So I’ve officially been doing this stay at home mom thing for 17 months now. I remember when Shawn and I first decided that this was the journey we were going to take I was super hesitant because I wasn’t too confident on what my life would look like being dictated by a little person. I will admit it definitely wasn’t a walk in the park for the first year (well it’s still not) but I can confidently say we’re in a good swing of things now.
One of the biggest things I had to adjust to was having a routine. Little people thrive off of having a routine. To be honest pre-baby I was more of a seize the moment kinda gal. Meaning I did things as I felt like doing them, completely going with the flow. With transitioning to having a routine with Raelynn we don’t have a concrete by the book minute by minute schedule. But there are things I’ve found that we have to do everyday in order to have a smooth and productive day!
Wake Up and Play— Raelynn, like her mama, loves her sleep but unlike her mama she’s a morning person. As soon as she pops her eyes open she has the brightest smile on her face, its actually one of my favorite things about her. We go about a traditional morning routine of washing our face and brushing our teeth but we also use the morning time to play. I’ve found that this is the time of the day when her attention span is the best so at this time we’ll sing songs, work on letters and do other fun learning activities before we have breakfast.
Naptime is a must— It took me a while to learn this but I do not leave the house until Raelynn has had her nap. She’s just not really a car nap kinda girl, if we have to we will but for the sake of everyone’s sanity its best if she naps at home. She takes a nap about 3-4 hours after she wakes up and she’ll typically nap for 2-3 hours a day. According to the day I will cuddle with her or lay down myself for about the first 30 mins – 1 hour of her nap before I take advantage of her nap time and do all the things I can’t get done when she’s awake (i.e. typing out this blog post LOL)
Cleaning— Something I learned about myself when becoming a SAHM is that I can’t function in clutter. There’s something about the smell of a lavender candle and cleaning products that just puts me at peace. Raelynn loves to dance and so at this time I usually have worship music blasting on Spotify and have a mini dance party with Raelynn to keep her preoccupied.
Burning some energy— This is something new I’ve had to add to our routine since Raelynn turned one, but so she’s not a ball of energy closer to bedtime we have to find someway to burn it off. This varies from day to day according to the weather or according to if I have something else going on. Like most other moms I find haven in Target on days it’s not ideal to go outside. But for the sake of Shawn’s wallet we’ll go to the park or play outside on her tricycle or on her water table. I’m such an introvert/home body (complete opposite of Raelynn) but we try to make it out of the house everyday. This was actually a game changer for me, when I initially had a hard time adjusting to life at home.
Bedtime w/ Daddy— Bedtime is more of Shawn’s rhythm than mine. Considering he works 5 days out of the week I consider this their daily bonding time. We try to have her fed, bathed & down for bed around 9:30 pm. If I’m being honest though this doesn’t happen every night but it’s the goal. Usually if we’re successful it gives Shawn and I plenty of time to compose ourselves and spend time with one another before we go to bed ourselves.
Routines have definitely been a game changer for Raelynn and I but one of the biggest lessons it’s also taught me is to give myself grace! These are the guidelines I’ve set for us, but it’s not concrete. Some days we don’t make bedtime on time or make it out the house or even make it out of pjs (if I’m being really honest) but I’ve learned that it doesn’t make or break us.
These will be the days I’ll miss when this season passes us by. So if you’re a SAHM or even a working mama breathe and remind yourself that God gave you that little one because He knew you had the love they needed.
xo.
Michelle
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