The Swoggers: Day in the Life

Whoever it was that warned me that adjusting to having 2 kids might be difficult was right. It has taken me a while. But I finally feel like I have a routine that is working for all 4 of us. Since being back from the east coast, I have worked hard at keeping a good rhythm in our days and week, both for the kids and myself. One thing I realized while we were gone is that whatever routine I had fallen into after the baby was born was not working. I was always tired, cranky and feeling like I was just barely getting by. Our house was a disaster most days of the week, we were eating meals with a lot of cheese, so we all felt gross too. Oh, and I was really really sick of my dog, which was sad and frustrating. I love love love having 2 kids, but man, I needed my days to not be so exhausting.

Being at my parents house gave me time to just step back and think about what was and wasn't working. I made lists of things I wanted to do. And when I got back to Cali, I was really pleased that a lot of it worked. I finally figured out a time that worked to walk my poor neglected dog. I have been using Flylady's ideas to keep my house in order. Honoring my own bedtime as much as I can and eating a lot better food. And its been wonderful.

Everyday is basically the same, just with slight variations, here is an example:

Wakeup is usually around 7am.
Diapers are changed, banana eaten or at least grabbed and everyone is loaded into the stroller.
We take about a 40 minute walk with the dog. (this is the best change, so many benefits)
We eat breakfast around 8 or 8:30, then the baby takes his first nap.
I clean up the kitchen, pack Tom's or all of our lunches, and get ready. (Tom leaves between 9:30 & 10)
When the baby gets up, we typically have something planned, so I dress the kids and we head out. (church, the park, grocery shopping, etc)
I have been doing a lot of picnic lunches at parks recently and it works great for wearing out the toddler before naptime.
Then we go home for naps at 1pm. Ahhh.
I almost always snag a 20-30 minute nap and then do things I can't with the kids awake (email, meal plan, etc). Oh, and drink an iced coffee. My midday treat. :)
Uri gets up around 3pm and we play and he snacks while I get something done in the kitchen.
Josie gets up between 3:30 and 4pm.
If she went down well for her nap, we have a tea party in the backyard and then play out there for a bit.
The baby goes back down around 5pm, I prep dinner, and Josie plays or does some sort of project.
6pm the baby is up, dinner is usually set and we hangout and play until Daddy gets home around 6:30-7pm.
Then its dinner, bath, and bedtime is 8pm.
I finish cleaning up dinner, run a load of laundry if needed (but when is it not?) and then hang out with my hubby.
Shower, chill out, bedtime is 10:30pm.
The baby still nurses around 12ish and then again at 4am (although sometimes he skips the first one).
7am we begin again :)

Hmmmm. I just realized this post is pretty long, sorry.

Here are some pics: