a day in the life

It's been quite a while since I posted a good ol' "day in the life of" post giving some insight into what our everyday life looks like these days. Especially now that there are 2 kiddos in the house, our daily routine has changed a bit. 

I feel like I've found a decent balance between staying home and going out and doing things. I attempt to keep our Mondays and Thursdays open so that we are home majority of the day, with no scheduled activities outside the house. 

Wake up time for Preston and I is between 6-6:30am. I usually start our day with getting him changed and dressed, a bath if needed, and then picking up anything that may have been left out the night before, refilling diapers in the basket downstairs and in the drawer in Preston's room, and I also use this time when Lily is still asleep to get myself ready for the day. If I know we aren't going anywhere in the morning then I throw on workout clothes and don't get myself ready for the day until later because I workout in the mornings, when I am able. After that we head downstairs where I get a bottle ready for Preston, coffee for myself, and we enjoy Good Morning America together for a while while it's still relatively quiet and peaceful in the house:) I also get his bottles and any dishes that may have been left over from the night before washed. 

Lily wakes up between 8-8:30am most days and then joins us downstairs. I usually always make sure to turn the TV off at this point and we just hangout for a little bit, read books, look at her dolls, talk, etc. Lily doesn't like to eat right when she gets up so we spend a half hour or so chatting and playing before getting breakfast ready. Then it's time for breakfast, diaper changed and clothes on, and we are ready for the day. The rest of our morning is usually just playing - some times I am doing laundry, wiping counters, washing diapers, picking things up, but for the most part I am sitting on the floor playing with my kiddos. This is something that is SO important to me as a stay at home mom. When I made the choice to stay home I always promised myself I wouldn't be one of those moms that ran around the house all day doing odds and ends chores, cleaning, talking on the phone, searching the internet, making meals, etc. Basically anything BUT playing with my kids. Now don't get me wrong I'm guilty of doing those things every now and again but I try really hard to be intention and not do them on a daily basis.

Then around 10am Preston goes down for his morning nap. At this point I usually turn the TV on - although it usually gets turned on closer to 9:30am because Lily loves Elmo :) and during this time I do my workout while Lily watches TV, plays with her dolls, reads books, and mimics me as well! Right now for my workout I'm doing the Jillian Micheals 30 Day Shred and really like it. That's honestly about all the time, 20-30 minutes, I can commit to and be consistent with right now, and it's been working well. I only have a few days left and then I have some treadmill workouts pinned on Pinterest that I am looking forward to trying next. I am anxious to get back into running and plan to run a half marathon this summer so need to get back in running shape! 

After my morning workout I usually hop right in the shower and get myself ready for the day. This is another one of those things I promised myself I would maintain when I decided to be a stay at home mama. It's important for me and my self esteem to get myself showered and dressed every single day. Now that doesn't mean the outfit doesn't often consistent of yoga pants but hey - it's not PJs right?! I also feel like it's important for Jimmy to see me every day ready. Whether he cares or not, and he'd be the first to tell you he often prefers me in comfy clothes and no makeup compared to all fancy but I always want him to find me attractive, and to me, it's worth the effort. Now since becoming a mom of 2 my makeup and hair routine has changed drastically as well. I literally have a 5 minutes make up routine that I do almost every day, unless we are going somewhere special and/or it's a date night, in which I will spend a little more time. PS - I plan to post a blog on my 5 min makeup routine later this week in case you are interested.

So, after workout and getting ready it's usually time for lunch. Preston usually naps for 1-2 hours and so he's up again at this point. We do our lunch and then usually do something a little more creative or interactive - whether it's coloring, stickers, bean box, play dough, finger paint or whatever. Then nap time comes between 2-3pm for both of them. It's been a little tricky for me to get them to nap at the same time, we've had issues with Lily's sleeping habits since we moved so it's been a little tricky but most days it happens! 

During nap time I usually blog, catch up on other people's blogs, email, do dishes, clean up around the house, pay bills - you know all those little things that just seem to take up way more time than you think! I also try to start dinner during naps - so either mixing things together that I can, making one of the sides, cooking meat - whatever can be done ahead of time often times it done during naps.

After nap time we just play again - alot of times I try to venture to another area of the house on those days where we just stay home all day. So we may spend the morning in the living room/main floor, and then later on head to the basement play area, and/or play upstairs in their bedrooms. 

Then at 4pm every day we watch Ellen - it may be my guilty pleasure but secretly I think Lily likes it too because she always dances :)

After Ellen I get dinner ready and we wait for Jimmy to get home. Most evenings we just hangout as a family, doing things around the house that need done, going for a walk, running errands and/or just relaxing and watching some TV. Both kiddos go to bed around 8pm and we head to bed between 10 and 11pm most nights. 

And that's really about it - that's what a typical day at home looks like for us. Now most days we do get out and do something. We do story time once a week at the local library, I have been trying a few different MOPS groups in the area, I try to plan at least one play date a week, and we have a pass to the local indoor playground/jumpy house. So lots of times our days are cut up with having an activity either in the morning or afternoon but I enjoy our full days at home too. 

So many days I feel like pulling my hair out or just being alone, untouched and in quiet. But when I think about doing anything but being with these beautiful babies in our home I can't imagine it. They brighten my heart and teach me things about myself I never knew so although most days test my patience there's no other place I'd rather be!