As most of you know, I have been working on adjusting to this Stay at Home Mom life. As a former elementary teacher/over-committer, I’m used to non-stop busyness. I worried that being home with Isla would be hard for me because of the significant change of pace from what I was used to, but I’ve found that my time is just filled in other ways and I still feel BUSY! Maybe not quite as busy as before, but I’ve found that between substitute teaching, working at LOFT, church activities, playdates, and everything else that pops up, our calendar is pretty full. So, what does a typical day or week look like for us? I get asked this a lot, and the answer is: Hmmm, Good question! There really is no “typical” day, but I’ll try my best to share our new normal with you today!
Monday
My mom watches Isla once a week so I can sub, and I’ve found that Mondays or Thursdays tend to work best in both of our schedules. I’ve subbed on Thursdays the last few weeks, so Mondays tend to be spent playing catch-up from the weekend. Having Mondays open the last few weeks has been great because I know I can enjoy my Sunday and save some of the not-so-fun stuff for Monday. Isla enjoys tagging along on grocery store trips in between naps and I try to get laundry done and folded while she’s napping or playing. Even with more time at home, I find myself using the crockpot a lot lately for meals. It’s nice to not have to worry about prepping a meal in the early evening since Isla’s schedule can be so unpredictable!
Tuesday
My aunt, who is a recently retired elementary teacher, watches Isla on Tuesday afternoons while I work at Loft or sub. If I don’t work at Loft on Tuesday afternoon and sub instead, I work one weeknight while Logan is home with Isla. Isla and I usually spend Tuesday morning being a little lazy at home, since I know the rest of the day is usually pretty busy!
Wednesday
I’m usually with Isla the whole day on Wednesdays. We might make a Target or Costco run in between naps if needed, and we have a prayer group we go to in the afternoon if Isla is up from her nap. Can you see how Isla’s naps totally dictate our schedule? I’ve learned the hard way that missing a nap makes for a ROUGH day for both of us. On Wednesday nights, either Logan or I have bible study, so the other stays home with Isla. We used to meet as one big “life group”, but with so many little kids in the group now, separating into men and women and meeting every other week has worked well for this stage of life so that one of us can be home to care for the baby.
Thursday
It seems like Thursdays have been the day I take most full-day sub jobs. I love being around the kids and doing what I love, but I’m not in the routine of working full-time anymore, so I’m pretty exhausted by the end of the day! I have so much respect for you mamas who work full-time. Prepping bottles and baby food, packing a lunch, making coffee, etc. and getting out the door on time (or 5 minutes late in my case) is not an easy task, and that doesn’t even include having lesson plans and everything else prepared for the school day. Needless to say, Thursdays tend to be a crockpot night for dinner. 🙂
Friday
Even though I’m not working full-time outside the home, Fridays are STILL my favorite day! It’s just nice knowing the weekend is ahead, Logan will be home with us (and we can tag-team being Isla’s caretakers), and most of the chores for the week are done. Isla and I usually do something fun on Fridays, like stroll at the mall or meet up with friends. I’m in a MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group at a church in town that meets every other Friday morning, and we love it so far! Isla gets to play in the nursery with her friends while I get to hang out with mine! Breakfast, a HOT cup of coffee and connecting with other moms in the same stage of life is such a refreshing treat! I also plan to participate in a playgroup on the off-Fridays with some moms I met in the class we went to at the hospital when Isla was a newborn. It will be fun for her to play with other babies who are close in age and for me to see how much they’ve all grown!
So this is our new normal. There are still things I’d like to fit into our week, like working out, volunteering, and devoting more time to blogging, but for now, it works!
XOXO, Jenna
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