Hellobee

We try to do the same – I have a basic schedule on how things will go for the day. Of course there’s always days when we don’t stick to it as planned, or M decides not to take a nap, etc. But I like having the basic outline to keep us on track.

Looks exactly like my day!

We always do a morning activity out of the house from roughly 9:30-11:30 and an afternoon errand or outing from roughly 3:30-5. Mornings are usually playgroup, story time, gymnastics, or music class. Afternoons are usually an errand I need to run (grocery store, wal mart, post office) followed by the park if it’s nice enough out.

This looks similar to our schedule. I think what most of us who have one wonder is what you omitted – managing a little one with 2-3 naps and an older one and how it all works.

Yup, looks similar to mine. I have the same question as @Mrs. Confetti. I’m just asking this for other people, though, since I’m past that stage with my 2 kids now.

@Mrs. Confetti: Well, Summer moved to two naps rather quickly, about 3 months old. Occasionally, she still has three like today she got up at 4:00…aye yay… her naps fall well in the 9am morning activity category, knowing this I can nap her when I’m at home and have a great one on one time with Gemma, this has been amazing! I try to make this a priority. If we absolutely have to go somewhere at that time I try to nap her in the ergo, which isn’t always ideal.

Luckily, I have been blessed that I can generally get the girls main afternoon nap to crossover. This gives me about an hour to myself for lunch! Much needed downtime. So Summer will go down around 12:30 and Gemma will go down around 1:30 and Summer is back up about 2:30. These are all give or take 30 minutes but they do nap together. It’s awesome. And lately, I can put them down to bed around the same time. Early to bed but early risers too.

Anyway, the challenge lies in nursing. I have to be really inventive and strategic about having tasks ready for Gemma when I know a feeding is coming up, sometimes she’ll independently play but generally she wants to be alongside us.

Hope that gives you a little insight. The first three months we were just adjusting and real go with the flow. Lots of at home time.

I do find with two i tend to stay home more to hit the naps, I really prioritize what I go out for now.

I work outside the home, so when I am home on break or whatever, we’re not very scheduled. He does usually take a nap at the same time everyday, though. If I mess with that, I usually pay for it later. That’s great that you can get them to both nap at the same time!

@Mrs. Palette: this. Exactly this. So so helpful! Really appreciate it.

Switching from working full-time to being a SAHM was a hard, but welcome transition. I realized the same thing that having a schedule has totally helped me to keep my sanity while providing structure to our day!

My schedule is loosely based on school drop off and picks ups fort older boys. Then we just hang out and play in between those times.

Ah, this post could not have come at a better time. I stay home with my DDs, a 3yo and a 5wk old. DD2 is a great sleeper and chill but I woke her up twice today, to drop off DD1 then pick her up at her playgroup, and she was cranky the rest of the day. I really should start think about getting us on a loose schedule.

wow 6am! what time do you go to bed?

Wow, 6am? Mine is similar except I wake up at 7:15am to get ready and then wait for my oldest to get up around 8am so I can help him get ready even if he’s old enough to do everything himself (he’s almost 5). Then I eat breakfast while I wait for my youngest to get up around 8:30am. Then I have our helper feed my youngest bfast while I take my oldest to school. It used to be I would get both boys fed and take my youngest to drop my oldest off at school. Then we either head home or go to a playgroup or he comes with me to run errands. If the weather’s nice I’ll take him to the playground. I hope to start Kindermusik or a gym class in the Spring. We don’t officially have a morning snack but he does chomp on some mum mums or something light between 10am-12pm. Then we eat lunch, then nap around 1:30-2pm. During that time I either catch up on emails, get on HB, check FB, watch my shows, or take a nap as well. Sometimes it’s nap and one other thing. Then my youngest wakes up around 4pm, sometimes later (!!) and we used to go pick up his brother at school, but now I just go by myself to pick my oldest up from school. We come home and have a really late snack. Luckily my boys can eat a late snack AND eat their dinners. Whew! Thank goodness for boys and their appetites! Then dinner around 6:30pm and showers around 8-8:30pm and both in bed by 9pm. Whew! Such a long day for me! It’s a little better these days since I don’t have to take my youngest with me to drop off and pick up my oldest. That used to be such an adventure! And playtime is all over in between everything! There’s always play time.

30 minutes to prep for lunch? What do you usually eat?

@mrsmate: I’m so glad that this is helpful to you!
@Mrs. Chipmunk: Well, we all go at diff times. Summer goes about 6, Gemma about 8, me and the hubs about 10 but if we’re tired at 8… My kids get up really early, they aren’t long sleepers… 10 hours usually.
@erwoo: sounds like a very full day, i feel like my days are so long too! long days short years!
@Dandelion: Well, its not that its super gourmet, I like to have chopped cheese, sandwich, chopped fruit or something of that nature… but I let my oldest help with the prep so we cook together, she loves it, but it takes longer so I try to leave some time for that.

I’m expecting #2 and have a hard time wrapping my head around what our lives will be like. Your post is so, so helpful! Thank you!

Awesome! I keep meaning to do a schedule post too. I’m so jealous that both your little one’s naps cross over! Even with just one, many days she’ll still only take a 30 minute nap. It’s rough! I’m hoping once we transition to one nap it’ll get better

I’m not a SAHM, but this looks similar to our schedule on the weekends… except we have a 7 am wakeup time, and no mid-morning snack time… so our loooong morning activity time is usually the park and grocery store/costco since I do my shopping on the weekends. The kids love costco though because of all the free samples!

I cant believe you can get both girls to nap at the same time!

We’ve got a great routine down and I’m loving staying home. I’m really surprised! We do classes on M&W in the morning at 10:30 so the morning routine with breakfast and cleanup is super casual and slow. We can also take our time walking the doggie. Nap is at 12:30 and then in the afternoon we play or go for a run and then I start prepping dinner around 4:30 for family dinner around 5:15/5:30. On W he goes to daycare usually. On Th our AM includes the grocery or errands and by Friday I’m just excited to have absolutely no plans

We’re up pretty early around here, too. Mr. T is the earliest, at about 5:30am. He always teases me for being lazy because Lorelei and I lay in bed for-ever some mornings. Ellie will come lay with us for a bit, and then get up. We have some set points, like lunch and supper and bedtime, but beyond that our schedule is really flexible. I always like to see how other people do things!

Your schedule looks nice! I’m a working mom for about 1 year and my life is in CHAOS. I think this kind of schedule may be helpful.
Carol