House Arrest
Okay, so I need your advice.
I've run into the same problem I did last child at this time. I affectionately call it "house arrest."
I just can't get out of the house. It's even worse this time because there are two kids now - some days I dream of only having one small body to get out the door.
It's not the effort of going out, though. It's the TIMING.
Below is my daily schedule. I need your help on when I should leave the house to do things like grocery shopping, running errands, mailing packages, seeing other human beings, going for a run or to the gym (ha!), etc.
Actually, I know the answer. The answer is that I could go out in the mornings, during Nathan's first nap. The problem is, he melts.down. at exactly 9 am. Which means, if I want to go to the gym, we would have to be in the stroller/car by 9 am.
Which verges on the impossible. We do it once a week to go to my mom group and it takes Chris's help and it's still a total circus.
Not to mention the fact that if we 1) go to a store/the gym/the drop-in centre, it's a short trip so he doesn't sleep and turns into a VERY cranky bear and the entire day can be chaos, or 2) if we go for a walk, he falls asleep for a short time but then wakes up and turns into a very cranky bear and the entire day can be chaos.
Little Buddy likes to sleep in his own bed.
There are two other potential windows during the day (11 am and 4:30 pm) which is what I use if I really have to get out but they're only about 1/2 an hour each and any errand invariably takes longer than that and it always ends up with hungry/cranky kids and a stressed mom.
Any tips?
And don't tell me to just wait it out. I know that this will all be better once Nathan drops his morning nap. In retrospect, this time with Mela was actually really short.
That is probably about 6 months away, though. And when you can never learn the house, you start to turn into a crazy person. I haven't been to the drop-in centre for months and I'm starting to think that Amelia really needs to be around some other kids to realize that she is not, in fact, God.
Ha - just read last year's post and it's almost exactly the same problem except with a lot more free time for me (I ate complete meals! I watched movies! Poor me!).
Last time it got better because I went to work. Maybe that's the solution this time, too.
Here's the schedule anyway ...
DAILY SCHEDULE:
7:30 - Nathan awake. Nurse baby while lying in bed, praying for more sleep.
7:45 - Repeated eye poking confirms baby is, in fact, not going back to sleep. Weep silently. Throw small objects (toys, watch, hairbrush - anything will do) at babbling blob to buy just a couple more minutes dream time.
7:50 - "Mama! Mama! Mama!" Apparently, toddler is awake as well. This is when the fun really starts.
8:00 - Change toddler. Try to change strong, squirming baby while toddler whines about getting into crib / being picked up / consuming food. Fantasize about coffee maker / being childless.
8:15 - Carry both children down the stairs at the same time (this involves slowly sliding a toddler down your body for 15 steps). Meltdowns start to occur as hunger kicks in for offspring. Panic gets the Mama's blood pumping and two breakfasts are prepared at lightning speed. The baby eats everything and the toddler eats nothing. Kitchen is destroyed and cheerios form a new type of flooring.
8:45 - Thoroughly drained from spoonfeeding 6 litres of puree into enormous eating machine. Free toddler from booster-seat jail ("Stuck Mama! Stuck! Stuck!") and turn on Dora (hooray for TV!). Put baby down and get food and coffee for the Mama.
8:55 - Baby is instantly EXHAUSTED and starts to lose it. Mama looks longingly at half-eaten breakfast and graps baby for nap #1.
9:05 - Mama checks email while Mela is TV zombie.
9:10 - Dora is over and both Mama and toddler are sad. Time for craft /learning /cooking/ Thomas trains / clean the breakfast dishes. Anything we do is never good enough for "Mom Guilt" which suspects that all other moms are doing much more stimulating, fun activities, which somehow also result in a spotless house.
11 - Baby awake. Nurse the baby. [This is a leave house window!!!]
11:45 - Must be home in order to prepare lunch.
12:00 - Lunch for both kids. Lots of Raffi and giggling at the hilarious "Mama Show" (kills every time).
12:45 - Introduce the concept of "nap" to toddler. Doesn't go over well.
1:00 - Get both kids down for nap. Mama takes deep breath and tries to: eat enough food for the day, repair house from disasterous mess and wash mountains of baby clothes.
2: 30 - Nathan awake. Ahh, my son. I only managed to eat an apple, check the weather and unload the dishwasher. Where does the time go?! Nurse the baby.
3:30 - Get baby's solid food ready because god forbid, he has to wait two seconds for it.
4:00 - Mela up. Immediately get Nate into high chair and start shovelling. Give Mela a snack if time allows.
4:30 - Clean up mess. [Potential leave house window!]
5:00 - Must be home to start dinner. Turn on Diego (yay TV!).
6:00 - Get dinner sorted. Eat when the dad gets home.
7:00 - Bedtime routine starts for both small fry.
8:00 - Both kids finally down. Clean kitchen.
8:30 - My time to relax!!! Hooray!
9:30 - Okay, time's up. Time to get ready for bed, since am totally exhausted from mundane day. Zzzz ....
Say Click:
No time for taking pictures. But, as a reward for listening to my long complaint ...
The cutest video EVER! This explains why it's all worthwhile.
I think there was a kitty in my house ...
I've run into the same problem I did last child at this time. I affectionately call it "house arrest."
I just can't get out of the house. It's even worse this time because there are two kids now - some days I dream of only having one small body to get out the door.
It's not the effort of going out, though. It's the TIMING.
Below is my daily schedule. I need your help on when I should leave the house to do things like grocery shopping, running errands, mailing packages, seeing other human beings, going for a run or to the gym (ha!), etc.
Actually, I know the answer. The answer is that I could go out in the mornings, during Nathan's first nap. The problem is, he melts.down. at exactly 9 am. Which means, if I want to go to the gym, we would have to be in the stroller/car by 9 am.
Which verges on the impossible. We do it once a week to go to my mom group and it takes Chris's help and it's still a total circus.
Not to mention the fact that if we 1) go to a store/the gym/the drop-in centre, it's a short trip so he doesn't sleep and turns into a VERY cranky bear and the entire day can be chaos, or 2) if we go for a walk, he falls asleep for a short time but then wakes up and turns into a very cranky bear and the entire day can be chaos.
Little Buddy likes to sleep in his own bed.
There are two other potential windows during the day (11 am and 4:30 pm) which is what I use if I really have to get out but they're only about 1/2 an hour each and any errand invariably takes longer than that and it always ends up with hungry/cranky kids and a stressed mom.
Any tips?
And don't tell me to just wait it out. I know that this will all be better once Nathan drops his morning nap. In retrospect, this time with Mela was actually really short.
That is probably about 6 months away, though. And when you can never learn the house, you start to turn into a crazy person. I haven't been to the drop-in centre for months and I'm starting to think that Amelia really needs to be around some other kids to realize that she is not, in fact, God.
Ha - just read last year's post and it's almost exactly the same problem except with a lot more free time for me (I ate complete meals! I watched movies! Poor me!).
Last time it got better because I went to work. Maybe that's the solution this time, too.
Here's the schedule anyway ...
DAILY SCHEDULE:
7:30 - Nathan awake. Nurse baby while lying in bed, praying for more sleep.
7:45 - Repeated eye poking confirms baby is, in fact, not going back to sleep. Weep silently. Throw small objects (toys, watch, hairbrush - anything will do) at babbling blob to buy just a couple more minutes dream time.
7:50 - "Mama! Mama! Mama!" Apparently, toddler is awake as well. This is when the fun really starts.
8:00 - Change toddler. Try to change strong, squirming baby while toddler whines about getting into crib / being picked up / consuming food. Fantasize about coffee maker / being childless.
8:15 - Carry both children down the stairs at the same time (this involves slowly sliding a toddler down your body for 15 steps). Meltdowns start to occur as hunger kicks in for offspring. Panic gets the Mama's blood pumping and two breakfasts are prepared at lightning speed. The baby eats everything and the toddler eats nothing. Kitchen is destroyed and cheerios form a new type of flooring.
8:45 - Thoroughly drained from spoonfeeding 6 litres of puree into enormous eating machine. Free toddler from booster-seat jail ("Stuck Mama! Stuck! Stuck!") and turn on Dora (hooray for TV!). Put baby down and get food and coffee for the Mama.
8:55 - Baby is instantly EXHAUSTED and starts to lose it. Mama looks longingly at half-eaten breakfast and graps baby for nap #1.
9:05 - Mama checks email while Mela is TV zombie.
9:10 - Dora is over and both Mama and toddler are sad. Time for craft /learning /cooking/ Thomas trains / clean the breakfast dishes. Anything we do is never good enough for "Mom Guilt" which suspects that all other moms are doing much more stimulating, fun activities, which somehow also result in a spotless house.
11 - Baby awake. Nurse the baby. [This is a leave house window!!!]
11:45 - Must be home in order to prepare lunch.
12:00 - Lunch for both kids. Lots of Raffi and giggling at the hilarious "Mama Show" (kills every time).
12:45 - Introduce the concept of "nap" to toddler. Doesn't go over well.
1:00 - Get both kids down for nap. Mama takes deep breath and tries to: eat enough food for the day, repair house from disasterous mess and wash mountains of baby clothes.
2: 30 - Nathan awake. Ahh, my son. I only managed to eat an apple, check the weather and unload the dishwasher. Where does the time go?! Nurse the baby.
3:30 - Get baby's solid food ready because god forbid, he has to wait two seconds for it.
4:00 - Mela up. Immediately get Nate into high chair and start shovelling. Give Mela a snack if time allows.
4:30 - Clean up mess. [Potential leave house window!]
5:00 - Must be home to start dinner. Turn on Diego (yay TV!).
6:00 - Get dinner sorted. Eat when the dad gets home.
7:00 - Bedtime routine starts for both small fry.
8:00 - Both kids finally down. Clean kitchen.
8:30 - My time to relax!!! Hooray!
9:30 - Okay, time's up. Time to get ready for bed, since am totally exhausted from mundane day. Zzzz ....
Say Click:
No time for taking pictures. But, as a reward for listening to my long complaint ...
The cutest video EVER! This explains why it's all worthwhile.
I think there was a kitty in my house ...
Comments
1) We get up at 6:30
2) Andrew cooks supper
Sorry if that's not any help.
And to save having to be home at 5 to make dinner, try a crock pot recipe, or have leftovers available (quick heat up in the microwave) for these days. Quick meals work, too: Eggs & toast or soup, bun & cheese.
As much as it stinks, you could also take two hours on a Saturday morning, leave the kids at home with Daddy, and get it all done in one swoop (the chores, anyways).
And yes: Getting hubby to bring home dinner once in a while will help hugely, too!
Thankfully Alice sleeps in the stroller, so I do The Errands in the morning. And while I am looking forward to the end of that nap, I really love my one-on-one time with Lucy in the a.m.
Good luck!
Do you really give BaNa solids at both lunch and at 4p? He can't have solids at the noon meal and then just a hearty snack (Mum-Mums etc.) in the afternoon?
I have an eater, so understand about meal time being non-negotiable, but a lot of the time snacks are on-the-go.
I hate to say it, but I agree that you guys also get a later start on the day (comparatively). I get up at 6, so there's a lot more time for getting breakfast taken care of, and going out to run errands and still be home in time for a morning nap. Also, BaNa still takes a long morning nap if he's at home, which hoses you. For example, this was yesterday's schedule;
6:15 - Baby awake. Change, dress, give cup of milk. Shower and dress self. Put in load of laundry.
7:00 - Share scrambled eggs and bagel breakfast with Baby. She gets most of it. Toss down large sweet tea instead.
7:30 - Off to the Wal-Mart. Have Snack-Trap and sippy cup strapped to cart for Baby.
9:30 - Back home. Baby down for nap. Empty dishwasher and reload. Put laundry in dryer. Start next load.
10:30 - Baby awake, play time with Aunt Jen so mama can work on birthday sewing project.
11:30 - Lunch
etc.
Good luck, dude.
Am on brutal 2-day meeting conference call. Call me whenever you get a chance in the evening, am desperate for your work details!
Here's our schedule:
6-6:30 Up and at em'.
So we get up, have a little play, we each have breakfast, do a house chore or two and then Catie and I take Ellie for her morning walk (even if it's just 20 min we always get out). Then it's straight to nap.
8:30/9:00-10:00ish - Nap (This is where I should run on the treadmill but often drink coffee and relax)
10:00 - 1:00 - Nurse, excursion, lunch (either on the road or at home), get ready for nap
1:00 - 2:00/2:30 - Nap
2:30 - 4:30- Excursion/Play
4:45 - Catie's Supper
5:15-5:45- Walk with Daddy and Ellie
6:00-6:30 - Bed
Good luck and enjoy your contract! PS... wanna talk soon about sleeping through the night (and the desire to do it).
Ha, yes, Nathan must have solids FOUR times a day. And no skimping, either. We're training him to eat more and more finger foods (throwing cheese and peas at him right now!) but he still needs at least some purees at each meal, which means no on-the-go snacks yet (mum-mums don't exactly cut it). This is the longest "growth spurt" ever!
Hey Carly, does your little eat finger foods on the go?
Seems like me getting up earlier is the consensus. Waaa! I thought getting up 6:45 was the end of the world but maybe it has to be even earlier?!
I can't believe everyone's getting up that early. I don't like getting out of the house thaaaaat much.
Can't really go out any easier if we both get up then, either; Nathan goes down exactly 90 mins after he wakes up, so if he's up 6:45, he needs to be in bed at 8:30 am.
Chris doesn't get home until 6:30, so it's too late for him to do much for dinner. We do have sushi on Fridays though and I like the crock-pot idea. Do you guys have any recipes you'd recommend? Email me at iwoang@yahoo.ca.
I'm drooling at the thought of two hour excursions.
I know that once Nate drops his morning nap (16 m?), we'll be golden. With Mela, I dreaded it but now I'm counting the months.