What's Your Day-to-day Look Like?

My two oldest children are 11 months apart. And when they were that age everything was scheduled around them. All activities had to stop in the afternoon so they could nap, we ate meals when they would be the hungriest, and my life became their life. Outings,even for a playdate had to be when I knew they would be at their best ( usually mornings ).I didn't do things that interfered with their schedule, mostly for my own sanity. It was challenging for awhile but it all worked out and now their 6 and 7.

Hi K.,
I have 5 kids, 8,3.5, 19month twins, and a 5month old. Our day is pretty routine. The twins get up first around 7-7:30ish and eat breakfest and then play together. My oldest is up at 7:30 and getting ready for school, usually by this time the 3.5 yo is up and eats with the older one. After that the 3.5 plays with the twins doing whatever and I take the older one to school and maybe stop by the store before my husband leaves for work. When I get back we play a little longer and then the twins lay down for a nap around 10-10:30ish. Once they are down I get the 3.5 a snack and take a shower and do any cleaning up that needs to be done. When the twins get up around 12-12:30ish it's then lunch time for everyone. After lunch we just do some more playing or an activty that I got off of Familyfun.com. Coloring or whatever. When the weather gets warmer, they have to go outside after lunch to play. Around 3:30 we leave to go get the older one from school. When we all get home she starts her homework, the 3 yo eaither helps me or plays by herself. I start the first round of dinner, for the twins, and baths for the twins and baby. After baths, the twins eat dinner and the older girls have a snack. The twins then go to bed around 6-6:30, I try to keep them up until 7, but since they no longer will take an afternoon nap, I just can't. After the twins go to bed, I find some time to help with homework, or play with the older 2, (our baby is usually attached to my hip) and then we do baths for then and dinner when my husband gets home. Then the older one is off to bed around 8:30 and the 3 yo is up until about 9ish. Somedays she lays down to take a nap, but I can't always get her to any more. When she was younger she did lay down for an afternoon nap and so did the twins (at the sametime!) That way I had some time to myself to really get things cleaned up. We usually don't go many places when it's just me, because it's just me. But when I only had 2 kids we did Chuck E Cheese a lot, you can sign up for email coupons and all that good stuff. We also went to the park to play, but now we have our own in our backyard. But another thing we did was go to the library, they usually have fun things going on during the day for kids. Good luck trying to keep the busy, but I'm sure you'll find something!

Its funny, because I have just subscribed to Flylady.net and she totally stresses the importance of a routine and this past month I have noticed a great difference in the amount of stuff we are able to get done.
I have to two schedules a two nap and a one nap schedule for those days when things are a bit off (3yr & 18 mo.)
I am extremely thankful that my kids sleep in until 8:15 and they will both take naps still.
Our morning routine involves
1. Showers, dressing- anything that has to be done upstairs
2. breakfast and dishes- my kids are learning where their stuff goes, and love to help.
3. Dora The Explorer while mommy works on the computer
4. Morning nap if we have one
or
play with toys (we have some toys that are accessible all the time)
5. Lunch
6. Nap time (if we are only having one nap, it happens right after lunch
or
Play with toys mommy picks (this is when we would get out the stuff that is put out of reach: play dough, puzzles, train set, legos, shaving cream, crayons, etc.)
Then do the afternoon nap.(if you get two)
7. then thay go back to playing with kid choice stuff until Daddy comes homeso I can be figuring out dinner stuff
8. Eat dinner
9. we try to do stuff all together before bedtime: take a walk, play a game, watch a short movie, read stories
10. We like to have everyone dressed and in bed quiet by 8pm and then we can have all night to do whatever we want.

Of course some days we have friends over, and some doys we run errands, but thats our basic life.
We tend to be home in the afternoon a lot.
But really I only have the mommy toy time in the early afternoon and at night after dinner that my kids get my individed attention. Otherwise I expect them to entertain themselves quite a bit. Which hopeful will be habit they can keep when the new baby comes in April.

Right now our kids are 5, 6, 7 and 9. So when they were in the age range of your kids it was crazy - we had three kids in diapers, etc. The best advice I can give is to have a set schedule and routine for everything (eating, sleeping, playtime, etc.) Obviously, there will be times when things don't go as scheduled, but when we stuck to the schedule everyone was in a better mood and things went smoother. It really helps being a SAHM because it's easier to stick to a set routine. The bad news is that the older the kids get the harder it is to stick to a set routine. My husband has been a stay-at-home dad for almost 10 years now and he says it was easier when the kids were little.

My kids are 7 months and 18 months. My 7 month old takes a nap in the morning and afternoon. Luckily, he'll nap in the stroller still if we go somewhere. My 18 month old just takes the 1 afternoon nap and will sleep in the car but not in the stroller. So, basically, I do whatever it takes to not screw up naptime. I think that is the most important. So, if we need to go somewhere, we do it in the morning. If I know I am going somewhere in the morning, I get up when my husband does for work and get ready while he still there just in case one of the kids gets up. When the kids get up, we do breakfast and then get dressed and take off. We do lunch out or come home for lunch and they both go down for naps. When they wake up, it is snack time for the 18 month old. I let him eat his snack and watch cartoons. Then, we play (no TV) and then it is dinner. After dinner, we play and we watch one cartoon before bedtime. Sometimes my 18 month old gets a snack before bed too.
If we are home in the morning, I let them watch a couple cartoons (I think the best cartoons are on in the morning). This is usually 1 hour. We usually play during that time too. Then I turn TV off again. I really notice the difference when the TV is on and off. When the TV is off, that is when my 18 month old seems to learn the most.
I am only home 2 days a week with the kids, so I try to stay home with them one day and get out with them the other day. In the winter, we do the mall, the jumpy place, lunch with friends, visit with friends, or play in the snow. In the summer, it will be much better to just go outside.
You must be having a blast with those 2 and are probably quite tired too! I am already seeing how fun it is going to be when my 2 can start interacting more. Have fun!

Hi K., I am a mom of three boys, Gavin (8),Ian (7), and Liam (2). My first two are only 17 months apart, but I remember very vividly what it was like to be home with them both when they were your boys ages. They were both very good sleepers so I was blessed to have at least two hours to get the house in order each day. We made frequent trips to friends and family and the mall has a great little toddler area where I could hang out with other mom's too. In the winter it is a great place to sit and relax while the little one's tire out for a nap. IT GETS EASIER. We read a lot of books and learned a lot from the Veggie Tales Videos.

So funny, i was just looking to ask this. I want to know if i'm too busy with them, too busy doing stuff without them, not engaging them with activity enough or "doing" too much. What does a typical week look like for you other moms...
I have a girl-just turned 4, boy-just turned 2 and my baby is 11 months. We get up/eat/playtime - with and without me./lunch/play - sometimes activity (art/playdough/writing) - nap / up and cleanup / helping with dinner/playing - getting dishes out / playtime with dad / bedtime routine. I think i'm doing too little with them. But i don't know what else to do...i want to do things with my 4 year old for writing, finger paints/etc. but T's to young and doesn't listen well...so, K., I'm kinda waiting to see what your answers bring...thanks for bringing it up!

Hi!

I have a son who is 27 months old and a daughter who is 11 1/2 months old. This is my basic schedule. I have been trying to figure out how to better spend my time with them during their awake times so any input in that area would be appreciated! There's not much detail in the times they're awake because there is not much structure for those times here. I need to work on that...

6:15am - DH wakes me up after he gets out of the shower. (I'm trying to start getting up when he does at about 5:45 to have a little time to myself b4 the kids wake, but it hasn't happened yet)I make coffee and get out bibles for morning reading with DH.
6:45-7 - Let DS come out of the kids room (my kids share a room, he has probably been awake for 15-30 minutes by the time I let him come out. He drinks his milk and watches cartoons.
7:20 - Get DS to eat breakfast (if it's a good day).
7:30 - Get DD up and give her her milk in her bouncey seat, change DS
7:45-8 - Feed DD breakfast and feed DS (if it's already one of those days). :o)
8:30 - Change DD, both kids watch cartoons/play.
10:30 - DD goes down for morning nap; DS and I vacuum/sweep together, I change him out of his pjs
11:00 - DS drinks milk and watches a video while I take a shower.
11:30 - DS and I eat lunch, possibly do some coloring.
12:00 - DD gets up for milk and lunch.
12:30 - Change DD out of pjs, playtime again! I play with my kids but they tire of me after about 5-10 minutes; they're both pretty independent. DS follows DD around and takes toys away from her.
2:00 - Story time with DS while DD watches a video in living room, naptime for DS.
2:15 - "Play" time with DD (it's actually physical therapy but she doesn't know that!)
3:00 - naptime for DD
3:15 - I rush around trying to do way to much before DS wakes.
4-4:30 - DS wakes up, has a snack
5:00 - I start preparing dinner
5:30 - DD wakes up, has bottle
6:00 - dinner for everyone, DH included if he happens to be home in time
6:30 - clear the table
6:35 - family play time in the living room
7:30 - kids' bath time
8:00 - stories and bed time
8:15 - I (and sometimes DH) finish cleaning kitchen
8:30 - red wine and tv most nights!
10:00 - pass out on couch
10:30 - one of us wakes up and wakes the other one up and we get ready for bed, check on the kids, then go to bed.

~J.

Hello K.! I'm a stay at home mom of two boys 5 and 3 years old, and twins on the way. We start the day with getting dressed then breakfast, dishes, then I get a shower. We usually play a game, do a craft, read books, just something together. Then it is lunch and I bring my 5 year old to school. My younger son naps when we get home and then it is moms quiet time. Oh yes, it is wonderful! I start dinner at about 4-4:30 and that is when my 5 year old gets dropped off by a mom I car pool with. My husband gets home, we eat dinner and I clean up while the kids have some dad time depending on the day. My older son also does hockey and is involved in Awana at our church so that takes up Tue. Wed. and Sat. I love our schedule and would not change a thing. I just wish I had a little more time with adults.

Hi, K.. My children are 20 months apart. I have a daughter who is almost 3-1/2 and a son who is 21 months. Things definitely got easier when my son dropped his morning nap, around 15 months old, so maybe you are there or close. Our days look like this. I get up about 6:00 so I can shower and be ready to go when the kids get up. Both kids now get up between 7-8:30 (every morning is different), eat breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed. Out of the house 3-4 mornings by around 9:00. My daughter has preschool M,W,F, so when we drop her off at 9:15, my son and I either go to a playgroup through Fenton's SKIP program, McDonald's playland, the library, the mall, Target, or VG's. We usually stay out until I pick my daughter up at 11:45. We get home about 12:00, eat lunch, hang out (read, puzzles, play). My son takes a nap around 1:00 (give or take) and sleeps until 3 or 4 (again, everyday is different). I put my daughter down for a nap around 1:30 (we read and color in bed and she usually falls asleep between 2-2:30) and she'll sleep until 3 or 4 (some days she doesn't take a nap at all, though). When they wake up we have snack and then play again. We rarely go back out after naps because I start dinner. My husband gets home around 6:00. We have started a music class through Kindermusic that is Th from 4:30-5:20. Early evenings are definitely the hardest for me. I could use some pointers on getting through the evenings until my husband gets home. Coffee usually works, but I hate relying on caffeine all the time. I don't allow a lot of TV time. Sometimes 8-8:30 when my daughter first wakes up. Then again a short video sometime after dinner, depending on the day. I try to limit no more than 2 hours total per day, but I like to stay under that. I really feel better when I get out of the house. This is my second year being a SAHM, and I've always worked full-time as a teacher, so getting up and out just makes me feel "whole." We occasionally go to the Hartland Pool, and there's a new gymnastics studio that has open gym time from 3-7 on Saturdays. It's called Phoenix Gym and we've done that. Both kids love the in-floor trampoline. When we're just hanging around the house, we play Dora, puzzles, baby dolls, lots of coloring, play doh is a huge hit, sidewalk chalk on a broken down box of diapers. My house is basically a gym, too. I have a playhouse, slide, mini trampoline in the house for physical activity. My daughter also rides her scooter around. This time of year is really horrible, because I refuse to take the kids outside to play in the snow when it's 15 degrees. That's why we go out to "indoor" places to play, but at least the change of pace is good for all of us. About 7:45 p.m. the kids have a snack (cereal or such), brush teeth, read, jammies, upstairs by 8:30. My daughter loves to read herself to sleep, so she doesn't fall asleep until 9 or 9:30. My son will tumble around by himself in his crib and usually is asleep by 9:00. The later nights is probably what keeps them sleeping longer in the mornings. Right now since I don't work, the later mornings are wonderful. Plus, both of them put themselves to sleep, so even though they are falling asleep later, I'm back in the family room relaxing a little after 8:30.

Well my kids are 19 months apart. and if you ever need any advice you can email me at ____@____.com

My kids are now 4 and almost 3.

My son (2) wakes at 6-7am and we watch cartoons and I fed him breakfast, then my daughter wakes 7:30-8pm and the same routine with her. Then we get dressed, the kids play together or color and I straighten up the house... We read some books or play some pc games, then my son takes a 10am nap... My daughter and I read or play pc games and then I shower and get dressed and make lunches... I eat with my daughter and then I do some laundry, my son wakes he eats, and once he is done it's time to take my daughter to preschool (every other day m,w,f) then my son and I once a week head to the library where we play puzzles, read and pick out books and do pc games. then we come home get food ready for dinner. and then pick up my daughter...I make dinner we eat...we all hang out watch a movie, do something..then baths books, and bed at 7:30pm

Hi K.~
I have two kids that are 19 months apart and I remember I how crazy it was at first..But now I would change a thing. Now my kids are 4 and 3 plus I have a 6 month old. We do the morning thing around 8:30 when the kids get up and then lunch around 12:00 to 12:30 then everyone goes to nap..even if they dont sleep they have to lay down in their beds. I like to call the Mommy time. They baby is almost on the same schedule give or take a few minutes. For the most part the kids will watch cartoons in the morning for about an hour then they like to play with their stuff, or do art projects, color..My 4yr old goes to preschool on Tue/Thur so I go to the store when with only two kids :) Sometimes I take all three. I hope this helps.

my kids are 18 months apart... my daughter is 2 and my son is 8 months.. My daughter is a sleeper, my son doesnt sleep as much.

the baby gets up at 630 eats plays...naps from ###-###-#### eats plays... naps from 2-4 eats plays and is in bed by 630-700

my daughter gets up at 730 eats breakfast plays.. eat lunch naps from 12-3 eats dinner goes to bed by 730.

Of course this si a perfect day and no day is perfect.. sometimes the baby doesnt sleep as much somedays he sleeps more..

We rarely leave the house.. it is too hard to get both kids in the car and where we are going. And the double stroller is not easy to push..

I have a nanny that comes 1 day a week and that day I get out and do all of my errands. I do the weekly grocery shopping and also take myself out to lunch. It si the highlight of my week.

I put on a barney video for my duaghter when I nurse my son (for his morning nap) that will usually keep her occupied till I am done with the baby.

On good days we dont turn on the TV.. on bad days.. (mom feels yucky, daughter is whiny... we watch a lot of TV.

My biggest problem is that my son and daughter do not nap at the same time.. he sleeps ###-###-#### she sleeps 12-3 and then he sleeps 2-4-- So I get a little break time but not much..

If we do go out.. We go out first thing in the morning before my son is tired. We occasionally go to the mall to the play area, or the library for story time. MOstly we stay home.

My son was born 6/11 so last summer he would still nap in the stroller or the snuggli so it was easier to go out with him in the morning.

I am hoping that i can shorten his morning nap by spring summer so we can all be out in the morning.