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Jumat, 18 Agustus 2017

Moms Make it Work Valarie Mom to Ten Kids Grandma Wisdom Past the Little Kid Years

I try hard not to have 'favorites' when it comes to the Moms Make it Work series. But I'm not going to lie when I say that today's poster ranks up there pretty high when it comes to hitting me hard in the (pregnant) gut with wisdom. It's lengthy and it jumps around to different subjects and I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

When I first put out the 'casting call' for mothers of older children, and mothers with large families I had no idea that Alicia would refer me to her mother-in-law, Valarie. And oh, what a gem we have for you readers today! Val has a blog called Well, Yeah. She has TEN children. She is a grandmother and her youngest child is nine, so she fits the bill for both 'big family' and 'past the little kid years.' She is a homeschooling, home-birthing, breastfeeding mom with an amazing outlook on motherhood. Mostly I love it when moms with older kids tell me it DOES get easier, and when they remind me to soak in the little babies as much as possible. I worry that Val has just sparked my 'thinking about four kids' fever a little too heartily but I'm going to ignore that part of my gut-punch and stick to the other take home points;) Hi, Nate.

Val emailed me about writing for the series after Alicia mentioned it to her, and instantly I knew I wanted her to post for us. Here is what she said in her first email to me:

"I would like to participate in the way that as mothers we all feel like we’re starting over from scratch, and really we’re not. Raising a family is a universal human experience that we all share, and the rules are always changing, but babies and little kids do not change.

Okay, here’s a good example. When my oldest kids were born we started cereal at two weeks, fruit at four, meat, blah, blah. It was a full schedule of poking baby food into tiny mouths and scraping it off their chins. Then a few years later it was the popular theory that babies didn’t need any food at all until five months. Why five months? I don’t know. Later on I had a kid who wouldn’t eat anything even at a year old. He’d roll his eyes and throw the food to the dog and hold out until the meal was over and I’d take him to bed and nurse him. ( He’s 6’5” graduating the university next week.)

Then my great-grandma told me that the first food they fed their babies was graham crackers soaked in milk, at about nine months. (Breastfed, no options in 1920.) All at once a light went on over my head: ding-ding-ding. It doesn’t matter that much. Just so the baby gets fed somehow, that is the main thing."

Um, yes. I wanted to hear more and truly, the last four paragraphs of her post are THE.BEST. I hope you enjoy the post as much as I did!

The Moms Make It Work series asks the big question: How do you make it work?

We just do—Moms do, parents do. We apply trial and error, flounder around with our priorities, and we make it up as we go, and that’s how it is for pretty much everyone. And it’s always evolving. What works for a while then doesn’t work, so we begin again with a new plan.

I’m a mom in my early fifties now, a mom of ten. These days I really have six adults and four children: The oldest is 34 and the youngest is 9.

I refer to that littlest one as the maraschino cherry on top of a giant sundae of family. She was born after our 25^th anniversary and I’m glad I didn’t know ahead of time about these littlest kids. I don’t think I could have stood the waiting. How do you wait 23 years, 25 years for a child?

family

People all the time have observed my life and asked me, “How do you do it??”

I’d be so baffled. “Same way you’d do it. I don’t have a special way.”

Truth is it wasn’t until we didn’t have babies anymore, and our toddlers turned to little kids that my life became amazingly EASY. All at once the question made sense. How did I do all that? I just did. I was too busy doing it to ponder on anything.

Then I wondered at what all the rest of them did with their time anyway, the big slackers.

They’d also ask me if the kids were planned.

(Yeah, I know. How rude.)

I wasn’t a jerk. I’d tell them, “Nobody has ten kids by accident.”

I do love babies, love how life with a baby is living in synchrony, sleeping together, waking up together, the weight of them in the sling, the smell of their breath, bathing them, dressing them, carrying them around. And I love having a baby in the house—the way they make things funny and sweet, and how much the other kids are soaking them up too—the aggravation and work, and also having them to share the goofy parts with and watching the relationships between them grow.

boys(1)

This question always comes up: How did we afford them? Their dad has a good job and we also watched our money. Our oldest son complained when he was big about how now we were more prosperous and bought Oreos and he’d had to endure the chocolate chip bars his dad made every night. I can’t tell you how that made me laugh—stories from his tough childhood, how he had to endure Dad’s baking constantly. There were plenty of complaints he could have made against us, preoccupied and stupid as we were, but THAT?

This is to inform you that no matter how hard you try, they will complain anyway. Do your best, but just know that.

Here’s a little known big family truth—the kids are a lot of help. You don’t see it when you have a trio of preschoolers. They can’t help. They’re crazy little twerps, prone to arguing over trivia and making huge messes. Their demands are random and somewhat bizarre.

BUT soon they are a bit bigger. A ten year old is hardly any work at all, and is really good company.

So by the time our fourth child was born, the oldest two were eight and seven. They could answer the phone, get the mail, investigate what the others were doing and report back, help pick up toys, amuse the baby while they watched TV and I made supper.

The hardest of all is having a bunch of littles, with no middles or big kids to help. Those extra hands are amazing and they are what make a big family possible—everyone who can pitching in.

But there are some people who think this is bad. I’m not sure why exactly because life is all about trade-offs no matter what anyone chooses, but there’s the idea out there that the MOM should do everything and the kids should not have to do anything for each other because of some abstract idea about something that is meaningful in some way to someone.

Interesting. I don’t get it, obviously. There was a day a friend with one child was at our house for lunch. During the meal, Kirsten wanted to leave for a minute, and she prefaced her leaving with the announcement, “Listen to me: This is my food, and I’m coming back. Don’t touch it. I still want it. I’m not done.” Then she ran off.

The friend said, “Ohhh. Ohh, that is so sad.”

(She actually blurted that out.)

I said, “Sad? It’s not sad at all. SHE is SMART.”

Case in point: A lot is perception.

I bottle fed the oldest two, but nursed the rest. It was pretty much continuous nursing from 1984 until about 2006. I lived life with a baby tucked in my shirt, in the baby sling, on my hip. ( You get used to it to the point you’re doing the side to side swoop with a bag of groceries if you’re forced to hold one.) Plus I wasn’t working—I was home, and this was my job, keeping care.

Here’s another thing about why it was important for me to nurse those babies. In a big family there’s always a lot to do, and it’d be just so easy to pass the baby and a bottle off to some older kid. But because of nursing, I had to do it, so those babies got the undivided mom time they deserved—the cuddle connection was easily accomplished together.

This is something the big girls have talked and laughed about too, big family stuff I probably will be slammed for: When I was getting the baby to bed, I’d turn the three year old over to the other kids at bedtime. (Their dad was usually working in the office.) If they’d fake they were going to sleep until the little one was asleep, they could stay up.

Bribery!

(Yep. I recommend it, actually. There comes the give and take—you do this and I will do that. The motivation provided by Skittles can save a shit ton of yelling and whining. Present it as a business arrangement.)

One night James was overtired and tucked in bed, prayers and kisses. Little Jay did the fake going to sleep thing, but almost beat me down the stairs. I said, “He’s asleep already?”

“Oh yeah. He always goes right to sleep when he’s depressed.”

Okay, he wasn’t depressed. He was overwrought because he was little and tired.

Heidi and Kirsten had the same deal with Little Jay a few years before—get him to sleep and you can stay up as long as you want.

Well, their curtain rods were bent and he’d puked up a nickel and the stories went on and on. I was annoyed about the curtain rods and a bit freaked out about the nickel, “Yeah, I can’t believe you would blame a BABY!”

It actually was the baby, doing flips and skin-the-cats on the curtain rods. I’m sorry girls, and I know you didn’t feed him a nickel. That was all him.

And then there’s the homeschooling. Our oldest child was dyslexic and that’s a whole huge story in itself. If you really care to know about it, there’s a section in my blog specifically called homeschool. The short version is the system was taking him down, his confidence most of all. It’s tough to be little and dyslexic in school. We tried very hard to make it work, and it didn’t. In desperation, we decided we couldn’t possibly do worse by him.

So we took him out, and his brother too for simplicity, and our entire family’s life took off in a different direction than we ever expected, and I love it so much. We didn’t fit in with other homeschoolers, not religious enough mostly, and second not interested in the Young Genius crowd, and it seemed to always be one or the other with the homeschool parents. But we figured out how to be us, and how little formal education kids actually need during childhood. David Guterson referred to it as “a self formed in solitude.” There’s not much solitude around here, but I know what he meant—the freedom to be yourself and figure out your own rhythm and style. The kids had the childhood to do that, and I do also think that this is part of why we and they are so close.

Julia and Little Jay

Here’s what I did not know while I went around with a baby tucked under my chin and a house full of rowdy goofballs: They were going to grow up to be the dearest friends I’d ever have. So while you’re planning your family, take a look out—way out past daycare hassle and sippy cups with curdled milk under the bed. Look out past the music lessons and Little League. What do you want your life to look like twenty-five years from now? Specifically who do you want in it? You may not want ten people. But maybe you DO. I’m telling you the work was all worth it.

We did not set out to have ten children. It is a wildly extravagant thing to have done, in every way. First we had two. We were students, so with two brothers a year apart, we took a break for a few years. Then we had two more, two little girls, and it was five and a half years before we had the fifth one. It was a hard transition going back to a baby again, and he was such a little dictator we called him Napoleon behind his back and agreed he needed a sibling his own age. (Maria was his beautiful, curly haired equalizer.) But then we had a few more just because we were having fun. Homeschool had become fun. Homebirth is fun. Life had become so far out of mainstream and we didn’t even know it, and really did not care.

When I was a girl I went to nursing school and then never worked much as a nurse. It has never really felt like me. In my thirties I went to college for a bachelor’s degree in finance of all things, with a minor in ethics. When my baby was four, I started selling real estate, which I enjoy, and it’s also flexible hours, work from home mostly, but also unpredictable income, capricious clients.

I have felt lucky to be able to provide care to my grandbabies when their parents were at work because I know how impossible childcare always seemed to me. Expensive. Scary. Imposing. Well, I cost nothing, and am not scary, and I don’t feel imposed upon. I enjoy their craziness, and feel proud of the contribution to everyone’s peace of mind and well being. Nobody has a bad day at Grandma’s. I know kids are squirrels and grow in different ways, and sharing is hard, and working out conflicts is a complicated skill set that even adults struggle with sometimes. There are ice cream treats in my freezer, and the love is forever.

One of the questions Julia specifically asked was what to expect as the kids move on into their own lives and do the struggles and bad parts fade away and the good parts remain?

Kids do separate in late teens and early adulthood, and it’s confusing for them too. Sometimes they fight a lot because it’s way easier to leave feeling angry than it is feeling wistful. Others withdraw more quietly, but they all need the space to do it.

And yes, with teenagers I use guilt to my advantage because how else are you going to influence a teenager? When they genuinely feel bad that you’re upset? This is a good thing—they may not do what you hope they would, but they have heard. We have no nefarious intention toward them, no hidden agenda, and they know it. Our intentions are all about their protection, safety, and well being. That they may have a different version of this than we do—possibly. We can talk about it. We haven’t had any troublemakers and honestly even when they pushed the boundaries they stopped far short of self-destructive behavior.

What I wish for them is that they be independent in adulthood and have sustaining relationships with family and friends. The forms that could take are infinite. So far, so good.

And remembering the good parts vs. the bad parts? The big picture is splendidly good, so yeah, the cream rises.

But the kids love to bring up and laugh at me about the times I was Mommie Dearest, my channeling Joan Crawford, having an adult tantrum, throwing shoes in the stairway at midnight, the time I cracked wooden spoon against the cupboard in some kind of fury and it shattered, the workbook I tried to rip in half in a moment of pure outrage. (The little turds LIED and I found out.)

The million-zillion times I was appropriate, and civilized and kind? Nah, forgotten. I have taken the point of view that I’m glad my asinine moments do stand out—that they were so far off the norm that they’re memorable. Regrettable and embarrassing yes, and there are a few times when I truly was an ass and wish with my whole heart I could have a do-over, but it doesn’t work that way. Some saint said, “When you know better, then you do better.”

It doesn’t fix anything, but it’s helpful to hear that—hopeful that we can grow into kinder selves.

I’m going to close here with the last part of an article I wrote when Tim was a baby.

“...Of course going from childless to caring for a baby is a shock, but they are taking themselves way too seriously. Their baby will be a baby only a single brief wonderful year, and then they will have a toddler. Soon after that they’ll have a little child, and then soon a bigger kid.

I understand right now they are reeling under the responsibility and time issues a baby creates, but if they think they are the first people to go through new parenthood—wrong. They are not. It's just life. My first child overwhelmed me too, and then the second one was still hard work, though not twice as much work as one. By the time we had that third baby though, I just enjoyed her—knowing that everything with a little child is a temporary situation.

I think if you want them, you should have babies and kiss them all the time. Wrap them in blankies and carry them around. Laugh a lot, sleep together when it suits you, and ignore dust and crumbs as much as possible. Go to Little League games and scream, "Good hit!" and "Run! Run!" Rent them instruments and cover your ears while they practice. Buy them pets, take them swimming, and read magazines at the park while they play so you don't have to watch them dangling upside down.

Soon enough you'll be clutching the dashboard while they lurch around learning to drive your car, moving their stuff into the dorms at college, and dancing at their weddings, reminiscing about where the time went. I speak from experience here. Fear not any chaos. Love rules.”

{Tear. Thank you, Val! Find the rest of the MMIW series here}

Minggu, 13 Agustus 2017

In the Cookie of Life Teachers are the Chocolate Chips Free Printable

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week!
I love Teacher Appreciation Week...and not just because I am a teacher ;)

I like giving little goodies to my kids teachers throughout the year (and giving them THIS questionnaire at the beginning of the school year is super helpful)
Because of my Back to School printable I know that both my girls teachers love Chocolate Chips Cookies, so earlier this school year I made a printable and attached it to a mason jar full of homemade cookies!

Since Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up, I thought I would share the printable with all of you!
This is a super simple and who doesn't love homemade chocolate chip cookies?
You could even add a gift card to this if you wanted to make it extra special.

Here is what you need:
-Printable {download at the end of this post}
- Wide mouth Mason Jars {I got mine HERE}
- Bakers Twine/String
- Chocolate Chip Cookies (I use THIS recipe)

I love mason jars & think everything looks cuter in a mason jar, so that is why I like to put things in mason jars as gifts :)

And, I also love bakers twine, so I just wrap a bunch of it around the mason jar, add a tag & viola!
Super cute gift!

The mason jar fits about 5 cookies (and keeps them nice & fresh!)

Of course, you could always put the cookies on a paper plate & cover it some clear wrap and bakers twine and the printable to that, but I like mason jars because it is easy for my kids to carry and/or put their backpack and I don't have to worry about the cookies getting smashed! :)

Here is the printable:

{Click to download. Right click & then Save.}

If you have read my blog for a while, you know that Cookies are some of my FAVORITE treats!
The girls and I LOVE making cookies, especially cookies that have chocolate chips in them.
I was browsing through my Recipe Box and realized that I have several Cookie Recipes that use Chocolate Chips, so here are some recipes you can use for this printable:

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Monster Cookies:

Chocolate Chip Snickers Cookies:

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies:

I have really yummy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe also, but I realized I haven't blogged that yet! I will try and blog that soon :)

Need more Teacher Appreciation Ideas?
Here are some other free printables that I have on my blog that would be perfect for Teacher Appreciation and/or End of the School Year Gifts!

Cupcakes in a Mason Jar + Free Printable:

{HERE}

I'm so lucky to have a teacher like you Printable (I add a gift card to this)

{HERE}

Thank you for being my Teacher (Cookie in a CD Sleeve with gift card)

{HERE}

Thanks a latte for all you do:

Get the printable {HERE}

I love this idea because this is what is inside the box....my favorite Anthro mug & coffee gift cards :)

Thanks for helping me bloom printable:

{HERE}

The World Needs S'more Teachers like You Printable

Printable {HERE}

S'mores Bar Recipe {HERE}

So, there you have it.
Several easy (& cheap!) gifts you can give the teachers/coaches/office staff in your life as a way of saying Thank You. These work for Teacher Appreciation Week, End of the School Year or Just Because!
And, the beauty of these gifts is that you could always attach a $5 or $10 giftcard to any of these treats (if you want to)

Trust me, as teachers, we ALWAYS love gift cards :)

Happy {almost} Teacher Appreciation Week to all my fellow teachers out there!

Keep up the good work! It's almost Summer....we can do it!!

Hope some of these ideas are useful to you!
********

And, as a reminder, I have a $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway going on that ends on Friday!

Click HERE if you haven't entered yet!

Selasa, 08 Agustus 2017

Potty training tips on the go

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Minggu, 30 Juli 2017

Candle the Elf

We started a new Christmas Tradition this year.
Last year, the day after Christmas, I bought the Elf on Shelf book because it was on major sale.
I thought the idea looked cute & was excited to use it this year.

Every year, I give the girls a pair of new Christmas pajamas for them to wear during the month of December (and Christmas Eve night, of course!) But, this year, they got more than just matching pajamas!

On Sunday, this is what the girls saw when we got home from Uncle Jeff's birthday lunch:

I put a bow around their new Christmas pj's, wrapped 2 presents, had a note from the Elf, and of course, had the Elf sitting among the gifts:

They untied the pj's (matching, of course!)
They are Carter's. Aren't they cute?!?!

We read them the note & then they got to open the 2 presents.

The first present was from Santa saying that they had been good all year & it was the Disney Princess Christmas DVD (Kate always sees the previews of it on her Cinderella DVD & asks for it everytime she sees the preview. I found it for cheap on Ebay!)

Claire was excited also, but not as much as Kate.Then they opened the 2nd wrapped gift, which was the Elf on the Shelf Book!

Kevin read them the book which they weren't too excited about. ha!

What they were excited about was that at the end of the book, you get to name your Elf.
Kate chose the name....she said, His name is CANDLE!

Candle the Elf may or may not have been sitting next to a candle when she named him (see picture above) Way to be creative, Kate! haha!

Then it was time to give Candle his final hugs & then they are not allowed to touch him ever again (says the book)

We placed Candle in a special spot for the day, our Christmas Tree!

Then, every morning, the girls wake up & run downstairs to see where Candle is hiding in our house!
Monday morning, Candle was sitting on top of the Fridge.
Claire spotted him first:

Tuesday, Candle was on the bookshelf above the TV.

On Wednesday, Kate spotted Candle in our shutters!

On Thursday, Candle was climbing up the light fixture above the kitchen table.

This morning, Candle was in my flower arrangement on our wine rack.

(It should be noted that Candle wasn't moved until 4 am this morning. Claire woke up crying & as I got up to get her, Kevin reminded me to go move Candle since we forgot the night before.)

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf?
We are not really mentioning that the Elf is watching them to report back to Santa, we are mostly having fun trying to find him each morning.

It has been a fun new Christmas Tradition!
Can't wait to see where Candle ends up tomorrow morning....I hope I don't forget to move him again!

Senin, 17 Juli 2017

A Day in the Life part 2

I've been thinking about doing this post for many months now. I did the first installment at 3.5 months and I've always wanted to do a few for comparison, because my how the routine changes with time. The ironic thing is that every time I start to write this post I stop because each day is so variable, it doesn't seem like one day can capture the 'reality' of our routine. Since in reality, every day can be vastly different from the next. But you know what? That's life---always changing and never a 'typical' generic day, I suppose. This post isn't supposed to be a 'one day fits all' thing, and it definitely doesn't represent each and every day of our lives. Just a glimpse...

Beginning of February, 11 months old:

5:30 Baby alarm goes off in the nursery. Talking, whining, and babbling to tell us he's ready to start the day.

5:40 I finally succumb and ask Nate to go get the boy and bring him to the boob. Our one and only nursing session for the day is the sweetest time ever. I'm propped up in bed, Nate is laying back down, and Truman is staring up at me and grabbing my hair while slashing my neck with his razor nails. Must remember to cut them today.

5:50 Enough of that nursing stuff. T gets restless hanging in bed with us because he knows we are trying to stall the process of actually waking up. He plays with both alarm clocks and requests to see Henry before demanding to get on the move, and so we are off to the nursery.

6:00 Remove jammies, remove diaper (which is totally full of poo this morning---no wonder he woke up at 5:30 with this load). Pick out adorable outfit for the day and apply to babe while he wiggles around the room.

(whoops! someone forgot his pants today...but check out those puffy saddle bag hips!)

6:15 Nate's making the coffee and I put Truman in his high chair for breakfast: he starts on his graham crackers and puffs in the family room while I make my own breakfast in the kitchen. Truman peeps the news and fills us in on what we've missed overnight.

6:20 I eat my breakfast (still PB and honey on a bagel!), sip my coffee and feed Truman his blueberry yogurt while watching the news with T. Nate takes Henry out and I do not envy them for experiencing the cold this early in the morning.

(breakfast time!)

(and what the boys must endure outside....deadly daggers!)

6:35 All done! Nate hops in the shower while T and I play a bit in the family room. Usually Little People Farm is a huge hit.

6:55 Nate's out of the shower so it's my turn while daddy watches T. I shower, get dressed, pull my wet hair back into a mommy-pony, and quickly apply a bit of makeup. By this time Truman has found me in the bathroom and tries to eat the toilet knobs. Great.

7:15 Done with that nonsense, so now I'll make my first trip to my car to drop off all three of my bags while Nate is inside with T: pump bag with lunch bag inside, Truman's daycare bag, and my work backpack. Plus my giant water cooler jug. I learned the hard way one day that I should never try to do this trip while Truman is in the house waiting on me alone. Bad news bears complete with meltdown. Also, I start my car to blast out some of the Wisconsin chill.

(ridiculous amount of loot)

7:20 Nate leaves for the day and Truman and I start getting him together--diaper check doesn't show a Code Brown so we are good there. Stuff his arms into giant winter coat. Place adorable hat. Brush my teeth. Put Henry in his crate and kiss him goodbye, turn off lights, and we are out the door.

(bundled up, what?)

7:30 Strap Truman into carseat, sip some more coffee to go and head to Lori's. Talk to Truman along the way as if he is a fully grown adult, of course. It's taking longer to get there today because I hit some major middle school traffic. Silly 'tweens. Get outta my way!

(Truman in his convertible car seat! Such a big boy).

7:50 Arrive at Lori's. Make drop off as quick as possible since Truman's bottom lip is quivering while I hand him over after a smooch. Tears are shed before I can get out the door and my heart squeezes a little harder. Suck it up, sister. He's going to be just fine.

8:10-8:45 Arrive to the office. Deal with paperwork. Call some patients. Put on the PT hat.

8:45 Leave office, but not before pumping in my car. Front seat, hands-free pump bra, and nursing cover = totally appropriate way to pump and be in public. Get about 3-4 ounces of the liquid gold. Store it in the back of my mobile office, aka my car.

9:15-10:00 First patient of the day. Talk about Truman.

10:00-10:30 Drive to second patient. Think about Truman. Also contemplating a Starbucks search.

10:30-11:15 See second patient. Talk about Truman's party.

11:15-11:30 Drive to third patient. Definitely want that coffee asap.

11:30-12:15 See third patient. Whip out pictures of Truman and discuss party details with said patient. A proud mama can't hide those pics!

12:15 Leaving patient house, looking for a place to park and pump. Find a gas station, fill 'er up with gas, use the bathroom, then pump in my car again while eating my packed sandwich. Get about 3 ounces. Make some phone calls for work. Do some paperwork---all while pumping. Thank goodness for my hands-free pumping bra and modern technology!

12:45-1:00 Drive to fourth patient. Search endlessly for good music on the radio. Realize my CDs are incredibly old and worn out, too. Settle for the same Katy Perry song that they've played 15 times today.

1:00-1:45 See last patient of the day. Counting down the hours to see baby boy.

2:00-3:30 Drive to a nearby Starbucks to complete all paperwork and treat myself to some black gold. Make phone calls, wrap up the day. Use the bathroom before heading out---a nice clean bathroom is hard to find on the road sometimes.

3:30-4:00 Drive to Lori's to get my little man. Wheee!

4:00 Arrive at Lori's and get a report. Can't stop kissing mister man! He had a good day today and got a thumbs up for good behavior....plus he smiled and reached for me when I walked in. Score!

4:10-4:20 Drive home with buddy, constantly stare at him in the mirror to assess the cuteness.

4:20 Home at last. Unload Truman, all three giant bags, and water jug---most likely in two trips, because I fail to have 5 arms for this task.

4:30-4:45 Truman goes into high chair for some snacks, I change out of my germ-infested clothes. I take Henry outside and pet him a few times. Unload pump bag, mixing freshly pumped milk into bottles for the night and next day. Wash all pump and bottle parts. Save the rest of the 'chores' for later if I can stand it, so that I can play with my bubs.

4:45-5:15 Play time on the floor with buddy, and I allow the toy box to barf all over the family room! Maybe a diaper change, too, as needed. Nate calls and is on his way home to join in on the fun.

(toy box barf:)

5:15-5:45 Kitchen time---attempt to throw something together for dinner while Truman scurries around on the floor playing with semi-forbidden kitchen items. Pick your battles, people. But then realize he's probably actually hungry as he tries to eat the table leg. Place him in his high chair to start his dinner. Multitask like a madwoman---feeding Truman, washing dishes in sink left over from breakfast, and assemble our dinner, too.

5:45-6:00 Nate is home! Time to chow. Eat together as a little family and discuss our days. Truman chimes in on the chatter of course, with much to say about his exciting day at daycare.

6:00-6:45 Family play time! Clean up dishes and kitchen then out to the family room to watch Jeopardy! (Truman loves Trebek and the blue screens, duh) and play with Truman on the floor. And magically at 6:45 he hits the wall and is ready for bedtime routine.

6:45-7:00 Get T-man nekkid, give him a bath in big boy tub. Watch him splash around and grin like a goofball baby boy.

7:00-7:15 Change into fresh double-stuffed diaper and jammies, then time for about 5 books in the rocking chair. Nate and I alternate days with this task and tonight it's my night to read. Nate preps the bottle while Truman flips my pages with authority.

(our favorite jammies: wool longies, tee shirt, and socks)

7:15 Both Mommy and Daddy kiss Truman goodnight. Bottle time---half in the rocker, then he lets us know when he wants to lay in the crib and down the other half.

7:30 Done with bottle, sleepy eyes is ready to pass out. Walk out of the room with a sigh.

7:30-8:00 Feed Henry for the night; change into my own jammies; lay out clothes for next day; pack my lunch; pack Truman's daycare bag; pack pump bag with supplies. I've totally consolidated this prep time and it's not such a time sucker anymore.

(bottle stuff on a light day)

8:00-9:00 Free time!! Some on computer, some with party crafts, some time knitting. Sometimes I have to be a grown-up and do more paperwork for my actual job during this time, too, but tonight it's all funsies.

(did I tell you I took a knitting class in December? I did and obviously I'm a pro now)

9:00-9:30 Last pumping session of the night, done in front of the computer. Get about 3 ounces while surfing the next, contemplating blog posts, and returning numerous emails.

9:30-9:45 Wash pump parts, brush teeth, wash face.

9:45-10:00 Waste time on the internets some more. Or maybe pull out the old paper journal.

10:00 Hit the sack after saying prayers, thanking Him for a good day and a blessed life.

So when you compare my days now to back in June, I'm 'sleeping in' a little more these days if you can call it that, until 5:30 instead of 5:15. There really was a nice chunk of time in the recent past when Truman slept until 6:30 or 7 every day. THAT was heaven and I'm hoping it's his norm, that this earlier time is just a phase. I leave for work at 7:30 now instead of 7:00. I get off work at 3:30 or so now, instead of 5:00. I get home with Truman at about 4:20 instead of 5:30. And the biggest difference? Truman goes to bed at 7:30 instead of 9:00 which means a LOT more free time before I go to bed myself. Oh, and he sleeps through the night now which is pretty much The Bomb, and it means he is still in his crib in the mornings instead of being in our bed as we get ready. And we don't nurse for 30 minutes at a time (ha!) multiple times per day but I do have a lot more bottles to clean instead.

Overall I'd say I have more time at home with baby boy because of my new job in home care, and with Truman's earlier bedtime and more restful nights we all have more time to just chill out. Less hectic then the early months as a working mom although it's still pretty crazy around here in the mornings and evenings.

My biggest tip for any working mom out there is to prep all that you can the night before. Yes, I spend a big chunk of my evenings getting ready for the next day but it's so worth it to have less stress in the morning as we try to get out the door in one piece. You have to be organized or you will certainly feel like you are drowning.

Also, my husband is amazing and without him I'd be a total disaster. This statement fits well into this post because there were a few nights when Nate had to work late and go to work early. So I was basically a single mom in the mornings and evenings and let me tell you, I missed my teammate like crazy. Single working moms are truly rock stars for managing it all solo. I cannot imagine that I would remain sane without Nate as my partner.

There you have it---a day in the life of a working mom to an 11 month old boy. A little different than our life at 3.5 months, and dare I say even more fun?

And with that....since it is Superbowl Sunday in Wisconsin----GO PACK GO!!