Daily Routine

I thought it might be fun to look at what our current daily routine is with two littles at home. I use routine very loosely- I don't really have either kid on a schedule of any sort and we have very few obligations. Plus, in general, we're a very laid back family and like to go with the flow.

My wake-up time Monday through Friday is almost always 5:00 a.m. It comes early, but I am a morning person and do enjoy the quiet. And it's the only way to guarantee time to get a run in without kids, and to get a shower before they wake up. Once I can trust Jonah to not impale himself, I might be willing to sleep a little later and take my shower after the kids wake up. Especially since a 5 o'clock wake-up means I'm usually in bed by 9:00.

Jonah and Noelle usually wake up anytime between 7:00 and 8:00. If I'm downstairs already, Noelle will make her way down and ask for food. When Jonah wakes up, I think he plays around in his crib for a few minutes before he starts crying for me to come rescue him. He gets his bottle and Noelle eats her breakfast (which lately is either a frozen waffle-still frozen, a piece of toast, or cereal). My friend's kids come over around 7:30 and we hang out with them for about an hour before taking them to the bus stop across the street. They will often help me with changing diapers and getting the littles dressed for the day.

We then play around the house for about two to three hours before Jonah is ready to go down for his morning nap. It's rare that I leave the house before his nap just because by the time we've eaten, gotten dressed, been to the bus stop, and played for a little while, it's about time for Jonah to go down again. If we make plans with someone for earlier in the day, then I end up just pushing Jonah's nap back, which doesn't always go well. But I'm hoping he eventually drops the morning nap and takes a long afternoon nap.

Noelle almost always watches a few episodes of Strawberry Shortcake while Jonah is napping, and this is when I have a few moments to myself. I like to use that time for a quiet time, to write a blog post, read other blogs, and send emails. I don't love that she watches so much, but I want a little bit of time to myself and it keeps her quiet so Jonah can nap.

After Jonah wakes up, we eat lunch and then play for awhile. Once Jonah has had the chance to move around for a bit, we go out to run an errand or go somewhere fun like Chick Fil A, a play date, or the mall. And now that it's starting to warm up, we can go on walks and go to the playground! I definitely need to get out of the house at some point in the day, and walks are usually a good way to keep everyone happy.

I try to get Jonah down for his afternoon nap by 4:00 at the latest, and he usually naps for an hour or less. During that time, I try to prep as much of dinner as I can (though that also happens during the morning nap if I'm doing something in the crockpot), and then we play until daddy gets home around 6:00. If it's a bath night, I try to get them in the bath by 5:30 so that we are finishing up about the time daddy gets home.

Then it's dinner and play time until bed around 7:00 for Jonah. Noelle usually watches more Strawberry Shortcake while Luke and I catch up, and then it's reading and bedtime for Noelle (and me!) at 8:30.

There are certainly days that feel really long, especially if anyone is especially fussy or whiny, but it's so much fun having this time with the littles and watching them grow and change!