Mom-ing in Heels...and Managing Your Time

When it comes to being a parent, timing really is everything and organization is essential. It's funny to me when people ask "how do you do it...work full time and care for a baby?" I don't have a choice! Believe me, it's not always easy, but my hat definitely goes off to every woman with more than one child to care for--whether they have support at home or not. While some nights may be very long, and telling my boss for the third time in one week 'I've gotta go...baby's sick...' is not the greatest feeling, I wouldn't trade this time for anything in the world. 

But what about the day-to-day doings of it all: meal planning, laundry, cleaning and the all important quality time? For me, writing everything down has been a life saver. With so much to do in the run of a day, I can't always count of my memory to make sure everything gets accomplished. So here's what my day [typically] looks like:

5:30 a.m.

Rise and Shine! Bean usually wakes up closer to 6, so I take a few moments to wake up on my own, stretch, and meditate. This little nugget of my day has been awesome for allowing me to be quiet and develop a daily practice of gratitude.

6...ish 

Hello Bean! It's funny to me how he often wakes up looking for Pepper--no matter what time it is. But this isn't time for talking. I'm not quite ready for him to wake up 100% so we just cuddle in silence as I warm his milk, get him dressed and lay him back down for a few more minutes of shut-eye.

6:30-7:30 

While baby rests, I prep for the day. Coffee in hand, I let Pepper out to do her bit, take Bean's dinner out of the freezer, and put myself together while listening to NPR--just to get an idea of what's waiting for me out there in the world.

7:30-7:45 

"Good morning, it's time for school" I say as I gently wake up the little person [it might be silly to say just yet, but I'm pretty sure he knows just what that means]. Little face is washed and tiny teeth are brushed and we're out the door!

My commute can be a beast sometimes (coming and going) so I've gotten in the habit of playing books on audio. I'm hoping that all the financial planning and business books will make Bean a good thinker, but for now they just seem to bore him back to sleep.

Fast forward through my work day and Bean and I are back on the road. I usually do my grocery shopping on my lunch break to make it quicker and to spare us both from having to delay dinner time.

Once I get in the door, Pepper goes out, clothes are changed and dinner is prepped (Bean is usually still asleep in the carseat for the 15 minutes it takes for me to do this and get dinner started). 

7 p.m.

Once he's in a fresh diaper and wide awake he gets placed in the high chair to 'help mommy' while I plate his food. This is when he 'talks' to me about his day :). I love this stage because he can handle feeding himself for the most part and I can wash the dishes at the same time. I also manage to get a few bites of dinner in me before he needs my help finishing up his dinner and prepping for bath time. The rest of the night goes by so fast and I'm usually on auto-pilot so as not to disrupt his routine--that could result in a longer night than necessary.

7:30-8:30

Bath time.

Jammies.

Play time with Pepper. (oh how he loves Pepper)

Story time.

Warm bottle...and down for bed.

In that order.

If he's good and full this is the last I hear from him for the night.

*Exhale*

Now this is when I make Bean's meals to freeze, write up to-do's for the next day, clean up, read the mail, fix lunch, set out clothes, wash bottles/sippies, do laundry and pack his backpack for the next day. Oh, and eat. :) The routine has become so second nature at this point that it doesn't feel overwhelming at all until I or the baby is under the weather. Then it's a whole 'nother story.

I end each day [around 10:30] with an entry in my journal--reflecting on the day and my thoughts, but mostly to practice gratitude again. 

Life happens so fast, and I know that without God and a grateful heart I would be lost at sea. So my advice to every first time parent: take advantage of every moment, set reasonable expectations for yourself each day, and remember to make time for you.

xo, august & pepper