Before getting started writing this post, I took a stroll down memory lane and read through some of my day in the life posts from when we just had one & two kids. It's so funny, because no matter how many kids you have, in that moment, life feels like it is at maximum chaotic capacity & we always wonder how we could do it all with another kid in the mix. And yet, we totally manage to make it work & never look back. I will admit, the first six months was really hard for us, a combination of Claire's sleep schedule & Brandon's work schedule, I felt like I could never catch my breath. But we have finally gotten into a really good routine, which I think Spring plays a large part in, but it's a good feeling!
Our day usually kicks off around 6:30, Harper comes in just as Brandon is getting ready to take off for work. She & I go downstairs to start getting things ready for the day. We usually get an hour or so to hang out on the couch together watching cartoons, sometimes I fall back asleep for a little bit if Claire didn't sleep well. Claire wakes up around 7:15, so I get to feed her a bottle in her room while it's still quiet, right now is the best because the sun is just coming up around that time. Then I typically take Claire in the bathroom with me and she hangs out in her bouncer while I take a quick shower or just throw on a little makeup & dry shampoo. Eloise wakes up bouncing off the walls around 8, she's secretly my favorite to open the door to in the mornings because her little eyes LIGHT UP when I come to get her out of her crib. She already has a million things to say & starts running down the hallway to greet her sissies.
I make coffee & the girls' breakfast, they're really into yogurt right now which is the ultimate worst to clean up because Harper usually drips it all over eight layers of whatever tutu/princess dress she is wearing & Eloise manages to look like she applied it as a mud mask. Breakfast has always been our favorite time of day in our house, I love their little fresh faces & sleepy eyes. Spring weather is a total game changer for stay at home moms, sunshine & fresh air right now mean we get to spend the next hour or so outside. We either go for a walk, swing, play sidewalk chalk or just hang out on the porch. The girls favorite thing to do is bring their play table to the porch and set up all of their fake food on it, which can quickly escalate into their favorite game of stacking any/all toys/pillows/anything that isn't nailed to the ground into a pile somewhere.
Claire goes down for her morning nap around 9:30, so the girls play while I pick up the kitchen from breakfast & take care of laundry. I get everyone dressed & we pack some snacks so we can head out the door for whatever we have planned once Claire wakes up. She is usually awake by 11, so this is when we meet friends for play dates or at outdoor shops, go to the park, the library or bookstore, etc. We love to bring lunch with us so we can stop at our neighborhood park to eat (no clean up!) or meet Brandon for lunch somewhere, otherwise we love to drive thru Chick-Fil-A or make peanut butter + sliced strawberry sandwiches.
Claire & Eloise both go down for their afternoon nap between 1:30 and 2 until about 4, which is when Harper does "quiet time" while I work on my blog & any chalkboard projects. Harper has a big imagination, and really does love to play by herself. She plays dress up or dolls, or pulls out all of her art supplies next to me at the table, knowing she can almost always distract me from what I am working on because coloring is so tempting! ;)
I try to get some sort of dinner prep started & clean up from lunch if we ate at home, and attempt to pick up some of the kids mess from the day. Harper has dance one day a week, which is the day we have our babysitter come watch the other two. It is entirely too chaotic trying to entertain them for an hour & a half while Harper dances, then we usually run some quick errands together afterwards. Harper also has soccer one night a week, but little sisters love coming along since it is outside. Brandon helps coach, so most of the time Eloise runs around with him, while my super sweet not-crawling-yet baby hangs out on the blanket with me to watch. If it isn't dance or soccer night, I usually have dinner ready around 6 when Brandon gets home from work. Claire is eating most of the things we eat now, so unless she is shoveling green beans in her mouth she is squealing reaching for things from Harper's plate.
Bath, books & bedtime take another solid hour (or more) we power through it together & even though we are tired, really enjoy the end of the night with the kids. They usually have a case of the sillies, they like to pile more tutus and headbands on top of their night gowns and do whatever they can to get Claire to laugh before she goes to sleep. Once the girls are all asleep (Claire by 7:15, Harper & Eloise by 8) we tag team cleaning the kitchen, picking up the house & whatever else needs to be done before we throw ourselves on the couch to relax. We both may work for another hour or so, but like to turn everything off for a while before bed so we can catch up with eachothers' day & hang out for a bit. Lately this Spring weather has tempted us to leave the house messy, the work undone & just wander out to the porch with a glass of wine and stay up past our bedtime.
I love reading about other people's schedules, and seeing how they go about their days, balancing kids, work & life. For those of you who have emailed or asked about transitioning to three kids, you can totally do it! You will slowly but surely fall into a new routine & it will all work out! The trick really is just not trying to do it all. Some days everyone's outfits match, our meals are healthy & I might get a whole blog post written during naptime. Other days, we are in pajamas all day with yogurt on our faces & we alternate between tantrums & dance parties from dusk til dawn.
There are productive days & there are lazy days, and they all balance each other out. :)
I try to get some sort of dinner prep started & clean up from lunch if we ate at home, and attempt to pick up some of the kids mess from the day. Harper has dance one day a week, which is the day we have our babysitter come watch the other two. It is entirely too chaotic trying to entertain them for an hour & a half while Harper dances, then we usually run some quick errands together afterwards. Harper also has soccer one night a week, but little sisters love coming along since it is outside. Brandon helps coach, so most of the time Eloise runs around with him, while my super sweet not-crawling-yet baby hangs out on the blanket with me to watch. If it isn't dance or soccer night, I usually have dinner ready around 6 when Brandon gets home from work. Claire is eating most of the things we eat now, so unless she is shoveling green beans in her mouth she is squealing reaching for things from Harper's plate.
Bath, books & bedtime take another solid hour (or more) we power through it together & even though we are tired, really enjoy the end of the night with the kids. They usually have a case of the sillies, they like to pile more tutus and headbands on top of their night gowns and do whatever they can to get Claire to laugh before she goes to sleep. Once the girls are all asleep (Claire by 7:15, Harper & Eloise by 8) we tag team cleaning the kitchen, picking up the house & whatever else needs to be done before we throw ourselves on the couch to relax. We both may work for another hour or so, but like to turn everything off for a while before bed so we can catch up with eachothers' day & hang out for a bit. Lately this Spring weather has tempted us to leave the house messy, the work undone & just wander out to the porch with a glass of wine and stay up past our bedtime.
There are productive days & there are lazy days, and they all balance each other out. :)
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