three three and under
not a typo. :)
I have been looking forward to this post, because I knew to write it meant that we are in some sort of groove after transitioning to having three littles three years old and under.
well, sorry to get your hopes way up there, but we have in no way arrived.
we are in a groove, and for that I am thankful. but, for those of you with little kids know this and you whose kids are grown and gone may have forgotten, "getting into a groove" is an evolutionary process. we are always adapting, always changing to the new rhythms each week, day, hour sometimes bring.
that said, here's a typical day for us:
wake up anywhere between 6:30 and 7:30. who wakes up when is always a guess. which is the beauty of having such young children-- we are not on a time schedule and no one is in school!
breakfast anytime between 7 and 8.
playtime for the boys. I could be doing any number of things at this point-- nursing evelyn, cleaning the kitchen, etc. (I am starting to use this as my time in the Word to model prayer and bible reading for the boys while they are awake instead of only doing it when they are asleep. at the very least, I read while i'm feeding evelyn and try to tell them tidbits from what i'm reading. I think it is important that they know the Bible is a) a book, b) the Word of God, and c) SO relevant to our lives!)
a few days a week, we are out the door after breakfast to head to the gym, grocery store, meet up with friends, or our weekly "bible class" (aka, bible study fellowship, but I call it "our" bible class since the boys have lessons, too).
lunch is often done in the van on the way home from said activities (have I mentioned that my boys are bottomless pits and are always ready to eat?!). whether in the car or at home, we usually eat between 11 and 12.
NAPTIME!!! ah, a favorite time of day. around here, naps are sacred. worth planning your entire day around. my brain pretty much operates on a two-time schedule: BEFORE naps and AFTER naps. just how it goes when they're all little. yes, we can do such-and-such, but not between 1 and 4. :)
during the boys' naptime, I do a number of things, depending on the day: nap (at least a few times a week, but not as often now that sweet little miss is sleeping longer stretches at night), clean (depending on how much caffeine I've had and if we have church community group or company that night), nurse evelyn and have some special one-on-one time with her, prepare dinner, read, catch up on emails/blogs/etc (ok, ok, who is going to believe that I actually blog anymore since this is only about my fifth post since she was born?). anyways, it's a relax and recharge time for me and it is oh so glorious.
post-naps is usually just chill playtime. I have been playing around this week with using post-naps for gym time, instead of the morning (a couple of times a week, maybe). as long as dinner is prepared, we can make it work to be home before my husband gets home for work. I try hard to make sure he comes home to a happy home, with us there, and dinner soon on the table (have I mentioned we ALL are always ready to eat?). can't always guarantee that scenario, especially when he works late, the boys are fussy/hungry, and it's a holding pattern til he arrives, but it's a good goal to always be working towards!
dinner together as a family (sometime between 5:30 and 6:30). it's messy, busy, sometimes loud. but it's a must. I love this time where we can pray together as a family, chat about our days, teach the boys dinner etiquette, and just be together.
after dinner can include any or all of the following: baths for boys (just as a happenstance, our guest bathroom is located right next to the kitchen. I LOVE this, because it means extended family time, even though i'm cleaning the kitchen or feeding evelyn and the boys are getting clean. who knew that would work out so great?), boys wrestling on the floor with daddy, family walk around the neighborhood, or just hanging out.
bedtime routine. we read from the Jesus Storybook Bible as a family, pray, and sing a song (currently, "Jesus Loves Me" is on repeat for our three-year-old, and we always let him pick).
and, because we have three munchkins three and under, it's pretty much bedtime for grownups too! we make some quick preparations for the next day, a quick cleanup so we don't wake up to complete disaster, and we head to bed. we're kind of old like that.
so, that's us. not mentioned, but definitely strewn throughout are 4-6 nursing sessions with evelyn, snuggles with all three of my very much physical touch children (I blame it on my husband. :)), reading LOTS of books, eating lots of snacks, and constant pickup of our constant mess (myself included). we live life and make messes. we are fussy and grumpy sometimes (myself included). we laugh and dance and are silly. we eat a lot of popsicles and I bake way too many cookies. we are learning and growing together. and as much as I would like to say that I love every second of it, some days are hard. but I wouldn't want to change a thing. being a mom/parent is a constant dying to self that only increases with each child you bring home. being a mom is the most sanctifying role I have ever had and I am grateful for God's grace on me as a wife and mommy. i'm as needy as the three blessings he has given us and I have learned that being needy is the best place to be.
I have been looking forward to this post, because I knew to write it meant that we are in some sort of groove after transitioning to having three littles three years old and under.
well, sorry to get your hopes way up there, but we have in no way arrived.
we are in a groove, and for that I am thankful. but, for those of you with little kids know this and you whose kids are grown and gone may have forgotten, "getting into a groove" is an evolutionary process. we are always adapting, always changing to the new rhythms each week, day, hour sometimes bring.
that said, here's a typical day for us:
wake up anywhere between 6:30 and 7:30. who wakes up when is always a guess. which is the beauty of having such young children-- we are not on a time schedule and no one is in school!
breakfast anytime between 7 and 8.
playtime for the boys. I could be doing any number of things at this point-- nursing evelyn, cleaning the kitchen, etc. (I am starting to use this as my time in the Word to model prayer and bible reading for the boys while they are awake instead of only doing it when they are asleep. at the very least, I read while i'm feeding evelyn and try to tell them tidbits from what i'm reading. I think it is important that they know the Bible is a) a book, b) the Word of God, and c) SO relevant to our lives!)
a few days a week, we are out the door after breakfast to head to the gym, grocery store, meet up with friends, or our weekly "bible class" (aka, bible study fellowship, but I call it "our" bible class since the boys have lessons, too).
lunch is often done in the van on the way home from said activities (have I mentioned that my boys are bottomless pits and are always ready to eat?!). whether in the car or at home, we usually eat between 11 and 12.
NAPTIME!!! ah, a favorite time of day. around here, naps are sacred. worth planning your entire day around. my brain pretty much operates on a two-time schedule: BEFORE naps and AFTER naps. just how it goes when they're all little. yes, we can do such-and-such, but not between 1 and 4. :)
during the boys' naptime, I do a number of things, depending on the day: nap (at least a few times a week, but not as often now that sweet little miss is sleeping longer stretches at night), clean (depending on how much caffeine I've had and if we have church community group or company that night), nurse evelyn and have some special one-on-one time with her, prepare dinner, read, catch up on emails/blogs/etc (ok, ok, who is going to believe that I actually blog anymore since this is only about my fifth post since she was born?). anyways, it's a relax and recharge time for me and it is oh so glorious.
post-naps is usually just chill playtime. I have been playing around this week with using post-naps for gym time, instead of the morning (a couple of times a week, maybe). as long as dinner is prepared, we can make it work to be home before my husband gets home for work. I try hard to make sure he comes home to a happy home, with us there, and dinner soon on the table (have I mentioned we ALL are always ready to eat?). can't always guarantee that scenario, especially when he works late, the boys are fussy/hungry, and it's a holding pattern til he arrives, but it's a good goal to always be working towards!
dinner together as a family (sometime between 5:30 and 6:30). it's messy, busy, sometimes loud. but it's a must. I love this time where we can pray together as a family, chat about our days, teach the boys dinner etiquette, and just be together.
after dinner can include any or all of the following: baths for boys (just as a happenstance, our guest bathroom is located right next to the kitchen. I LOVE this, because it means extended family time, even though i'm cleaning the kitchen or feeding evelyn and the boys are getting clean. who knew that would work out so great?), boys wrestling on the floor with daddy, family walk around the neighborhood, or just hanging out.
bedtime routine. we read from the Jesus Storybook Bible as a family, pray, and sing a song (currently, "Jesus Loves Me" is on repeat for our three-year-old, and we always let him pick).
and, because we have three munchkins three and under, it's pretty much bedtime for grownups too! we make some quick preparations for the next day, a quick cleanup so we don't wake up to complete disaster, and we head to bed. we're kind of old like that.
so, that's us. not mentioned, but definitely strewn throughout are 4-6 nursing sessions with evelyn, snuggles with all three of my very much physical touch children (I blame it on my husband. :)), reading LOTS of books, eating lots of snacks, and constant pickup of our constant mess (myself included). we live life and make messes. we are fussy and grumpy sometimes (myself included). we laugh and dance and are silly. we eat a lot of popsicles and I bake way too many cookies. we are learning and growing together. and as much as I would like to say that I love every second of it, some days are hard. but I wouldn't want to change a thing. being a mom/parent is a constant dying to self that only increases with each child you bring home. being a mom is the most sanctifying role I have ever had and I am grateful for God's grace on me as a wife and mommy. i'm as needy as the three blessings he has given us and I have learned that being needy is the best place to be.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5
I'll be having 3 under 3 when our baby comes in January! I know it's going to take some adjustment. Naptime is sacred!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, my, you are one busy gal but I love how you "are doing life." Very inspiring to us older ladies to see young families like yours that know what's important and what's not. Blessings to you!
ReplyDelete