So, I have had many of you ask me, when do you have time to "do it all?" You know like manage a household with 3 little munchkins, cook, clean, nurse, wipe booties, make crafts, be a wife, and blog? It is not always easy, and everyday is not perfect, but I have a few hard set rules that allow us to survive.
The biggest key to my success is the 7pm bedtime routine. Yes, that may seem early to many, but it is a lifesaver!! I put all the girls down at this time (sarah even earlier sometimes). We brush teeth, go potty, read and pray. The girls know that even if they aren't totally sleepy they can stay in their beds and read. This is just one thing I won't budge on, having a quite house by 7:30 pm. Mind you, it is not always perfect, sometimes there is a crying child, or we are out late, or we just decided on a movie night, but we make it happen as much as possible.
This time is key for me, it allows me to clean, read, watch tv, shower, blog and just simply be with my husband. I need this time to decompress, to have separate from my children. I need to to be with my husband, to help keep our marriage strong. I LOVE my children with all of my heart, but everyone needs a little time to themselves, just to regenerate. This time helps me to be a better mother, I get more rest, I get a bit of time to relax and it helps me to start the next day off on a better foot.
If you get one piece of parenting advice ever from me, just let it be this: Make sure to make TIME FOR YOURSELF!
We are blessed with having great sleepers!
I have no idea how Maya is sleeping like this
Just so you know, I do still feed Sarah one more time at night (around 9ish) but then put her right back to sleep, she is only 5 months old
The second key to my success is, starting the day with the girls at 7:30am. I get up at 7 (hopefully, on most days and have 30 minutes to myself) and the girls are up at 7:30 (yes, all 3) and here is how I do it:
Sarah is just a really good baby and gets up at 7:30am or later. This is what she is used to, we have her on a routine/schedule (I know not everyone agrees with routines, but it is wonderful for our family), I know what she needs, I know when she is hungry and when she is tired (I have used a great book to help guide me), this makes my life so much easier!
For Maya & Norah, they are pretty used to waking up anywhere between 7 and 7:45am, if they wake up at 7am, they aren't allowed to come out of their room until 7:30. You might ask, how do you keep them in their room until 7:30? Well we have this wonderful app on an iphone called Mr. Moonlight. It has a picture of a moon during the "sleeping hours" and when the sun comes up on the phone (7:30am) they are allowed out of their rooms, one of the best $3 we have ever spent! If you don't have an iphone, other smart phones might have a similar app or you can also buy a kids alarm clock that "wakes up."
I don't make this unreasonable. For example, my girls are not waking up at 6am and forced to stay in their room for 1.5 hours. The time is set for an time close to when they normally wake up, it just helps for more consistency on the days they are up a bit early.
Is this 100% full proof and perfect everyday, no, but most days it is, and most is what I need. I certainly know that this is not for everyone, each person has their own ways of "making it" but these are 2 things that help us during this time with 3, 3 and under.
What are your survival methods?
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Recently I brought some order to all my closets and pantry area. I have found that if everything has a place that it is much easier to keep a house up. This has freed me up for other things, like outings, bible study. I decluttered and got rid of a ton. Since then I've noticed that it is so much easier to keep ahead of the game.
ReplyDeleteI'm similar to you - we run on a schedule, bedtime is non-negotiable, and I get up before Kiddo does so I have some time to myself to wake up fully before he's up and about for the day. It's definitely helped my sanity and makes the upcoming transition to 2 kids feel more doable when I think about it.
ReplyDeleteWe follow those two secrets as well. They are the best kept secrets :-)
ReplyDeleteTotally agree about bedtime; I HAVE to have a few hours to myself and a few hours with my hubby. We don't have family in town and have a very limited list of babysitters (on purpose) so our date nights are often at home when the girls are sleeping. I also have to get up before the girls and get totally dressed with tennis shoes on in order to make me feel like I am doing something that day. If we all get up and are in our PJ's all morning (which has happened and some days is needed), I never get anything done. I love this "moonlight" app thing though! I have friends with similar tricks but I think I will look into that one when Norah moves to a big girl bed.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are an amazing mother Jenny. ;) schedules and routine are the key to any success I believe.
ReplyDeleteWe also have a good daily schedule/routine. My oldest 2 daughters go to bed at 7pm, which is easy because my oldest has to be up at 6:30am for school on the weekdays. My youngest is just a little older than yours, 6 months and pretty much sets her own bedtime every night. Once the older 2 are in bed though, I spend a few hours working at night so I can keep up with my shop. My days are usually reserved for cleaning, cooking, running errands and family time.
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