This week Neil went back to work and so did I! A stay at home mom IS work, am I right mama’s? Some of you even found that out first hand these last few months.
The day after Scarlett was born the whole world shut down and I had my husband home with me til now! I have to be honest, I was absolutely petrified last week for him to go back. I remember when I had Silas I was so overwhelmed. So now, even just thinking of what it would be like with a new born, a 2 year old and a 6 year old all by myself scared me to death. And while I was blessed to have Neil home the last 3 months, in some ways it made me even more fearful to do this job.
But here is what I knew…I knew I had to do 3 things before I went into this to be successful. One, I needed to wake up this first week with a straightened home so I didn’t start the day off feeling out of sorts. Secondly, I needed to start my day early before the kids woke up to have my coffee, listen to worship music and talk to God alone. (Starting the day calm and peaceful would make all the difference.) And third, I needed to find our “rhythm”.
Spoiler Alert: I did!
What We Did:
I know how hard it can be finding a schedule that works, so I wanted to share what worked for us. Of course it won’t work for everyone but I know lots of mom’s looking for ways to do their day- especially when there is more then one child.
A day in the life:
- 7 AM wake, coffee and quiet time for me.
- 8 AM Kids up- breakfast for them while I tackle my daily chore (whether it’s laundry day, bathroom day, dust day etc I like to break it up)
- 8:30 AM Let them watch a show and I get ready for the day and get out what they need to get them ready
- 9:30 AM Get everyone else ready
- 10/10:30 AM Get outside- whether a walk and the library or time at the pool- we just had to get out! The day it rained I made them change their scenery and play in the basement with all those toys they forget sometimes forget they have.
- 12/12:30 PM Come home and have lunch and a little screen time
- 1/1:30 PM Silas down for his nap while Jameson has the rest of his screen time for the day. (This is where I tackle anything I want to do)
- 4 PM After nap, a little play time while I prep dinner
- 5 PM Dinner Time
- 6 PM After dinner, back outside for an hour
- 7 PM The boys in for fun time in the tub while I clean up anything left from dinner and get PJ’s and Bottle ready
- 8 PM Silas bottle and bedtime routine and Jameson has snack and TV time and then bed for him an hour later
**By the way, Scarlett was basically strapped to me in the Baby Bjorn most of the day unless she was eating, in her swing or sleeping. That thing is a lifesaver! I’m not sure i’d get much done without it.
So there it is…Hopefully you can use this to shape your day in a way that works for you.
Anyway guys, I couldn’t believe I did it. In finding my rhythm, I found even more of myself. I found that what I once feared was actually something that empowered me. After that first day, I texted my mom and sister and said “I was so scared to do this alone but I killed it! I feel so accomplished!”
What God Taught Me:
God reminded me through this experience that challenges have the ability to change us and make us better. I’ve read the verse a million times in the book of James about this but sometimes we need to live it out many times before it sticks. It’s never easy to consider anything hard as joyful but we should. The verse reads:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
So ladies, here’s to the next time we have something challenging to face! That we always remember God will use it to make us braver, stronger, better and most importantly, more complete.
What I wore:
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