There is a lot of routine in my daily life with the kids and especially during the coronavirus pandemic it has felt like every day repeats the last. But although life feels repetitive it’s not boring. With small kids nothing stays the same for very long and soon I won’t even remember what this stage of life really was like. That’s why I wanted to write a post about “just a normal day” in my current life with Maia 2-years and 11-months old, and Noah 9.5-months old, last Tuesday to be accurate, just before the second lockdown. Note: photos are recent but not all from Tuesday.
Tuesday November 3rd 2020
7am: My day starts. The kids and my husband have been up since 6am, but I get an extra hour in bed since I still usually feed Noah once per night (although he’s slept through the night twice recently- woop woop!). I get up, brush my teeth, and get dressed. I don’t shower yet because I’m hoping to exercise later.
7.30am-8.30am: I make coffee and a slice of toast for myself and lure the kids back to the table to finish their breakfast which they usually start with daddy but often wander off before finishing. I change Noah’s nappy and get him dressed. He hates getting dressed and changing his nappy is like a wrestling match. I take Maia to the potty and we brush her teeth and hair and get her dressed too. This sounds simple but can be a challenge (picture me trying to get pants on a giggling toddler who’s running around naked, spreading Cheerios all over the sofa). Most mornings however, I enjoy getting her ready for nursery school. It’s nice to have her sit in my lap while I brush and plait her hair and put little bows in. She doesn’t yet wear a school uniform so I can dress her in any cute outfit that I like and she’s usually on board with my choices too. However, more often than not Noah is screaming at my feet which makes it less pleasant. He gets really tired and grumpy as it gets closer to 9am, so he has a little comfort nursing session before we go to tide him over. I quickly throw a load of washing in the machine before we leave the house.
8.45am: I load both kids into the buggy, Noah in the seat and Maia on her standing board, and walk to Maia’s nursery school which is 10-minutes away. Noah screams because although he likes the buggy, he hates getting strapped in. It’s a little stressful because I try to get everyone out quickly and quietly because my husband works from home (because of the pandemic) and is often on business calls. Like every day, Maia wants to wear her little strawberry-backpack and to hold her pink and glittery handbag and her blue school bag. Recently she’s also started insisting on putting her bracelet into her backpack. I have learned not to challenge this because it’s quicker to grab the stuff than to try and negotiate with a crying toddler on the doorstep. And no one wants to start the day with tears! Pick your battles, right? And she’s also so cute with her little bags! At 9am I leave her at the school gate and she runs in happily, not looking back.
9.20am: I rush back home trying to keep Noah awake to be able to stay consistent and to put him down in his cot for the first nap. I’m still working on getting Noah some proper naps at home and have been teaching him to fall asleep independently. He’s doing really well with falling asleep but his naps still tend to be interrupted as he stirs between sleep cycles and doesn’t often go back down on his own (yet). I used to really enjoy spending my mornings outside, going for long walks while Noah slept in the pram, especially on sunny days, but to establish a good sleep routine I need to be consistent and I had to give up my morning walks until Noah is used to sleeping at home. Maia has a 2-hour nap at home in the afternoon so unless Noah can also sleep at home, he won’t get another nap!
9.30-10am: Peloton spin class. This is the first and so far the only time since the 8-month sleep regression that I’ve actually done a workout during the morning nap! Usually I’m still quite tired from the night and his 30-minute morning nap isn’t quite long enough for me to do exercise unless I’m super organised and have everything, motivation included, ready the minute he closes his eyes!! Usually I spend the half an hour cleaning the kitchen and then I sit down for another cup of coffee while doing “life admin” on my phone (mainly buying all sorts on Amazon Prime) or checking-in with my friends. And before I know it, he wakes up.
10am: Noah wakes up (just 3-minutes before my spin class ends), so I take him up to the bathroom with me while I shower. I breastfeed Noah and change his nappy and then we have some play time. This is the time of the day he has all the toys (and mummy) to himself! Then I try to tidy up the mess we made in the morning, make the beds and hang up the laundry. I clean the kitchen and prepare kids’ lunch but don’t have time to make lunch for my husband because of my workout earlier.
11.30am: I head out to the shop with Noah to pick up a few bits for dinner which I was unable to order online. Noah is a happy little chap in the buggy and likes our little outings. On some days we stop at the park so he can have a go on the swings before we walk up to Maia’s school.
12pm: Noah and I line up at Maia’s school for pick-up. We stand in a queue of mummies and nannies, two meters apart socially distancing. I enjoy the interaction with the others and our little chats which often make up my only adult interaction of the day! It’s a shame we can’t meet up in the afternoon or have play dates, but hopefully one day life will return to more normal. Maia runs out happily every time and gives me a big hug and says “hello” to Noah who is always delighted. Maia really enjoys her nursery school and I enjoy these lovely reunions – just a few hours apart makes us appreciate each other even more! Maia also enjoys our habit of having a mini packet of raisins or a rice cake on our way home. She tends to be hungry and tired after her busy morning (despite getting a snack mid-morning) and so the walk home can be a bit unpleasant without a snack! 😅
12.30pm: We get home and I need to be quick to get the food on the table because everyone is hungry and tired. My husband and I sometimes eat lunch together with the kids but often it’s a bit of a circus and just easier for me to eat later. Before heading out I made a quick pasta dish for Maia and Noah from Orzo pasta (which easy for Noah to eat), tomatoes, red onion, and cheddar cheese. Noah eats a lot and quickly, while Maia takes her time and needs all the encouragement in the world to keep going after the first spoonfuls take the edge of her hunger. The mess Noah makes is incredible but I try to close my eyes from it and be grateful he eats so well and very independently too. It’s easier not to stress so much now because I know this phase doesn’t last very long. Or maybe I’m just so used to mess and chaos around me now that I don’t mind as much.
1.30pm: I start the juggle of putting both kids down for a nap. I put Noah down first with Maia who wants to sing “twinkle twinkle little star” to him. Today he falls asleep quickly on his own which is a relief. Then I get Maia ready for her nap. She still needs her afternoon naps but first she needs some quiet time with me to settle down after the exciting morning. It works well for me to our Noah down first because he is very tired by 1.30pm while Maia appreciates the one-on-one time with me having been apart all morning. She takes her time to sit on the potty chatting away, after which she wants to choose a story and we have a culled and read a few books. I find that giving her time and being patient helps her to wind down and go to sleep quicker than if I tried to rush her. For the record, some days the nap time shenanigans drive me insane and both kids are crying and protesting and I’m running back and forth between their bedrooms. But today was ok.
2pm: Maia is asleep and often Noah starts stirring. I’m trying to leave him to go back to sleep on his own and just shush through the baby monitor. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and I have to go in to resettle him.
2-3pm: I make and eat my own lunch, order the first Christmas presents for the kids, catch up on emails from Maia’s school (which are always plentiful). I have yet another cup of coffee. Noah wakes up one more time and I shush again. I’m hoping to establish a good routine and extend these afternoon naps to a solid 1.5/2-hours but for now he is still quite unpredictable. We have made a lot of progress in a short time though, so I’m optimistic about the coming weeks. Luckily Maia sleeps soundly, undisturbed by Noah.
3pm: Noah wakes up again and this time he shows no signs of going back to sleep so I get him up. First we have some nursing and cuddling time. Noah is getting his seventh tooth and is grumpier than usual. I give him a rice cake to chew on and he sits next to me while I make him cauliflower-red pepper egg muffins. I made these muffins last week and they are great for Noah’s breakfast! Easy for him to eat and nutritious. My weekly grocery delivery arrives just before 4pm.
4pm: I wake Maia up. I have some cuddle time with her – she is often cranky after her nap (I don’t know why. I’d love a nap personally!). Then we build Lego with Maia and Noah until it’s time for me to prepare their dinner. If anyone ever wondered how I manage to do everything I do without help – look after two small children, make baby food from scratch and prepare all family meals, keep the house immaculate (with all of us in the house most of the day) while keeping up with my exercise routine – the answer is I don’t. I have help. No one can do it all!! Especially when you’re still getting up at night to feed a baby. I have a housekeeper who comes in for three hours every day (4-7pm). Mimi is a lovely girl who has been a tremendous help ever since we let go of the nanny and I’ve been alone with the kids. I don’t mind housework but with all of us at home most of the day and eating all of our meals at home (my husband working from home most of 2020), there would be very little time for me to enjoy the kids’ company and do fun activities with them if I was alone with the chores as well. The days when I have been alone I’ve noticed that I also have a lot less energy and patience for the kids because I’m so tired from using every spare moment to do chores. So while I play with the kids, Mimi helps to unpack the groceries, puts another wash on and folds the dry laundry which I washed in the morning, before starting to prepare our dinner (Shepherd’s Pie) which we’ll have after the kids bedtime.
5.30pm: the kids have their dinner. Noah inhales his in ten minutes and starts eyeing Maia’s. I give him a banana while Maia sings her entire repertoire of nursery rhymes in between spoonfuls. If Noah leaves the table Maia doesn’t want to sit there either so it’s always a balancing act to keep them entertained for long enough to finish their tea.
6pm: We tidy up the toys together, sing and dance to “Hop little bunnies” one more time and head upstairs. Even though we have domestic help, I think it’s very important to insist Maia tidies up her own toys, even if we do it together.
6.15pm: Bathtime and bedtime has become easier and easier over the last two months, but it’s still the hardest time of the day. At least now both kids can sit in the bathtub together while I wash them, and they have fun too. It’s not relaxing in the slightest, so even though it’s part of the evening “wind down” routine, it leaves no one calm. Some days my husband comes to help which is always welcome but I can manage on my own too (but it’s the most tiring hour I have to admit). I get both kids into nappies and pyjamas. Maia still wears a nappy to bed, we call it “sleepy nappy”. I breastfeed Noah a bit to make sure he’s as full as possible before going to bed, but often he’s too distracted by Maia who’s jumping on the bed.
6.45pm: We go into Noah’s room and sing to him and leave him in his cot. Thanks to the sleep training he’ll go to sleep on his own. Most nights he just rolls over, but some nights he whimpers for a few minutes because in fairness he doesn’t really get much time to calm down before bed. Then we go up to Maia’s room and sit down for a few stories before bed. I’ve tried having Noah with us for story time but he’s too tired at this point and doesn’t have the patience for books yet anyway. Maia chats away and tried to stretch the night but usually by 7/7.15pm she’s asleep too.
7pm: Normally this is the time I either cook or exercise, but tonight I’m lucky because I’ve already done my workout and dinner has been prepared already. So I can actually sit down to start writing this post until my husband finishes work and we eat together. I could get used to this! I really hope that soon I’ll be able to make daytime workouts a habit because by the evening I’m very, very tired.
8pm: TV time. I love the Great British Bake Off so that’s what I’m watching every Tuesday night. This year I’ve enjoyed it even more because it’s so comfortingly normal despite having been filmed during the pandemic. During such strange times it feels so lovely and normal to have something at least continue as usual. Is there anything as relaxing as watching people pipe icing on cakes and worry about things like a “soggy bottom” on a pie?!
And that’s it! Another day gone. Since this day we’ve entered the second lockdown in England but that has not impacted my daily life at all. We never resumed our “normal” life even after the first lockdown was lifted and because Maia’s nursery school has stayed open, our daily life continues pretty much as normal. The difference of course is that now our very domestic life isn’t optional… But as long as we all stay healthy, that’s all that matters.
xoxoxo,
Sini