The War on Chaos

I'm of two minds about the chaos of babies and toddlers. On one hand, it makes sense to embrace the mess and work around it - it's only a season. On the other hand, I like to be comfortable at home and a large part of that is ensuring that we are reasonably neat and tidy. There's stress in the mess, I tell you! The balance I've found is a mixture of routines and minding the little things before they can turn into big things.

With that said, I'm fully aware that our routines can look a bit obsessive at a glance. I swear they aren't though! We're busy, but there is flexibility and quality time built into each day - especially the weekends as family time is our priority there. The key I've found is to structure the lists so that they build on each other: daily items make the weekly maintenance easier, weekly maintenance makes the monthly items easier, and the monthly items make the quarterly maintenance easier.

The strategies that I use to keep things in order are:

Daily Cleaning - 18 Tasks
Turning all of the little tasks into a checklist/routine is the easiest way to limit the time and brain power spent on maintaining the house. The whole list takes about an hour and a half to complete, but it's broken up into pieces: 30ish mins morning and evening with a couple other 15 min sections throughout the day.

Weekly Cleaning - 17 Tasks
Hitting every area on a weekly basis helps keep the dirt in check before it can become grime. I usually handle two to three areas per day and the amount of time varies depending on the tasks. Interior areas are scheduled around my busy days in the office, and exterior tasks are fit in on whichever day isn't pouring rain.

Monthly Cleaning - 17 Tasks
To be honest, a good portion of these tasks don't necessarily "need" to be done every month, but it cuts the amount time needed for deep cleaning on a quarterly basis. I shoot for three to four tasks every week, but fit in more whenever feasible.

Daily Routine
The general flow of our day is get up, eat, clean, work, play, eat, clean, (nap) work, play, eat, play, (sleep) clean, work, relax, sleep, repeat. I'm a firm believer in having a predictable routine for everyone's sanity.

Toy Rotation
This is a lifesaver for us! We currently have three toy "stations" in the house: Jr's room, the living room, and my office. Once every week or two I will go through and change out all of the toys and books in each station - some retire to the closet for a couple weeks and others switch stations, but the fresh perspective always seems to help Jr stay interested in his toys for independent playing.

He has so much to say now, but I still can't figure out half of it! Mom fail?

Ever have a feeling that someone is watching you...?

One of Jr's favorite things to help with is feeding the cat.

Yay playdoh!

He loves having company over to "his" house, thankfully I'm still able to get in (and out)!

Sticky window activity!

These mini doughnut muffins are seriously THE BEST! Chris and Jr approved.
(I used butter instead of coconut oil in the muffins and only brushed it on vs dipping them for the cinnamon coating.)

Pregnancy Update

How far along: 27 weeks

Maternity clothes: Oh, yes. I pulled an abdominal muscle last week so I am done with anything putting pressure on my stomach.

Sleep: Not great now that I'm hitting the "every position is uncomfortable" stage. Relaxin (the hormone, not the activity) is making a lot of my joints hurt.

Best moment this week: Our most recent OB appointment went well, little baby kept kicking the doppler while the doctor was trying to check her heartbeat.

Missing anything: Laying flat on my back!!

Movement: Plenty of kicks and jabs, we had our first "ow, that was my rib!" moment.

Cravings: Not anything terribly specific, but holy hunger - some days it seems like I could eat everything in the house and still feel hungry.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing predictable, but there are always a few waves here and there. Oh, and the glucose test drink nastiness.

Gender: A Girl!

Labor signs: A few Braxton Hicks, but nothing unusual.

Symptoms: The third trimester is less than a week away and I'm definitely starting to feel my energy wane. Nesting is kicking in though, so no rest for the pregnant!

Happy or moody: Mostly happy, but my tiredness and general discomfort often gets misread as moody.

Looking forward to: Finalizing the nursery colors! It seems like no one is carrying coral nursery items online or in-store, but I was finally able to order a couple of coral crib sheets from Target. Here's hoping the color looks good in person!

Baby gear/preparations: N-E-S-T-I-N-G. Even when I want to slow down, a lot of days I just can't seem to stop until I'm falling asleep.

Funny moments: Pregnancy brain + a nasty cold + nesting + daylight savings = so much wandering around trying to remember what I was doing. Case in point, it took FOUR trips to the laundry room before I could remember that I was in there to get my chapstick from the diaper bag!

A Day In The Life... 20 Months

I assumed, when starting to blog, that it would be a nice way to look back in time at life as it was. Little did I know just how handy that would be once we had a kid! I've already forgotten so much of the details from when Jr was tiny, it was a fun walk down memory lane last week to look through my older posts from that time. And pregnancy? Fuhgeddaboutit. I think my brain just packed up and left for nine months.

Keeping in mind just how quickly I will forget what life at this point looks like, here's a peek at a "typical" day wrangling a toddler while working from home. 

*Wednesdays are typically insane and only vaguely resemble our normal days - usually involving frenetic paced work for me, an extra Curious George and independent play in the office for Jr, and Chris handling dinner.

6:15/30-7:00am

Jr is up and ready for breakfast. The men have some one-on-one time while Chris makes their breakfast and I snag a few more minutes of sleep. I handle any nighttime disruptions and have the added restlessness of pregnancy (as well as a pillow-thieving husband).

7:00-7:15am

I'm up and making my favorite iced coffee which is nursed through most of the morning. Nothing like extended morning sickness to make you quit the healthy habit of a daily breakfast!

7:15-8:00am

Part One of the morning routine - clean up the aftermath of breakfast, pack a lunch for Chris, make the bed, pick up the bedroom, quick shower, feed the cat (Jr loves helping with this!), fill dog bowls and vacuum the small army of dog hair that has taken up residence in the laundry room/hallway, Chris and Jr let the dogs out to potty, start a load of laundry, change Jr's diaper and get him dressed for the day.

8:00-9:00am

Settle in to work while Jr plays in the office. He's pretty good at playing independently during this time, but also gets a big kick out of sitting on my lap and pretending to type.

9:00-9:30am

Toddler snack time! I'm usually hungry by this point as well and snag some protein to tide me over until lunch. Part Two of the morning routine - unload/load the dishwasher, wipe the kitchen counters, address any spills on the stove and in the microwave, spot check the appliance fronts, sweep the kitchen and entryway, mop the kitchen, quick scrub of the kitchen sink.

9:30-10:00am

Development activities! Usually one of the following per day - coloring, painting, shape/color recognition, playdough, or sensory tub.

10:00-10:45am

Story time and independent play (still supervised) while I complete a weekly cleaning task.

10:45-11:00am

Jr watches Curious George or Puffin Rock while I prepare our lunches.

11:00-11:20/30am

Lunch! We usually FaceTime with Chris unless he comes home for lunch.

11:30-11:40am

Clean up the kitchen, start dishwasher if needed, switch laundry from washer to dryer, start second load if needed, let dogs out, quick toy pick-up, diaper and change for nap.

11:45am-12:05pm

Snuggle time while watching Curious George.

12:05-2:30ish

Quiet time and nap. I head back into the office to catch up on misc items for an hour or so.

1:30-2:30pm

Address any items that are best done without a toddler in tow - mixing cleaners (I make my own daily floor spray, room refresh sprays, granite spray, diaper bin deodorizer), reorganizing cabinets/drawers, disinfecting bathrooms, etc. I've been trying to do more maintenance and cleaning while Jr is awake so he doesn't grow up thinking that elves come in to pick up after him, and we mostly use natural cleaning products in place of highly toxic items, but anything with harmful cleaners is still done while he's asleep.

2:45-3:00pm

Snack time, diaper change, let dogs out.

3:00-4:15pm

If it's nice weather we try to get outside for a walk or pulling weeds while Jr explores the yard. His favorite thing at the moment is collecting rocks to place on the side table by our porch chairs, or bringing handfuls of dirt for me to hold. If it's nasty weather we will stay inside to play tag, hide-and-seek, make pillow forts and obstacle courses - anything to help him burn off some energy before dinner! This is also when I usually handle most of our baking needs as Jr loves to help scoop, pour, and mix. I also pop into the office at some point to make sure there are no pressing issues that "must" be addressed by 5pm.

4:15-5:30pm

Dinner prep while Jr plays with the pantry bins and the Tupperware drawer, or wants to be held so he can see what it is that I'm doing. If Chris gets home early we generally go for a walk.

5:30-6:15pm

Dinner and family time!

6:15-6:30pm

Snuggles and Curious George for Jr with one parent while the other starts bedtime preparations.

6:30-6:45pm

Chris handles bathtime and pj's while I straighten up the main areas and kitchen. 

6:45-7:00pm

I handle bedtime stories and nightly song, which is usually followed by a toddler initiated giggle-fest.

7:00pm

Lights out! Jr has been great about putting himself to sleep, which is fantastic since rocking 25lbs of toddler gets really heavy, really quickly.

Once Jr is in bed, our evenings are very low key. We hang out, putter around the house, and try to have some downtime - both together and separately. A couple nights a week I usually have to head back into the office for 30 mins to an hour.

And that concludes the tour of our (mostly) happy daily life!

What happens when you ask a toddler to say, "Cheese!"

The faces of boredom: Hour 2 at the pediatrician.

No decorative pillow is safe!

Seriously.

Someone has taken to reading on trips in the car!

Pregnancy Update

How far along: 23 weeks

Maternity clothes: A mix of regular and maternity, but I'll admit that maternity items are just more comfortable.

Sleep: Pretty good, aside from my nightly it's-midnight-so-apparently-I-need-to-be-awake-for-an-hour-or-two sessions (which I've decided are prime opportunities for uninterrupted Pinterest-ing).

Best moment this week: A playdate/visit with a friend that I hadn't seen in six months!

Missing anything: Nothing stands out lately... It will be nice to feel "normal" again, but I'm not in any rush for it. I'm trying to enjoy pregnancy a bit more this time, especially since I don't have an outside 9-5 to deal with. Or at least until the dreaded foot swelling sets in again.

Movement: Regular kicks and twists now, but this one seems less active than I remember Jr being at this point. Maybe, in addition to the boy/girl split, we will have one runner and one snuggler.

Cravings: A giant hamburger and Doritos chips, preferably together. I have yet to indulge this one as it seems like a point of no return.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Strong smells and prenatal vitamins, but it seems that round two of morning sickness is on it's way back out.

Gender: No more blue for Baby #2 - we're having a girl!

Labor signs: Nope, just the way I like it.

Symptoms: My nose is still really sensitive and I swear pregnancy brain is taking hold. It feels like I'm thinking in slow motion most of the time. And holy breathlessness, my lungs are starting to feel crushed.

Happy or moody: Still an occasional bout of unexplained waterworks, but mostly keeping an even-keel.

Looking forward to: Starting on the nursery! Step one is deciding on a color scheme, so paint swatches were picked up this past weekend and Pinterest board(s) were created!

Baby gear/preparations: Still just cleaning, organizing, and freezing things.

Funny moments: At my appointment in December, I swear the OB said we would be having the anatomy scan at our next appointment in January. Guess who was pretty darn disappointed when the January appointment was wrapped up without it! My OB (nicely) had a chuckle at my expense: "Oh, honey, that's your next appointment... in February."

"The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life..."

William Morris

Without Loss Of Enthusiasm

The last few months of 2015 were pretty much a blur, thanks in large part to morning sickness and exhaustion. The good news is that life has returned to "normal" and I'm no longer constantly horrified by the state of the house. With that said, we haven't done much in the way of things exciting or newsworthy, but a happy and quiet routine is just fine with me for now. We're hitting the ground running in 2016! Not making resolutions, but the usual lists and goal planning. 

Jr trying to bribe the cat to come out from under the bed with treats, which I found
to be rather impressive logic for an 18 month old.

Christmas pajamas!

Our latest favorite for art, washable paint dabbers!

Sensory play with rolled oats.

Pregnancy Update

How far along: 18 weeks

Maternity clothes: Only the Blanqi support tanks for those pesky ligament pains, but I will probably need to start making the switch soon. It seems like my belly has really started to pop over the last couple weeks.

Sleep: Fragmented and uncomfortable, but reasonably sufficient most nights. I'm sure it would help if I wasn't so thirsty every evening and all through the night, but I can't stand that parched feeling.

Best moment this week: Finally starting to hit that second trimester sweet spot - more energy, less nausea, and not too uncomfortable/tired to get motivated!

Missing anything: Still dreaming of that second cup of coffee, but nothing unbearable. A cold pepper turkey sandwich sounds rather amazing, but is sadly off limits from the listeria potential. I've never been a huge fan of sandwiches, and sandwiches with heated deli meat are even less appealing. BLTs will have to suffice now that I have a source for nitrate-free bacon.

Movement: I started to feel occasional "quickenings!" Which is still the strangest, and yet completely normal, term for those first flutters of movement. I really missed this part of pregnancy.

Cravings: Iceberg lettuce - not romaine, not arugula, just plain old iceberg by the wedge. Cherry tomatoes are still a favorite, but that's not exactly new to pregnancy. Salty things in general, but I'm trying to avoid giving in too often as I'm dreading the water retention/swelling that happened last time around.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The morning sickness has tapered off enough to stop with the B6 combo, but it still tends to make its presence known first thing in the morning and later in the evenings. The smell of food generally doesn't sit well, and I swear I can smell everything the neighborhood is having for dinner when we take an evening walk. Prenatal vitamins are definitely causing nausea, but I take them right as I go to bed so it's not too bad.

Gender: Hopefully this week!

Labor signs: No additional Braxton Hicks since I've been much more attentive to staying hydrated.

Symptoms: A little tired and vaguely nauseated, but overall pretty darn good. WEIRD dreams most nights, a super sensitive nose, and my abdomen has been pretty tender. Ligament pains come and go, but seem to be easing up compared to how they were a couple weeks ago.

Happy or moody: Thankfully, the emotional roller coaster has pretty much leveled out. The fact that I am rarely ever moved to tears by a movie has been a running joke for years - and I am so happy to return to that version of normal!

Looking forward to: The next ultrasound! Hopefully this little one will cooperate so we can find out the gender. Once that happens, I can start planning whether the guest room will be converted to a play room or a nursery.

Baby gear/preparations: I've been trying to get a head start on nesting - mostly through organizing, deep cleaning, and testing new freezer meals.

Funny moments: We hosted Christmas dinner this year, and for some reason* I was pretty much left to my own devices for the planning. Christmas Day it dawned on me, one hour before my parents arrived and four hours before the other guests would be arriving, that I had completely neglected to plan any finger foods. Luckily, between both of our kitchens, my mom and I were able to whip up a decent snack spread - which was a good thing since dinner ended up being almost an hour late! Prime rib for 20 is not exactly my area of expertise.
(*Considering that my family is fully aware how hard pregnancy brain hit me last time, I'm taking very little responsibility for either kerfuffle.)

"I think in terms of the day's resolution, not the years'."
Henry Moore