As moms we have all heard it… “The days are long but the years are short!” For me personally I haven’t felt that the years are short yet (I know it’s coming) but I can definitely attest to the days being long. Ever since the twins were born we have been on a consistent schedule. I know schedules are not for everyone but I choose this approach because I felt a schedule was the only thing that would make my days less hectic and more predictable, especially with twins. Now that we are out of the baby stage and into the toddler stage, we are able to be a little more flexible with our schedule but in this blog you will get a sense of what my days look like ninety percent of the time. I’ll be sharing what both my schedule and the kid’s schedule look like, along with a few resources I use to help plan activities for my days at home with my 3 kids. For reference my oldest Brock is currently 3 and my twin girls Jadyn and Jordyn are 19 months. Now, let’s get started with our schedules!
Toddler Schedule
7:00am – Wake Up, Milk & Movies with Dad
8:00am – Breakfast
8:30am – Get Dressed & ready for the Day
9:00am – Intentional Play
10:00am – Snack
10:15am – Change of Scenery
11:00am – Screen Time (mickey mouse Club House & Blippi are our go tos right now)
11:30am – Lunch
12:00pm – Nap Time
2:00pm – Jadyn & Jordyn Awake (Snacks, Play or movie)
3:00pm – Brock Awake
3:00pm – Intentional Play
4:00pm – Change of Scenery
5:00pm – Play with Dada
5:30pm – Dinner
6:00pm – Family Walk, Play outside, park
6:30pm – Bath Time
7:00pm – Jadyn & Jordyn Bed Time
8:00pm – Brock Bed Time
Mama Schedule
5:45am – Wake up
6:00AM – Work Out
7:00am – Shower, wash face, get ready for the day
7:30am – Mama on Duty
8:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – Completely unplugged for Intentional Play
10:00am – Snack
11:00am – make kids lunch & Check Phone
12:00pm – Lunch, CLean up & ME TIME
2:00pm – Finish to do list while kids start to wake up
2:30pm – one on one time with jadyn and/or jordyn
3:00pm – Completely unplugged for intentional play
4:00pm – Snack
5:00pm – Make Dinner & Check phone
5:30pm – Dinner
6:00pm – Family Time
6:30Pm – StaRt Bedtime ROutine
7:00pm – Clean up
7:30pm – One on One Time with Brock
8:00pm – Me Time (Devotional, blog, skincare, watch a show)
So what does intentional play look like for us?
Intentional play is a time where I am playing with the kids without distractions. This time consists of planned activities, arts and crafts, sensory bins, toys, and outside play, just to name a few. I like to keep some days planned out and some days unplanned so that they have structure but they also have opportunities to lead the way. When planning activities I try my best to focus on their development and approaching milestones. To help with this, I have recently started using a couple different resources that I would love to share with you. I like to use these resources to help guide me on what they should be learning or working on given their age. Here are the resources:
What to Expect the Toddler Years (Book)
This book gives you a general idea of what your toddler should be able to do each month. I love referencing this book to get just a simple overview without over complicating it. You could definitely use google as well but I love getting information from just one reliable source so that I know it will be consistent month to month.
Side note: I used the What to Expect When Expecting and What to Expect the First Year as well to avoid the 2 am freak outs after googling (insert any little thing a new mom or expecting mom worries about constantly here). Again, just to keep the information I was receiving, consistent.
The main information I pull from this book each month reads like this:
If you don’t want to purchase their books, I have also found great information on their website, here.
Lovery Blog
I heard of the company Lovery when I was on the hunt to find a play mat big enough for twins. We have since purchased some of their toys including their block set and tunnel. I have been so tempted to splurge on their play kits but they are a little on the expensive side. I do have some good news though, they have a blog! Their blog is sectioned off by age and gives you ideas on how to play with your little ones based on their current month of development. Although I would love to buy their kits, I feel like the blog alone has given me such good inspiration and confidence when choosing activities for my kids.
Busy Toddler Instagram
Many of you have probably already heard of the Susie Allison’s instagram account @busytoddler BUT if you haven’t you need to follow her. She was previously a kindergarten teacher before becoming a stay at home mom and now provides so many great activities for babies, toddlers, and kids on her instagram page. We have tried out the popsicle bath, tape rescue, card drop, color sort, puzzle search, and so many more. Again, a must follow for any mama!
KiwiCo Subscription
KiwiCo is a monthly subscription box delivered to your door, containing activities geared toward your child’s age and creativity. As I mentioned before, I did not end up purchasing the play kits from Lovery and it was because I discovered KiwiCo, a similar concept for a fraction of the price. I love that these kits provide you with everything you need, eliminating some of the planning and prep work. We currently get 2 boxes, the Panda crate for the girls and the Koala Crate for Brock. Pictured below are our last two kits that we received, a doctors kit promoting pretend play and introducing feelings related to one’s health. The second including sensory number flash cards, shape puzzles, and stacking cups. Each crate also comes with a book for the kids and a parent activity guide. I highly recommend KiwiCo as it’s a great way to mix things up each month and so affordable! If you do decide to sign up, you can use this link for $10 off!
Change of Scenery
I have learned that typically after about an hour the kids tend to get bored with their current setting and are anxious for a simple change of scenery. If we are in the living room we will move upstairs to the loft or if wheather permits we head to the backyard, go for a walk in the wagon, or even play in the garage. I literally have toys set up in almost every room of the house for this reason.
One on One Time
As a momma of three, one on one time is rare but luckily I do tend to have a few opportunities throughout the day where I am able to get at least a few minutes with just Brock or just the twins. Typically the girls go to bed about an hour before Brock does and Brock usually naps longer than the girls so those are usually my windows for one on one time. When I get time with just the girls I try to play with the toys that brother doesn’t always love to share like his trains and cars. With Brock I try to do activities that I don’t like doing when the girls are awake like his board games (lots of small pieces) or play-dough (the twins still try to eat it every time I get it out). I’ll be honest too, sometimes I prefer to be selfish and just soak up all the one on one snuggles I can, they are so rare!
Unplugging From my Phone
Last but not least, I want to share something I have been trying for the past couple weeks in regards to my schedule, and that is unplugging from my phone. As you can see, I have set times during the day that I have designated to being completely unplugged. I noticed before I started doing this, I was constantly being distracted by things that would come up on my phone, taking my attention away from my priorities. One major one being my kids. I had a gut punch moment when my oldest Brock raised his voice in frustration, “Put your phone down mama and play with me!” In that very instance I could have opened up the front door and threw my phone into the street (dramatic, I know). But that moment opened my eyes to a lot and I knew I needed to adjust.
The solution I came up with for myself was unplugging completely from my phone for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. During this time I set my phone completely out of sight (yes, my watch goes too) and I give all of my attention to my priorities. I have found that by doing this I have created a special time during my day that I look forward too with my kids. I also feel more accomplished after a long day because I don’t have mom guilt hanging over me from not being as present as I would have liked.
As moms we are constantly reminded of how fast this time goes and I have realized that I don’t want to look back 5 or 10 years from now and have regrets about the time I could have spent with my kids more intently.
Sidenote: I will be sharing more on this topic in a future blog so stayed tuned!
Effort Over Perfection
I want to conclude with this: effort over perfection! There will be days where you are out of ideas or you just can’t fathom the thought of putting another sensory bin together and you will end up watching 2 or 3 movies before noon. That is okay. There will be other days where you plan 15 activities and your kids won’t be into a single one of them. That is also okay. The greatest thing I have learned so far is accepting the days that aren’t perfect. As long as I can look back on the day and know that I gave my kids my best effort, I can sleep peacefully. Remember, you are enough and you are doing great! (At least that’s what I tell myself on those not so easy, long days!)
I hope you enjoyed this look into a day in the life of a stay at home momma of three. If there are other resources that you have found and enjoy, I would love to hear about them in the comments below! As always, thanks so much for reading.
