Finding Our Rhythm

Life with two littles can be so rewarding and so intense and finding a rhythm that makes sense can be hard. With George and Eloise’s ages right now, it’s fairly easy to schlep sissie around while GBB and I adventure (and by adventure, I mean hang out in our backyard + enjoy the sunshine!).

I was not really into schedules or routines for George when he was a baby as it was only us at home + I had a fair share of Netflix that I could simply sit and watch. I didn’t have a toddler to chase after and life was pretty slow and relaxing…

And I am by no means trying to put Ellie on a regimented schedule as she is only four months but I am trying to find an ounce of sanity within my house in terms of nap times + a rhythm that works organically and smoothly. GBB can be the king of protesting sleep and we have had a few epic power struggles in the house over the last four months. Lots of change, so I get it. And yes, I have called Hubs + friends to talk me off the mamahood ledge and yes, I have utilized the car more times than I can count to get little dude napping without a fight.

Concurrently to raising my munchkins, I work part-time for the family business + I am also building a lipstick empire and guiding a team of 30+ ladies on my team. Oh, and I have this wonderful blog that although has been shoved to the back burner (and I am so sad about this!), I am working at setting aside more time for writing too. AND I’m also a wife and me and sometimes I would like to sit and binge on my favourite television show or read a book…and not feel like my downtime is time to clean/work/sleep.

ANYWAY.

I think I’ve finally found something that works for us. I have chatted with other mamas, googled sample schedules, read parenting books, watched parenting videos, cried, laughed, and just about done everything I can think of to come to this simple, yet workable, system/routine/rhythm.

If you’re following me on IG (@hollybowmanxo), you will have seen a post where I mentioned using alarms on my phone. YEP. Basically, I took out a notebook and wrote down all the times in half hour increments (7am, 7:30am etc etc) and as our day went on, I jotted down what we naturally did. I wanted to keep the genuine flow of our household and not get too carried away with a schedule/routine/rhythm that felt forced or not like “us”. Does this make sense? Ha, I sure hope so.

SO.

I spent the whole day jotting down notes and taking the time to intentionally look at what our days were like. Eloise is a little unpredictable but I was happy to see that she sways within a half hour–as an example, she likes to sleep in (I’M WITH YOU SISTER/SO JEALOUS) but some mornings she will wake at 7:30am and another morning she will wake at 8:00am or sometimes even 8:30am.

Once I had my notes all done, I started creating alarms. I do not set a wake-up time because that’s insane. We typically wake anywhere between 6:30am-7:30am.

George gets to watch cartoons and have his first breakfast (more of a snack) while I make coffee + proper breakfast (sometimes Hubs will change dude’s diaper + get him settled and cozy with a cartoon and “first” breakfast before he jets off to work!). I will change his diaper and listen for Ellie while she snoozes in our bed. I will occasionally let George eat his proper breaky infront of the television (which I will start to phase out because I’ve been successful on doing that for the other meals of the day!) and while he chills, I will check emails, write out my goals, and my to do list (I really want to get better at doing this the night before!), wash my face/brush my teeth/try and look like a sane member of society, you know.

Ellie will wake up and I will change her diaper, get her changed, nurse her while I check emails etc. George will play while the television is on + putz around/wake up slowly.

Our first alarm goes off at 7:30am. BREAKFAST. This is proper breakfast–whether it is oatmeal + berries or scrambled eggs with toast.

8am. Mama gets ready. Anddddd mama takes selfies with sis ;)

8:30am. George GET DRESSED. George has been really adamant about picking out his own clothes + getting dressed himself. I am totally happy to see this. He is so proud. Anddddd, he is totally my son–he is OBSESSED with pockets. Oh, and shoving stuff into them…

9am. MUSIC ON + CHORE TIME. I make a point to put on some fun upbeat music (currently listening to Bruno Mars/Katy Perry/Justin Bieber essentials + Taylor Swift’s new album on Apple Music and I’m freakingggg loving it!) and we get our chores on for an hour. I should also mention, I do not have my phone on me at all during any kiddo awake times except for my email checking/work time in the morning + I have it available for calls (and to capture a cute picture!) but I am not on my phone. This has revolutionized our days and our mood. I throw Eloise in the Ergo or in the swing/in her little chair and she just chills.

ANYWAY. We clean for an hour–George helps me with pretty much every task. We make the beds, tidy up toys, vacuum the living room rug + the couch, wipes down surfaces, put clothes in the hamper/laundry, and we will do the dishes together (he has his own sink and he will clean his toys or plastic dishware/play with bubbles/get water EVERYWHERE. We don’t stop tidying until the next alarm goes off. BUT sometimes we are done early because we are a super efficient duo, so then we just play!

9:45am. GET READY FOR FREE PLAY. We put away cleaning supplies and get ready to play/go outside. I throw on some makeup if I haven’t done so earlier.

10am. FREE PLAY/PROGRAM/ERRANDS. This is the best part of our morning. We either have free play, go to our Toddler Program (Tuesdays!), have a playdate, or run errands. Now that the weather is nicer (and George has just acquired his very own scooter!), and our backyard is pretty much all set up + perfect for playing/relaxing. GBB will play in his sandbox and I will usually have another cup of coffee, wear Ellie in the Ergo and read my book.

 

10:30am. SNACK TIME. Yep. I schedule this in because otherwise I will forget. I have a thousand things on the go so I need to schedule it in. And you know what, it makes me so happy + feel like I am in better control. Which is HUGE you guys. HUGE!

11:45am. PREP LUNCH. Once we are done with snack time + we play, I get ready to prep lunch so that I know I am taking the time to prep a healthy and delicious lunch for my dude. He has become a bit picky but I’ve decided I need to try and curb that and give him lots of yummy healthy options so that he gets some goodness into that belly of his. George is also a huge snacker so if I make him a plate of yummy finger foods, he will eat it!!

12pm. LUNCH TIME. And guess what, you guys. We actually eat lunch at the table + NOT IN FRONT OF THE TELEVISION. And I’m not a perfect mom, sometimes we go throw on some Blippi (this educational dude we found on YouTube kids who used to drive me crazy but he’s teaching George stuff so I’m down with the Blip now).

12:45pm. TIDY UP + GET READY FOR NAP. I try and have Eloise sleeping at this time OR have her just woken up. If she’s sleeping, I can move her to her dockatot on the floor of George’s room, in her chair, or she may be in the carseat if she’s passed out from morning errands/walk…and then I put GBB to bed + we’re smooth sailing. IF she just wakes up, she will happily play in her little chair and not be too crazy loud. AND THEN SOMETIMES SHE WILL SQUAWK the moment George’s eyes start to close + then I lose my noodle and these are the days I usually cry during nap time. Ha. I am so serious, it’s not even funny.

1pm. NAPTIME. So, this is the time that I strive to have George in his bed and sleeping by 1:15pm. I stay in his room with him until he passes out. And as I mentioned above, sometimes I am rocking him to sleep + then also rocking sissie in her car seat and wondering to myself, WHAT IS LIFE?!

4pm. GO OUTSIDE/FREE PLAY. Typically George will wake up after 1.5-2 hour nap so I will always fix him a little snack and let him have some iPad time while he wakes up. This allows me to finish up any work that I was doing/get Eloise down for a nap, because yes, she is not synced up to her brother + more often than not, she is awake during his whole nap time…when this alarm goes off, I know the iPad goes away and we either go outside or we start pulling out the trains/trucks/magnatiles.

5pm. PREP DINNER. If I didn’t have this alarm, I swear dinner would not get made. Although I am really truly starting to enjoy cooking, I would get lost in our outdoor play/late afternoon playtime + dinner would not be ready by the time Hubs got home. Plus, this alarm means I can have a glass (or two!) or wine while I make dinner…

6pm. DINNER. This one is pretty obvious. And yes, we all sit at the freaking table!!!! THIS IS HUGE.

7pm. BATHTIME. Every second night, GBB gets a bath unless it was an exceptionally messy day. Now that it’s getting warmer, it may become an every night thing because sunscreen/sand/sweat…that stuff needs to go before getting ready to doze off into sleep land.

7:30pm. BEDTIME SNACK/TEETH BRUSHING. George is the ultimate snacker so we definitely want to make sure his body is nice and full. I always bring out a banana in hopes that he wants to eat the “nana” but more often than not he will want a carry food, so sometimes it’s a handful of crackers. Then we brush teeth–which is something we are still working on getting into our routine. Hubs and I are both guilty of just being TOO TIRED to get that done but we’re upping our parenting game + getting those pearly whites brushed. I’m happy that GBB is actually enjoying it now too because it was a struggle for awhile.

8pm. BEDTIME. Woo! This is the intended time for sleep but now that it is much brighter out, no matter the blackout curtains, George isn’t a dummy + he knows it’s not dark enough for bedtime SO I usually get Eloise into bed at this time and Aaron and GBB will play or watch sports together (I really wish we had no television right before bed but baseball…I just keep telling myself, the boys are making memories!). Between 8:30-9pm, George will be brought into the room + we will snuggle to bed. Sometimes all four of us go to bed at the same time AND sometimes mommy + daddy get to hang out solo in the living room and watch Netflix or Seinfeld!! It’s so rare these days because we always pass out with the kids, ha. It’s okay…they’re only young once + we’re hella-tired.

So, there you have it! Our daily rhythm! This blog post legit took me over a month to write and the funny thing is I had to actually edit it quite a bit because with routines/schedules/rhythms, they change ALL. THE. TIME! And I know I am not perfect or a professional or something, but my advice if you are trying to get a routine/schedule/rhythm into your life/house, is to go with the flow, follow your kids’ leads, and understand that things will constantly change. Don’t get too serious about it all cuz that’s no fun + enjoy the little simple things. Those are the BIG things. We can all totally relate when we say “time flies” and it does so quicker with each passing day, so relish in the insane moments and in the moments of quiet–when your toddler is playing independently or when your baby won’t nap but just wants to smile at you + be held. These days are fleeting, so please enjoy them.

I’d like to thank you all for reading and supporting this sweet blog of mine. Thank you for being patient with me as I navigate these new waters and thank you, as always, for your love + inspiration. I have some really exciting blog ideas coming your way soon and although I know I was gone for a little, I hope to take some time for ME + get back to this little space of the internet.

Love!