One month in...

Still having trouble finding time to sit down and write a proper post in how things are going here, let alone upload and edit photos of our fun adventures! (but I love my new camera!). Not sure where the time is going, but we are keeping very busy, or I think we would all go crazy stuck inside all day!


Here is a typical day for us so far:

6:30 - my early-bird Emma wakes up by yelling "Mommyyy...I need snack!!" and my snuggle bug and I watch Max & Ruby (love this time with my sweet bug) and share a banana or cereal bar (her obsession) while waking up and catnapping

7:00 - the Keurig pops on (yahoo!), and I enjoy 1 of my 2 daily cups of go-juice...Jack typically wakes up between this time and 7:30 if he crawled in bed with us during the night

7:30 - usually the kids watch a Jake & The Neverland Pirates (J's fave) while I shower/get dressed, get breakfast going, etc.


8:00 - TV off, eat breakfast, Scott leaves for work

8:30 - get dressed (daily struggle with Jack who would wear his PJs all day but Emma can dress herself and is easy), brush teeth, get organized and talk about plan for the day. Usually pop laundry in now (Jack fully helps and loves it), make beds, dishwasher.

9:15 - free play, craft, holiday stuff, or worksheets/busy book stuff and I do 1 more chore if needed


9:45 - getting ready to get out the door (another somewhat struggle for J, easy for Emma). On T/R we head to take J to school, F is soccer, and the other days are museums, free activities, library, etc. (sooo many cheap things to do in the city!). Have snack.

10 - 12:30 - If Jack is in school, then I get precious alone time with Emmy! Love this and she loves it too. One day, we typically do errands, grocery store, or just come home and clean / play. The other day I do something special with her like an indoor play space, story time at Land of Nod, or just Starbucks for a cake pop and the park.


Friday is soccer for Jack during this time and we all love it. Emma likes to cheer on Big Bro and they also have a bounce house and open fields for us to play in. We typically stay until around 11:30 and all play soccer together, which makes for 2 tired kids.

I have been giving myself a weekly "kid entertainment budget" of $25 for the other days that do something and that has been working well! We have visited the Chicago Childrens Museum, Morton Arboretum, Splash Landings swimming pool, Nature Museum, Gymboree, and a few play spaces so far as well as a couple of playdates! The kiddos have been awesome on field trips. One of those days, we will eat lunch out, too, which I fit into our $25 budget. For example, today we simply went to Barnes and Noble and read/played for 1.5 hours, and then hit up Qdoba for BOGO quesadillas for lunch, we are going to another local Children's Museum (annual member, so its free) on Wednesday, and the library on Friday afternoon.


12:30-1:00 - lunch

1:00-1:30- Kids go down for nap!! Emma goes down super easy and is very tired by this time if she hasn't already fallen asleep in car. Jacks routine is to have 10 minutes of LeapPad time in our bedroom and then I read him a book, tuck him in and lights out. This usually works great 4 days out of 5 and he sleeps for 2/2.5 hours! If not, then he has some quiet free play/reading, helps me with chores or cooking, or we play UNO/Go Fish.

During nap, I eat lunch (really trying to eat more consistently and more - I have only gained 4 lbs this pregnancy, Oops), give myself 20 minutes of online time, and then run around cleaning, meal prep (if I can get dinner 80% there, I feel great!), phone calls/emails, and prepping for next day activities. I usually do try to nap one day while they do, and I am sure this will increase as this third trimester continues...but it is nice to have this quiet time!

2:45-3:00 - Peanut wakes up and we snuggle, have snack, and play dollhouse, tea party, babies, or color. She is very happy after her beauty sleep! We usually open Jacks door (he sleeps in our bedroom) at 3:30.


Afternoon - OUTDOOR time if it is above 30 degrees! Either bike/scooter to park, play tennis or baseball in the alley (ghetto, but they love it), or just a little walk. I really think we all need this outdoor time, and even Emma (a warm weather girl) can stand the chill for at least 30 min! If it is too cold, we will run an errand, library, or an indoor play space to run off steam. Or...simply a movie/popcorn afternoon! I have my 4:00 cup of coffee (this is muy importante!).


We all start dinner together around 5, and eat by 6pm (and hope that Scott is home to join us and help!). Emma in bed by 7:30 and Jack around 8:30!

Some days we do simply have a "Home Day," where we play, do puzzles and games, more chores, a little more TV, more crafting, etc. This is nice for us all and helps to save Mommys back from lifting in/out of the car!


So...that has been a glimpse into our life the past month. It has truly been fantastic and so much fun!!! The kids are getting along so well and I love to watch them together every day and look forward to watching their kindness toward each other and friendship only grow.


This time to spend with them is such a blessing and I am so grateful to Scott.

Life just seems "right" and simpler.

:-)


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