Our Daily Schedule

It's been a long while since I have done a day in my life post so time for the update! I have to say, I'm not overly satisfied with one aspect of our current routine. I never would have guessed my beautiful, tiny toddler could become so demanding, throw so many tantrums, and believe she could not live without the television being on. That's right. Dora the explorer has caused many issues in our house.

For a period of almost 2 months, I was very sick (pneumonia) and was doing what I could just to survive the day. Unfortunately, I did turn to TV for entertainment for our family. Now that I am healthy, I am ready for the TV to be off and return to our normal, with the TV on minimally. That has become a huge undertaking that I don't necessarily have the energy for quite yet. I'm slowly weaning though!

So, despite knowing how much TV we watch, here is what a typical week day looks like:

6:10am: My hubby's alarms start going off. I mentally prepare that I will be getting up soon with Riley, our 5 month old.

6:30am: I'm up for the day with Riley. I change, feed, and rock him. I pray he takes this time to sleep (while he can) before our toddler is up. He says, "not a chance, mom."

7:30am: Payton is up and refusing to get dressed, for now. I start a load of laundry, feed the dogs, and feed our 2 outdoor cats.

I get breakfast going and Riley falls asleep while we eat.

8:15am: With Riley still sleeping and Payton fed, I convince Payton to get dressed for the day. She currently believes tutus are the best clothing items ever (and on a toddler, I can't help but agree). She makes sure to rock her tutu and spends the rest of the day twirling sporadically.

I spend some time cuddling with her while she watches Dora. Sigh. At least I am getting some 1:1 time with her and get to hold her. She also requires her dolls to sit with us.

9am: Both kids are awake. Payton plays while I change and feed Riley. We all play cars together.

10am: I workout. Before the obsession with TV, Payton worked out with me. We would do Zumba, just dance to music, and/or workout DVDs. She now has less interest in this so I now use the elliptical while Payton plays in the room. Riley hangs out next to me during this time. 

After taking the fastest shower known to man, I start making lunch.

11:15am: We eat lunch. Riley typically falls asleep again.

When I am done eating I start kitchen chores while I wait for Payton to finish. I empty and reload the dishwasher, plan supper for the evening, and start making homemade applesauce in the crockpot. I also make a quick dash to move laundry from the washer to the dryer.

12-1pm: I try to find something to really wear our kids out before Payton has quiet time (since she doesn't nap). I prefer getting outside but weather makes this impossible. Today, we play-doh.

Bonus points for no TV being used! :)

1pm: Quiet time. Payton spends an hour in her room, on her bed, reading and playing with her babies. Sometimes, she sleeps, but usually she plays until her hour is up. Riley sleeps during this time as well. I have a list of things I should do, but I typically rest.

While I relax, I find a picture from 5 years ago (thanks Facebook time hop) and ponder how much has changed since that picture:

Oh, if only I could tell my past self what was to come! My 2 dogs babies are still my first babies but now there are 2 kids and 2 outside cats in the mix. There has also been 1 move (in the same town) and both sides of the family have expanded!

2-3pm: We all play together as a family after I finish another round of changing and feeding Riley. When the mixed berry applesauce is done, we pair this with some string cheese and call it our snack.

The rest of the day is a blur really, it flies by so fast.

3:30pm: Daddy comes home. I never know who's more excited, the kids or me?

Payton and I head to town to deliver some homemade gifts to those close to us in town. I went with a homemade popcorn mix this year.

4:45pm: Like clockwork, I start supper while Monte supervises the kids. Today, we actually switched roles and the hubby cooks homemade pizza. I made the dough previously (and pulled it from the freezer the night before) but he does the rest. Payton loves to help with this meal.

5:30pm: We eat.

6:45pm: We start bath/bedtime routine.

7:30pm: Payton goes to bed. I lay with her and we talk until she falls asleep (typically within 20 mins). Then, I rock Riley and put him to bed.

Both kids are typically asleep for the night by 8:30pm. I enjoy my husband, the quiet, and some tv shows that are not cartoons. By 9pm, I miss both my kids terribly and contemplate waking one of them. Deciding against this, I make my way to bed. Sometimes I get to sleep until 4-5am or until 11pm, depends on the night and when the next kids wakes!

This is our typical week! We are home most of the week except for 1 morning each week when we head to our local library for story time. We also have a sitter that comes 1-2 afternoons per week to watch the kids while I work. I also take Payton to run errands with me after the hubby comes home 1-2 nights per week.

This may not be the right life for everyone, but it's a perfect fit for me! 

My Week of Personal Trials

Wow, I have really been struggling lately. Although I am so blessed and thankful for the life God has provided me with, some weeks are just hard. Really. Hard. I struggle with even writing this post as sometimes it's just easier to sweep the bad stuff under the rug. Some challenges I've been facing:

Pneumonia

I went to the doctor the other day after having chest pains. Coincidentally, my jaw hurt as well, which can be a sign of a female having heart issues. By the time I saw the doctor, I was very scared I was having heart issues. I didn't want to have a heart attack while home with the kids. Can you imagine how bad that scenario would be?

It turned out my heart is good and strong, but I wasn't healthy. I was sick with pneumonia. This was so hard to hear because it's impossible these days for me to slow down with 2 young kiddos. Being sick and still taking care of kids ranks as one of the hardest things to do, in my book.

And flash forward another 3 days... Our whole house had pneumonia. The fun continues...

Eeek, a Mouse

Living in the country has brought its fair share of wildlife. It's better when observed outside, but when it comes inside, it's a whole other story. 

I was preparing for my in-laws to visit by making our guest bedroom downstairs. As I went up the stairs I found my daughter and dog sitting on the stairs. Our daughter was petting our dog, who was sprawled out messing with something. That something turned out to be a mouse. I quickly got everyone upstairs and shut the door for my husband to deal with the situation later.

I really don't care for mice. My husband did clean up when he came home (thanks love) and we have set traps in case there were more. We are all relieved that the traps have not been set off and there have been no more sightings.

Crying

I don't know if it's the combo of all of the above, providing around the clock care for two active, young children, the weather keeping us inside more, and/or hormones but I have had a week of crying. My days feel challenging. Sometimes a good cry helps.

It's just one bad week, not a bad life. Thank goodness for a toddler who will hold my hand, an infant who can find the humor in any situation, and a husband who works by night as a superhero.

Halloween

I hope you had a great weekend! It was great to have Halloween fall on a Saturday this year! We kept it low key though as our our 3 month old and toddler can only handle so much.

Payton was Cinderella and Minnie Mouse for Halloween (both outfits were given to her by her cousins). Riley was a monkey. He slept through all events!

At our community trunk or treat, Payton got to meet Ana and Elsa and she was star struck! She had no idea what to say and just stared at them! We also took Payton to a church fall festival where she bounced in the bounce house, won a cake at the cake walk, and rode a horse!

I ended our day with the kids watching Halloween themed children's shows in my bedroom until bedtime. The hubby had a banquet to attend so I was on my own. The kids had a blast and Payton continues to wear her costumes around the house!

The Pumpkin Patch

Over the weekend we took our little family, along with grandma, to our local pumpkin patch. The weather was perfectly set in the high 60s and the wind was minimal. Add that to both of our kids acting phenomenally well and you get a perfect fall outing. Okay, Payton did have a huge meltdown leaving the bounce house but that was at the end of our time at the pumpkin patch. We still counted the day as a total win in our books.

We love having grandma visit and were sad to see her go back home. Payton loves doing any activity with grandma!

We hope to see her again in a few weeks as we head back to my hometown. This week will be a busy one with fun Halloween activities and my husband's parents coming to visit. I'm also continuing to work on projects around the house (finally decorating our front porch) and enjoying sweet moments with my babies as I go.

Riley Turns 3 Months

This week our littlest little turned 3 months. To ring in the occasion, we spent the evening at the park! I packed a picnic supper and we loaded up the kids and headed for town.

We had the best time, ever. 

In true Riley fashion, he slept for most of our time at the park! We fed the ducks, went down the slide more times than we can count, got dizzy spinning around, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Seriously, both kids laughed! This was the first time Riley had really giggled. This was the highlight of our day. We are so blessed.

Happy 3 months Riley! You are such a happy baby and love to talk, talk, talk. You hate naps but sleep (mostly) through the night already. You eat very well and have grown like crazy! You are currently a few pounds shy of the current weight of your sister, who is 2 1/2 years old. You are most definitely our chunk of love and we love you so much more than words could ever say.

A Wedding & Running With a Bit of Color

We had a busy weekend. So busy that I'm looking forward to winter coming and being able to slow down and be stuck indoors. For the most part. The other half of me loves fall and all that comes with it!

We had a wedding to attend over the weekend. It's really one of the few weddings we have gone to since having our daughter. Weddings are hard with kids and they typically go way past our children's (and my own) bedtime. We decided to allow that for this one. Our kids both had a blast. I don't know when my daughter decided to no longer be shy, but it was so sweet to watch her seek out interactions and dancing with other children.

It's always makes me reminiscent of my own wedding day as I watch a couple commit themselves to one another. I can't believe how quickly time has gone since my own wedding. It will soon be 7 years ago!

On Sunday, I joined a friend for a color run. It was a rough run for me as temps were record high for October and the run was in the middle of the afternoon. It was hot! I was also exhausted from almost no sleep the night before. The race did go on and I am proud to put another 5k in the books!

With such a busy weekend behind us, I decided the kids (and I) definitely needed a day at home. So that's just what we did! We painted some and lounged most of the day away!

...The End of Our Week

I started off the week with plans to do just a week recap post, but our days have been so busy (and so fun) that I broke the post into two parts. Here is the start of our week.

Thursday landed us right on my birthday! I am not a huge fan of my own birthday but Payton really wanted cake. We settled for making our homemade diabetic lime pie that I love.

It was delicious and super easy to whip up, especially with a toddler! An added bonus is that it's a no bake.

I really did enjoy my birthday! We spend it doing all the things I love! We made food, lounged around, and spent time outdoors. 

On Friday, I took the kids to the library and a local parade. It had been a long time since Payton's last parade and she was so excited to go! She loved seeing all the vehicles go by and getting candy! She is too nervous to go in the street to get candy  though so I have to pull them all within reach for her.

Riley didn't happen to see any of the parade:

On Saturdays, Payton and I are in a dance class (at least until November). It's a mommy and me dance class and we are loving it. I get much more of a workout than I bargained for though! We ran some errands afterwards before coming home to watch some football!

After a crazy week, today has been quiet. We plan to relax all day to prepare for the craziness of another week.