What is TIME

I felt like with this whole pandemic going on that it would be a good time to talk about time management as a new mom, or also as a busy mom. I think that everyone has their own version of what time management means, and also your time is dictated by your little who tells you what and when they need something. (not in so many words though)

An honest day for me, is waking up between 6-8 am. I let Hayden decide when we get up. Right after getting up we usually snuggle for a few and then its PLAY time for him while mom gets ready for the day. As a stay at home mom I feel like A lot of people don't get dressed and ready for the day and that can be part of the problem of not feeling like who you used to be. So I seriously recommend getting dressed and such every single day! Hayden usually plays on his play mat for anywhere from 15-30 minutes. So on the days that he only wants to do 15, I just get dressed and no makeup. On the days he is super entertained by his mat I get dressed and do makeup and hair to feel like a normal person!

After that we usually move his playtime back to something different. Whether its tummy time or playing with me we usually get another 15-30 depending on his mood that day. During this time I am usually able to make myself breakfast and also feed the dogs and let them out. I do usually try and actually spend a good amount of time playing with him as well! it can be hard making sure everything gets done, but I feel like if I just continue doing it, Hayden has gotten used to the routine. Around 10 am Hayden usually takes a quick nap, usually only 15-30 minutes and usually in my arms because snuggles are THE BEST!

After Hayden wakes up from his quick nap we jump right into more enrichment time with him! Playing with toys, going outside, tummy time, talking to him until about noon, and then its time for his long nap. I have been putting him in his crib from 12 - 2 daily to get him used to the nap time. The first week was a bit rough on his end, but at this point he usually sleeps most of those two hours. Although I do hope that eventually, he will take longer naps... but ill take what I can get :)

During Hayden's long nap, is when I take the chance to clean the house, get laundry finished and/or spend some ME time! which is SUPER important! Some days I feel like just cleaning the house is my time, but I enjoy crafts and reading and other things as well. Some days I just sit and read while he naps and other days I go into superwoman cleaning mode and scrub the entire house in two hours. ;) During this time, I also take the dogs out front ( We have two acres ) and they get played with until they are worn out! they both look forward to this time every day!

When H wakes up from his long nap, with this nice weather we have been taking a blanket outside and spending a good two hours out there, but again this time is for him usually. He is super awake and super alert and ready to learn so I try and take advantage of those times. Sometime later in the evening H takes another short nap and sometimes even two of them once dad gets home, so that is when I get the chance to start dinner and finish anything I had started and wasn't able to finish.

I'll be honest with you, I rely on routine. I have always done well with routine and I worked in a daycare for 8 plus years where I have seen how GOOD routine can be for a child. especially if you start out trying the routine early on. I totally get that routines are not always followed and that is OAKY! However the single best thing I can do for my own mental health is to know what we are doing next and to have a game plan for the day. I should also mention that when Eric gets home, he usually takes H for a bit and I am able to get some more ME time! which is usually when I just get myself ready for bed, but hey I still enjoy that time!

Time management as a mother can be super hard, and it can be daunting thinking of everything that needs to get done around the house or for yourself, but if you just take things one day, one hour and one minute at a time, you will end up happier and the happier you are, the happier your baby is and the more you will be able to accomplish. Not every day is going to be easy and not every day you are going to get things you wanted to be done, just remember that making time for yourself is an absolute must and that sometimes the time to yourself is cleaning with music lightly going in the background that you can jam out too while the babe is sleeping :)

xoxo,

Krista