How I Survive the Day

Before Nora was born I had anxiety about how I would survive the day with two very young kids. I know millions of people have done it and I promised myself I wouldn't act like the first person to ever have two kids, but I was secretly very worried. When I pictured my future I saw bags of fast food, piles of laundry, a counter full of dirty dishes, Thomas with applesauce in his nose, ears and hair, and me in an oversized t-shirt saturated in breast milk and spit up. The first two weeks after Nora was born I was so lucky to have the help of family. We made it through the day just swimmingly. I was happy, Erik was happy and both kids were happy. Then the day finally came for me to face my two precious babies on my own, we survived but I had never been so happy for Erik to get home from work. As the days went on I quickly learned what was going to work and what wasn't. So, what can I do to make sure our days go somewhat smoothly???

1. Before I even open my eyes in the morning I say a quick prayer for patience. Not just patience for myself but for Thomas too. We are both going to need it.

2. I must wash my face and brush my teeth before Erik leaves for work. If I need makeup for the day this must also be done before he leaves. I never know when one of the kids will poop, bonk their head, or when the washer will leave me with a load full of soaky, soapy towels. It is too stressful to try and get myself ready and deal with unforeseen incidents while trying to get to story time on time.

                            

3. My diaper bag is always packed and prepared. When I return from an outing I immediately replace any item I used while we were out. Getting myself and two kids out the door is a chore. I need to be able to grab the bag and go.

4. I plan a weekly menu. I don't care to venture out to the grocery store on my own with two kids. I go to the store once a week on my own (or with the kids and Erik) and get all the groceries I need for the week. This means I know what we are having for dinner every night for the next 6 days. I have the menu displayed in the kitchen so when I'm fixing breakfast in the morning I can look up and see that we're having chicken for dinner which means I need to take the chicken out of the freezer now!!

5. I do not say "no" to avoid a mess. If Thomas wants to empty the bag of 100 plastic Easter eggs then Yes! he can. By saying Yes! we will avoid a tantrum and those little eggs will provide maybe five minutes of entertainment which means I have five minutes to read to Nora, empty the dishwasher, or catch up on Facebook. ;)

6. I will not wake up to a messy kitchen so I wash all dirty dishes, counters and start the dishwasher before going to bed. Breakfast is much more enjoyable when I can sit down and visit with Erik and Thomas rather than clean up.

7. If both the kids are sleeping I sleep too. (most of the time) If I get even 20 minutes of rest I am less likely to snap later in the day. I will say another prayer for patience before getting up. :)

8. Plan to play. If I have no expectations for the day other than to play with my kids I will not be disappointed if I don't accomplish anything else. Plus, the kids NEED my attention. This is why I choose to stay home with them. "Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work."

9. We get out of the house. If its raining we go to the library, if it's nice out we go to the park. This gives Thomas a chance to interact with other kids, the fresh air tires him out and I don't go crazy cooped up inside. We get outside every day, even most days in the winter.

10. I must shower before bed. There is no chance I'm getting a shower during the day and I am not waking up early to do it so it must be done at night.

Being a stay at home mom isn't an easy job, no matter how many kids you have. These are just a few tips I have learned along the way. I'm sure there are more experienced moms that have many other ideas on how to make the day more peaceful and I'd love to hear that advice! To my friends preparing to bring home baby #2, try not to worry about HOW you'll make it work because you WILL make it work.