Hi there!
Today's post is just gonna be a play-by-play explanation of my daily routine.
I'll probably translate this content to video, either reel or Youtube someday, but I thought I'd write the post so that those of you who are sweet enough to spend time on my actual written blog can enjoy a first-hand peek at what I do on days where it is a work day for my husband. This is going to be a template for the most boring "we're at home all day" kind of day. I try to do playdates one to two times a day and on days my husband isn't working, it looks completely different, so take this with a grain of salt!
Enjoy :)
Wake at 7:10am.
I spent my entire first year of motherhood, even while pregnant, waking up around 6am. My eldest son is an early riser, and it was difficult, but just part of life to be up early with him! Thankfully, since he's gotten older, he now sleeps in until around 7:30-7:45am, and I have greatly benefitted from the routine shift.
I wake at 7:00, snooze the alarm until 7:10, and then check my phone. I'll cruise through some of my favorite apps, socials, the weather, and the Bible app until I begin feeling a little more awake.
7:25am.
Bathroom to wash my face, get my hair and makeup done, and get dressed! I put my clothes out the night before because I can't look through my closet and do a whole routine because my husband is still sleeping usually, having gotten home from night shift around 3:30am. Choosing my outfit the night before is a life-saving move for me, because I don't have a ton of creative juices flowing in the AM lol.
7:45am.
Grab the boys and begin our routine! I do a fresh diaper change, get them dressed, do whatever milk, bottles, sippy cups, and water is necessary before we begin hanging out in the nurseries. Troy usually cuddles me while Bodie plays, and we all read books and wake up together, letting the dog out, and opening the curtains and stuff.
8:30am.
Breakfast for the boys. We share 3 scrambled eggs and 4 pieces of bacon every morning with greek yogurt and a breakfast cookie each.
9:00am.
Playtime. The boys play in the living room or nurseries with me and together while I sip my coffee. I like to catch up more on social media during this time as the boys have a lot of stamina for playing after breakfast and don't need me as much.
10:00am.
Troy's first nap! Bodie helps me put him down by grabbing his blankie (even if it was already in the crib lol) and we sing him a song, give him his bun bun, and set up the white noise in the hallway.
10:05am.
Bodie and I usually go outside or downstairs to watch a show after putting Troy down. We just kind of hang out doing low-key quiet activities together until the end of the nap, usually sharing more food together because Bodie tends to eat the majority of his food for the day before 1pm. Some days if he's having a harder time transitioning from his playmate taking a nap, I will let him watch Simon, Blue's Clues or Curious George for up to an hour. He tends to just play while it's on in the background, but it's a great way for me to get other things done if he's fussy that Troy's gone (this is a newer problem as they are actually friends now and miss each other LOL.)
11:45am.
We wake Troy up! He usually wants to cuddle for awhile, so we hang out either in my room or their rooms just kind of relaxing together and reading books.
12:00pm.
Dad wakes up! Hubby usually wakes up around 12-12:30pm and comes to spend time with the boys and me. This is our big family time for the day, kind of the equivalent of when dad comes home from his 8-5 job and everyone hangs out before dinner or bedtime.
1:00pm.
Lunchtime for the boys and breakfast time for dad. Hubby usually has his coffee done by now and he splits a bunch of hashbrowns with the boys. We are a noontime big breakfast family because breakfast is the one meal of the day that we are all together for.
2:00pm.
Naptime for the boys! We try to make sure they have overlapping naps so that we have some time every day to get other things done. We usually each take a boy or if Grant hasn't seen the kids much, he will do both their nap routines, usually making them laugh and being sweet together.
2:15pm.
Hubby will usually work out at this time while I either go run errands or go on a walk with the dog. I usually like to walk with the kids, but if it's snowing or bad weather for pushing a stroller on the sidewalk, I'll do my walk by myself. This is also the time of day when I like to go to a cafe to work on YouTube or my blog, just going two minutes away to grab a diet coke and write for awhile.
This is really nice time for me because as a night shift wife, I can't run out in the evenings after the kids go to bed to do errands or grab dinner with a friend. I'm the main parent for bedtime and evenings, so I make sure to really enjoy the naptime most days! I don't leave every afternoon though, just yesterday I spent naptime cleaning out my closet.
4:00pm.
The boys are ready to wake up by now and if I left, I'm back home-- they didn't even realize I was gone LOL. So I get them up and we hang out, either going outside or going to play downstairs with the other toys we haven't yet experienced for the day. If we have a playdate scheduled or library activity, 4pm is usually when we go to that. Hubby begins getting ready for work round now too, showering, shaving, and getting his equipment ready. This is also when Hubby leaves for work, so sometimes Bodie likes to "help" daddy get ready.
5:00pm.
This is when I offer some dinner foods to the boys, but they usually only eat like a piece of cheese or a saltine and call it a day LOL. They definitely eat most of their food before their afternoon nap and I don't really push the issue. If we're out at a playdate, they don't even really eat until we come home.
6:30pm.
I run the bath for them! Sometimes we walk between 5-6:15, but other times if they're happily hanging out, we just stay home. This is usually the time we come home from our play date as well if we went to hang out at a friend's house.
7:15pm.
Before-bed shenanigans for the boys while I begin picking up and closing down the house.
7:30pm.
Troy's bedtime. I do his routine and read him a book before putting him down. He goes down pretty easily but has higher sleep needs than Bodie, so he has to check out of the party first.
7:35pm.
Bodie tends to hang out independently messing around and getting into things while I keep cleaning up from the day, putting toys away and doing the dishes, and vacuuming. This usually takes me a minimum of forty-five minutes, so I like doing it while the boys are still up with me so I have more time to myself after they go to bed.
8:00pm.
Bodie's bedtime! I read him a bunch of books, twirl him around the room... you know, basic bedtime stuff lol. It's lovely to have that time with him and then when I come out, I usually only have a couple more dishes to do and then I'm home free!
8:15pm.
Dinnertime for me. I usually eat something small like a fried egg on a piece of toast or just some yogurt or something. The nice thing about being a night shift family is that I don't have to make elaborate dinners if I'm not feeling it. I'll put on a YouTube video while I cook and eat.
8:45pm.
Now I just do whatever I'm feeling. Sometimes this is writing, sometimes it's reading or sewing. I just do hobby time!
9:20pm.
Workout. I do some aerobics and pilates with a Kdrama playing in the background! I also try to do weighted bench press and weighted hip thrusts because those are the most effective for my body type.
10:00pm.
Shower time! I wash and dry my hair and do a nighttime hygiene routine. This is every other night though, so on nights I don't need to wash my hair, I either extend my workout or just chill.
10:45pm.
I try to be in bed by now and chilling on my phone and finishing up on social media for the day. It's a nice time to scroll, interact, and just enjoy content and messaging with friends.
11:00pm.
Phone cut off-- Kindle time. I don't have a specific time where I put my Kindle down, I just kind of read until I feel tired. Usually, that's about one chapter and then I shut it and roll over, sleep mask on, time to sleep!
And that's it! I hope this wasn't too boring to read, but now you know what I do every day lol. Some days are very different, like the days my hubby is home, and on those days the only things that stay the same are the boy's bedtimes and naptimes, but everything else is subject to change: sometimes we visit family or go out to eat, and my evenings are spent with him instead of going through my typical routine as well.
Because it's winter, our days are kind of boring, but when it gets warmer I usually have a mandatory double stroller walk with the boys either at noon or 4pm in the evenings where we go hang out at a park. It's just harder to do that right now because Troy can only crawl and that's not nice to do in the snow, so I imagine my routine will look different come Spring!
Thanks for reading :)
xoxo,
Cait
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