Ben has settled into the rhythm of heading off to junior kindergarten each morning. On that note, I have also got into the flow of our new routine and am patting myself on the back for handling the 'up and at 'em' mornings. I had gotten really used to our lazy mornings that stretched on and on. We puttered and lounged and I sipped coffee and didn't rush to get the kids out of their pyjamas.
7:00 AM We are all awake and have a very short lounging session in my bed together. I make a french press of coffee and get the baby dressed first and then help Ben get ready too. I've started to pull out his clothes the night before so it is just one less thing for me to think about.
8:00 AM Ben is busy playing on the living room floor and I'm getting myself dressed and sipping coffee. By this point Ben is hollering at me to come and play with him. I've tried to take at least a 10 minute block to sit on the floor and play. Something I think is really important instead of me always yelling, 'mama is busy! Not now!'...something I was doing too often.
8:30 AM The baby is in the stroller and Ben hops on his piggy back board with his back pack in place. He gets his own shoes on and needs a little bit of help getting his hoodie on. Milestones people!
8:35 AM We are successfully hitting the pavement and currently enjoying the very glorious Autumn that Vancouver is having. We stroll at a good pace along the seawall to the school and I often break a sweat. Now that we have preschool in the mornings we get to see all the parents herding their own children off to the local elementary school. Lots of other apartment mamas with their own broods of 1, 2 and even 3 apartment kids coming out of condos!
8:50 AM We are a bit early as I'm ALWAYS the first parent at Ben's school. I just can't help being early, it is in my blood. The same thing happens when I go to work and I've actually never been late.
9:00 AM Goodbye Ben! Off we go back home.
9:15 AM Josie is so excited to have the opportunity to play with some of Ben's toys without him around. Today she dug into his wooden play food and was actually squealing with delight.
9:30 AM Josie has been awake for about 2 hours now and is ready for her first nap of the day. She is like a text book baby when it comes to most things. She is awake for 2 hours, naps, awake for 3 hours, naps, and then 4 hours later the girl is ready for bed. I'm digging a predictable baby, it is such a difference experience than when Ben was a baby and I didn't know what was going on.
I'm already used to our morning routine and am loving that once the baby goes down for her nap, I've actually got a bit of time to myself. That might be me showering and doing my hair or doing a bunch of cleaning or prepping food for Josie. As of late it also includes making breakfast for me and my work at home husband. What a shock he will be in for when I go back to work this Winter!
So, tell me...what is vital for you to have a stress free morning? Share your tips with me!
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Well, Hello There!
Mama in the City since 2008 and blogging since 2009!
My first apartment baby is now a full on boy and we struggle with finding space in our condo for his growing toy collection. I'm also a new mum to our second apartment baby, born January 13, 2012!
I have a husband who is an excellent cook and takes amazing photos. I work as a labor and delivery nurse and really love the work that I do and gave birth to baby #2 at my work place.
I use this space to write about my family and to share my passion about breastfeeding, birth and parenting. I have a fantastic purse collection and have loved watching it grow, mostly lovely gifts over the years from my husband. I currently have a closet full of purses that are too small or impractical to fit a diaper or sippy cup in, and so they are on hold for future years.
Have a question or a comment? Email me! I also love to read comments left on posts, so feel free to leave me a note!
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Back when I had Ben in 2008 I was given an aqua Bumbo floor seat as a baby shower gift; it was a requested gift as I was pretty sure I want...
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I've got a case of the kindergarten blues and it's not the usual case of, 'I can't believe my baby is old enough to go to sc...
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This September Ben will be heading to kindergarten and I feel very fortunate to have access to some of the inside scoop on how to help him g...
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A couple of years ago I wrote a post about how much we paid in daycare fees, $80/day for a licensed at home day care, and it continues to be...
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What do you do to make yourself feel taken care of? It's so easy to neglect yourself when life gets going in the day to day grind, but u...
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Life is good when you get to go to parent friendly cafes and enjoy a morning coffee as the tots play. This past week we went to Crumsby'...
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9 comments:
We are lazy in the mornings! Jacob is in afternoon preschool, so I am a bit more lax on our routine when I know he's going to go have fun and learn in the afternoons. We get up around 8:30 and I drink tea and play with the baby while Jacob watches a cartoon. Elise goes down for a nap about an hour and a half after she gets up, so I shower then and when she wakes up, we head out for the day. No having to rush places makes life a lot easier!
September 20, 2012 at 1:57 PMDuring the summer Ben was in PM preschool and I seriously adored the lazy starts to our day. School started at 12:30 so we weren't in any rush at all. Which was great. Now that Josie is having more regular naps I am grateful for the push to start our day.
September 20, 2012 at 6:34 PMNice! Theo is in part-time daycare, and I love those days because there is at least a plan! And we've been riding or strollering or walking due to the most excellent weather. But Theo sounds like Ben. He was random and unpredictable from the get-go and getting him to naps was painful from about 18 month onward. I'm very happy for you that you have a predicatable second child! Yay for little nappers. And yes, no matter what we are up to, espresso comes FIRST!
September 20, 2012 at 6:46 PMWe are getting back into a routine around our house too. With Sarah in kindergaten, Jack in pre-school three days a week and me working full time, I find some night before planning is key. We also lay out our clothes the night before. The kids like to choose what they want to wear. I also make the lunches the night before. My hubby does the drop offs three times a week and he likes me to do Sarah's hair before I head out the door.
September 20, 2012 at 9:29 PMi love predictable baby schedules!
September 21, 2012 at 8:18 PMwe're on 2 naps now though per request of the baby. sometimes we're at 5hours of no sleep before bedtime!
I've also found that Josie sleeps better in her crib versus being out in her stroller. Todays afternoon nap was about 25 minutes long in her stroller and she was woken up by her brother who poked her in the eye. By 6 PM she was hysterically over tired but now she is currently fast asleep. :)
September 21, 2012 at 9:18 PMRoutine is vital especially when you all have to be out the door and some place! I'm starting to wonder about how things will look come January when Josie is 1 and I'm back to work!
September 21, 2012 at 9:20 PMRoutines have proven a real sanity saver for my family. I was never a routine person before kids. Now I find myself craving it. I don't always get it perfect but I've written a post about ours that helped me feel good about it. If you care to read, it's
September 25, 2012 at 1:55 PMhttp://www.momparadigm.com/establishing-routines-for-happy-family-life/
Hope your day is going well!
oh the good ol' morning routine. its coming. now that i've got one in school this changes the routine i"ve been used to for the past few years. i used to be flexible in getting out the door so long as i didn't have a work meeting at 9am. now i HAVE TO be dropping her off at school BEFORE 8:50 so yikes. That deadline makes a difference. I am definitely making lunches the night before! Dropping off two kids in two different places is also new in our routine. I do love my 2 non-work days home with my little one. We drop off and come home or go for coffee...WAY more casual and I don't have to worry about what I am wearing or if I got a shower in before drop off because at least i am not going to work! ; )
September 27, 2012 at 10:26 PMPost a Comment