When the Crazies were first born, I always wondering what other Moms of Multiples did with their days.

Was I letting them sleep too much?  Is there any such thing as “too much sleep?”  Was I feeding them at intervals that were too close together?  Was I keeping them up too late?  When did other Moms shower?  Did they get out of the house?  What is “normal?”

The Crazies were my first babies, so on top of the multiples thing, I also had to contend with the fact that I had no clue what babies did in the first place.  It wasn’t pretty!

So, I vowed to myself, in those deep dark newborn days, that I would blog about our daily schedule to help mothers who were wondering the same thing.

I never did it though because who remembers anything in the throes of multiple newborn-ness??  Not I!

So, even though I failed miserably on my personal blog, I figure that it’s actually more fitting to post it here.  I stay at home, so I’m sure that mine is MUCH different from that of a working Mom.  I’d love to hear your responses and what you all do with your days!

6:00 – I wake up.  Everyone thought I was crazy for getting up earlier than the Crazies.  Why not get as much sleep as possible, right?  It’s just that I love this time alone.  I get my coffee.  I read some blogs.  I prepare mentally for the day.  God knows that I need mental preparation most days!  Most of the time I shower at night, but sometimes this allows me some time to shower without interruption too…we all know that’s a little gem of life, right?  A shower…alone…in peace…love it!

7:05 – Crazies Wake up – We started having a bit of trouble with Crazies waking up at the crack of dawn, but we got these awesome owls and the Crazies were eventually “trained” to stay quiet and in bed until their owls turned green.

7:05 – 7:30ish – Get dressed, brush teeth, brush hair, and argue about which “pals” will make their way downstairs.  We’ve always been a “no lovies downstairs” family, so there is a fight some mornings.  Oh, and the Crazies love to bring every last item from their room downstairs, so that’s been an issue too.  I will reign supreme!!!

7:30 – 8:00 – Crazies watch Mickey on TV while I get dressed and ready.

8:00 – I make breakfast.

8:15 – We all eat breakfast.  This is a total hodgepodge of begging them to eat fruit, reminding them to use their manners, asking them to eat their vitamins, and keeping an eye on the clock…always keeping an eye on the clock.

8:35 – Shoes and socks.

8:40 – Jackets

8:45 – In the car.  Every single day (weather permitting), we get out of the house.  Two days a week, the Crazies are in preschool.  Another two days, we go to the gym.  The other day (typically Friday), we do food shopping or see a friend, or run some other sort of errand.  From early on, I found it extremely important to get out of the house every single day.  It was daunting at first, but you get into a rhythm, the Crazies enjoy it, and it gets me some other interaction besides yelling at speaking with 3.5 year old children.

9:00 – 9:15 – Arrive at our destination.  Unbuckle Crazies.  Get them out on one side of the car (a luxury since they’re a bit more self-sufficient), desperately grasp at hands through the parking lot, ask them to stop running, beg them to watch out for pedestrians, and finally pass them off to someone else.

11:30 (it’s not always this long, but preschool is 2.5 hours, so I’m going with that) – Pickup from destination, shout to slow down while they’re careening towards the parking lot, make them hold hands, throw them in the car, buckle them in, give a snack, give sippies, give them the rundown on the rest of our plans for the day (this is an old “teacher trick” where I tell them what we’re going to to/eat/talk about and expect them not to complain when it happens).

12:00 – 12:30 – Serve lunch.

12:30 – 1:30 – Free time…play, Legos, artwork, go outside, watch a program (earned privilege or out of necessity if I need to shower after the gym), play “house” in the basement, or any combination of these things that turn my house into an absolute wreck.

1:30 – 1:45 – Nap Time/Quiet Time.  Matt still needs a nap.  Hailey does not.  He still wears a pullup.  Hailey does not.  He likes to be tucked in for his nap.  Hailey slams the door in my face and tells me she needs her “alone time.”  Even with all of that, it’s still the most pleasant time of my day b/c I know I have two hours of silence coming my way.

3:30 – 4:00 – Crazies emerge from their slumber.

4:00 – Snack time.

4:30 – Activity…outside, errand, art time, painting, “house,” “picnic,” reading, board games, etc.

5:30 – Start to get cleaned up for dinner.  This entails getting them in from outside (if applicable…this sometimes takes a half hour…no exaggeration).  This could also entail cleaning up the living room putting their toys away, or just ignoring me for half an hour.

6:00 – Dinner…Husband handles this two nights a week as I tutor.  He’s a rock star.  By the time dinner rolls around, I’m typically out of patience.

6:45 – Finish dinner, clean up dishes, have special treat (if Crazies finished their dinner), run around like caffeinated lab mice, clean up more toys, fight, cry, whine, you know the drill.

7:00 – Upstairs for baths.  Sometimes they like to have baths together and sometimes they’re separate.  We kind of leave it up to them.  We only wash their hair every other night…is that gross?  LOL…hope not as I just put it all over the internet!

7:40 – Baths are over.  Brush teeth, hair, floss, read books, argue about what book to read, argue about whether or not to go to bed.

7:55 – Get into your own bed (we’re in big beds in separate rooms…it was necessary based on the fact that we neglected to purchase toddler bed kits and can’t fit two twin beds in one bedroom).

8:00 – Lights out (if Husband can stop reading to Matt long enough for me to tell him that it’s time…he loves that time with the Crazies as he leaves before the sun comes up).

8:05 – Shut doors.

8:10 – Open door for someone to poop.

8:12 – Roll eyes when said child was faking.

8:15 – Tell Hailey that she will not get any more lotion on her feet nor will she be getting a drink.  Feel slightly guilty when she says that she’s “soooo hungry,” but remind yourself that she didn’t eat her dinner and that natural consequences will mean more to her than giving her a cheese stick (yes, I’m mean…whatever).

8:20 – Tell Hailey that she needs to stop crying and go to bed, that I don’t care if she’s not tired, that it’s time for bed or I’m going to start taking her stuffies out of her room.

8:30 – Pour wine.

Worst things about this age:

  • The arguing…everything is an argument.
  • They’re smart enough to remember things you’ve said and will call you out if you don’t follow through on your promises.
  • The blatant ignoring of instructions, requests, and other important information that we’re trying to convey.
  • The egocentric nature of 3.5 year old children.
  • Some weird phobias start to creep in.
  • Sharing is either 100% or 0%.  They are either angels or devils.

Best things about this age:

  • They really start to “get it.”
  • They’re funnier than they ever have been.
  • The ability to start to take responsibility for their own things.
  • Their pretend play.
  • Their increase in creativity.
  • The ability to show love to each other and us.

 

So, how about you?  What does your current schedule look like?  Do you like seeing other schedules?