9:00am - Nap #1 - which lasts anywhere from 1 - 2 hours.  While he sleeps I use the time to do all the dishes, start the laundry if necessary, and wipe down the kitchen.  Then, if I still have time,  I can blog, exercise, or work on projects I'm doing around the house.

10:30 - Baby wakes up.  After a diaper change and some play time we haul out the jogging stroller and do a 3 mile run together.   Or we'll go to the gym and he'll play in the playroom and I'll do yoga or spinning or strength-training for an hour.  Then we do our cool down, meaning baby plays with toys in the room with me while I quickly shower and get dressed.

11:30 - Bottle.

12:00 - Lunch for Mama and Baby!   We'll have anything from whole wheat bread and avocado to a chicken and cheese quesadilla to mac n cheese.  I always include a fruit/veggie, bread, and dairy item.  Sometimes meat.  Yes, he eats whatever I prepare.  If he won't eat any, then he just doesn't eat.   No, I don't buy all organic.  Yes, I will sometimes give him a bit of cookie.  Not trying to win any "mama of the year" awards, clearly.

That being said, mealtime is really fun!

It also helps that I eat with him so that I don't get really hungry when he is napping and eat a whole bag of Oreos.  Seriously helps portion control!  

12:30 - Playtime!  Usually in nursery.  It's a fun room to hang out in, and most of his toys are there.  I don't keep toys in every room...less for me to pick up.

And this kid will make a serious mess.
This is what happens when we hang out in the office.
Every time.

1:00pm - Nap #2.  This nap is becoming shorter so I am thinking he is going to end up as a morning napper.  Anyway, during this hour or so I will sometimes relax, read a book, or occasionally nap.  Sometimes I'll blog.  Maybe fold laundry.  

2:30pm - 5:30pm - Baby is up and after a diaper change and some play time we gear up for any planned outings. Short shopping trips, play dates, or gardening are usual romps.  Sometimes we won't go anywhere, but if we went to the gym in the morning that day we will do our 3 mile run during this time.  Also, this is when I finish all the laundry if it was a laundry day.  We'll both have a snack around 3pm.

5:30 - Bottle.

6:00pm - Dinner for Baby!  This meal I don't eat with him, although I may snag a few bites while I feed him.  He doesn't really mind, as he feeds plenty of bites to the dog.

6:30pm - Bath, book, play, songs, prayers...

7:00pm - Bedtime for Baby!  

The rest Hubby should know...

I make us an "adult" meal while drinking a glass of wine and checking my favorite internet haunts.

Dinner is not always "fancy," although I like trying new recipes and making it interesting.  

The night I wrote this, however,  I grilled hot dogs...

and yes, still drank wine.

I ooze classiness sometimes.

wow -- isn't that backsplash coming right along??? still not done.

Then Hubby and I will watch a show on DVR, eat dinner, and head to bed.

Of course...this is all subject to change on the weekends.  But I keep my weekdays pretty routine.

Control-freak, much? 
:) 

So that is a typical day.

I know every stay-at-home mama does things differently.
 There are on-the-go, schedule-free mamas -- the by-the-schedule, routine-lovin' mamas like me --- and everything in between.

I think the important thing is to do what works for you 

and your babies! 

Also, please don't get the impression that my SAHM life runs smoothly every day, or that my little Cormac is a "perfect baby."  I myself tend to tune out when parents try to present their kiddos as "perfect."  No such thing...also, annoying.

On occasion he refuses to: eat, sleep, look me in the eye,
or let go of a fist-full of my hair. He has major meltdowns...

There are some days I just pray that Hubby comes home early so I can crawl into bed {with a glass of wine, of course} and hide.

And that's okay.

:)

g