a day in the life - tracy

Rise and shine sleepy heads!  I'm going to bet that I have been up since 5:30AM (this is a scheduled post), but maybe I'm lucky, and maybe, just MAYBE the wee one decided to sleep until at least 6 for the first time in a week.  Looks like Tracy generally starts her day bright and early too.  I hope you enjoy a day in her life!

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Hi!  My name is Tracy and you can find me over at The Blessed Life.  I am a 30-something, stay-at-home momma with two little girls ages one and two and one more on the way.  I started my blog to keep friends and family updated and to keep a record of our lives that I plan to someday make into one of those handy blog books!  My husband and I have been married for 10 years and I am beyond blessed to have him as my partner and the father of my children.  You can find a bit of everything in my blog, recipes, kid stories, parenting advice, money saving tips, and things that I think are great.  I would love to have you stop by and say hello!  A big thank you to Ashley for letting me share my day with you!

pic of the family by CC Miller photography

6:00 a.m.  Both girls are up.  Crazy, I know.  They have been and probably always will be early risers.  I am sure that is largely due to the fact that I put them to bed early, but I would much rather get up early and have some time to myself at night, than to sleep in!  Isabelle gets a cup of milk as soon as she is up, Molly gets water.

6:30 a.m.  Breakfast time.  Molly is a champion eater and Isabelle is not.  So all meal times are a struggle to get Belle to eat, but Molly will eat whatever.  After the girls are done with breakfast I usually pop in a Signing Time DVD for them to watch while I eat my breakfast and check email.  I am a stay at home mom, but I also work from home so I use time in the morning to plan out my day both with the girls and with work.

7:00 a.m-9:00 a.m.  This time of the morning is pretty low key for us.  Since it gets so hot here during the summer, we try to head into the backyard in the morning for a little fun.  If we don't go outside we play inside.  While I am not always successful, I try to spend some quality time with the girls before the day gets too crazy.

Belle in the pool.  Usually she wears a swimsuit...HA.

9:00 a.m.  Molly is down for her first nap.  She will generally sleep for about two hours.  I check blogs, clean the kitchen, start laundry, make the bed, get dressed (maybe squeeze in a shower), and spend some one-on-one time with Isabelle reading or playing with her toy kitchen.  Basically I try to get things done that are too challenging to get done while Molly is awake.  Isabelle will generally color or look at books at the table while I am reading/writing my blog.

11:00 a.m.  Molly is up and hungry.  I swear that girl is always hungry.  A quick snack for both girls while I start getting lunch ready.  We do everything early around here! 

12:00-12:30 p.m.  Time for Isabelle's nap.  Molly is still a two a day napper, but Belle just takes one long afternoon nap.  While Belle is asleep I will spend some one-on-one play time with Molly and also try to get some housework/work done. 

1:00-1:30 p.m.  Molly is back down for her second nap and so...guess what?  Mom sleeps also.  Before getting pregnant again I was super productive during this time.  I scheduled new appointments, sent emails, called customers, and planned for the next day.  However, this pregnancy has been so much different.  Not only have I been sick and throwing up pretty much all the time, but I am also insanely tired.  So for right now, when both girls are asleep, so am I.  My house has suffered and so has my business, but I am hopeful that after my first trimester things will get better.

3:00-3:30 p.m.  Girls are awake and they are ready for a snack.  I try to be very conscious of what they eat and make sure that the things I am feeding them are healthy and are giving them nourishment.  Since there is so much fruit in season right now, snack time is easy and usually consists of some sort of fruit and maybe a piece of cheese.  After snack they get to watch another Signing Time DVD.  This is also the time of day where we will run errands.  If I have to make deliveries, or go to the bank, or stop off at the library, this is when it gets done.  It is really the only time of day where it isn't meal time or nap time for one or both of the girls.

5:00 p.m.  Dinner time.  Some days I feel that all I do is feed kids and then clean them up!  Molly is always hungry right at five.  This makes it somewhat challenging for me and making dinner, because Jason is not home until closer to six, but making two dinners is out of the question.  If there are leftovers from the night before, that is what Molly will eat, otherwise I make dinner early and Jason and I warm ours up when he gets home.  Again, Isabelle doesn't really eat and I usually have to make her eat one bite of everything on her plate and call it good.

Molly waiting for another bite!

Finally full!

6:00-7:00 p.m.  Bath time, book time, daddy time.  The girls are at their best at this time of day.  They are so happy to have their dad home and it shows!  Jason is usually the one who will give them their bath and I am able to clean up the kitchen and relax for a few minutes.  If I have an appointment scheduled it is almost always during this time, so there are days where the rest of the evening is up to Jason!  I am thankful for a job where I set my own schedule and can work when my husband is home with the girls.

7:00 p.m.  Molly's bed time.  Whoo-Hoo.  One down, one to go.

8:00 p.m.  Belle's bed time.  Whoo-Hoo.  Now time for Jason and I to spend some time together.

The rest of the night consists of catching up on TV shows we haven't had time to watch, talking about our days, planning when to do the millions of things we have to do, and just spending time together.  I think this time of day is so important and that is why I will probably never keep my girls up late so they will sleep in.  I need time with my hubs and when we have three little ones instead of two, I think it will be even that much more valuable.  We will usually head to bed around 10:30 p.m.
 

Questions:

1. What is the most surprising thing about being a mom?

How hard parenting is.  Being a mom is more than a full time job.  I wouldn't trade it for the world, but being home full time is no joke!

2. What are some tips/advice you would give to new or soon-to-be mamas?

Stay home.  I know that for many people this is just not possible.  I would have said it wasn't possible for me either.  We had been a two income family for so long that I was sure it would never work for me to be a full time stay at home mom.  However, it was something both my husband and I wanted and we have been able to make it work for almost three years.  We have had to make sacrifices, but it has been worth it.

3. What are your top 3 baby products?

-Lansinoh breast pump.  I nursed both girls for a year, but being able to pump and have someone else feed them if I needed to go out was essential.

-Bouncy/Vibrating Seat.  We called it the magic chair.  I could not have made it through the first weeks home with Isabelle without this chair.  I think this is a parenting must have.

-Signing Time DVD's.  This is more for toddlers than for newborns.  Both Molly and Isabelle have learned sign language and were able to communicate with us long before they could talk.

There is it, a day in the life of me.  We are a routine oriented family, but it works for us.  Sure, there are days when things don't go according to our plan, but luckily my children are able to adjust.  Thanks again, Ashley for letting me be a part of this series!


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Thank you, Tracy, for sharing your day with us!