I am sure you’re jumping with excitement to hear about what Rowan and I do on a day-to-day basis! (please sense the sarcasm inserted there) In January of 2018, we decided that I would forgo my full-time job and stay at home to take care of Rowan and the house. We made this decision to help simplify our lives a little bit more (mine specifically) not that taking care of a baby and the home is anything simple! But I needed to cut something out in order to feel a sense of balance. I was juggling way too much and then insert Dusty’s crazy medical school schedule…we were feeling overwhelmed.

As I’ve mentioned before, I have a complete and utter admiration for mothers. period. Mothers who work outside of the home and mothers who work in the home and those who do a little bit of both. I also find it interesting to hear how moms do it. Whether they work full time, part-time, or stay at home. I love hearing about routines and the way moms strategize and work to get through their days. I’d love to hear how you spend yours, feel free to comment and share!

Being a stay at home mom hasn’t been an easy transition for me. Some days are wonderful…and some days have been long and arduous. (More to come on all this in a future blog post!) We’ve recently hired a nanny to come and hang out with Rowan a couple of times per week for about 2-3 hours so that I can get out and have some downtime. While those days aren’t consistent and vary from week to week…I usually try to schedule our sitter for the weeks when I know Dusty is going to be really busy. This helps me keep my sanity a bit too!

Our Daily Schedule: 

On a very rare occasion I wake up before Rowan does…but I am too much of a night owl to always make that happen…actually, it very rarely, if ever…happens. However, I do love the way it starts off my day, but as I said, I love my nights too much to cut them short!

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7:00 a.m. Rowan wakes up and gets his diaper changed

7:30 a.m. Rowan has breakfast (usually pancakes or cereal with blueberries and banana)
I typically let Rowan eat breakfast in the living room at our coffee table with a Daniel Tiger playing (I know tsk tsk) it gives me a handful of minutes to get some dishes done, feed myself, feed the dogs, pour some coffee, and check an email or two at the kitchen counter. I also try to slip in a short devotional this one is my favorite —> Joyce Meyer, The Confident Woman

8:00 a.m. I’m typically on the floor, still in my pajamas, playing trucks or trains.

8:30 a.m.  I get Rowan dressed and ready for the day.

9:00 a.m. I get myself dressed and ready for the day.

9:30 a.m. We typically are venturing out for the morning. Sometimes it’s to Target or the grocery store, a thrift store or two, the library, Children’s Museum, a play date somewhere, a walk with the dogs, playing in the garden, the beach etc…(depending on the season/weather) We are anxiously awaiting warmer weather so we can go out to the garden and play outside more!

10:00 a.m. I usually have plans to get out of the house every day…we don’t always get out…but we sure try to and 9 out of 10 times have success. It helps the day move along at a smooth pace and Rowan likes the stimulation of people and movement. He’s a little sponge…soaking it all up. I’ll usually bring a snack for us to share – this is typically a banana or an apple. Although lately, his little appetite has me bringing along two of each item! So much for sharing!

11:30 a.m. Driving Home
On the car ride home, Rowan typically gets to eat crackers and drink some juice…it keeps him awake since we have a 20ish minute car ride home.

11:50 a.m. Rowan plays and watches an episode of Thomas the Train or Daniel Tiger while I prep his lunch.

12:00 p.m. Rowan and I have lunch together. When he’s done eating he plays a little longer and then I tell him we need to get a few books out to read before nap time.

12:20 p.m. Reading books (usually about 3-4) but sometimes he likes to push the envelope and sneaks a couple more in. He’s learning quick…more books = delayed nap.

12:45 p.m. Rowan goes down for his nap.

1:45-2:00 p.m. Lately, Rowan’s only been sleeping for an hour or so. I’m blaming it on his teeth. And hope that as soon as he gets all these pearly whites he’ll start going down for 1.5-2 hrs (a momma can dream right?)

During his nap time I do a little of the following:
Tidy up the house, laundry, workout, shower, binge-watch a show on Amazon Prime, read, blog, take a nap!

2:00 p.m. Rowan wakes up
When he wakes usually wants to snuggle for a few minutes. After snuggling he’ll jump up and want to play trucks again…so I’m typically on the floor doing that. We sometimes put pillows from his bed on the floor and the dogs join us for a post-nap snuggle fest. Rowan loves when we take down his stuffed animals and make them be a part of the party.

2:30 – 3:00 p.m. Mid-afternoon snack while watching Daniel Tiger or Thomas the Train.

3:3o p.m. Outside for a walk with the dogs, playing in the snow or feeding the neighbors chickens (which he loves).

4:30 p.m. Back inside so that I can prep dinner and Rowan plays for a little bit until Dusty gets home.

5:20 p.m. Dusty is home!
Unfortunately, this isn’t Dusty’s schedule every day, there are some days where he doesn’t make it home until super late. But when he is home in time for dinner…I make it a point to have dinner ready shortly after 5 so that we can eat together at the dinner table as a family. Rowan LOVES when Dusty gets home…he plays bashful for a few minutes and then runs up to Dusty with a big smile on his face and hugs him.

5:30 p.m. Dinner time!
Dinner is usually pretty quick. We have dinner and say grace. Dusty usually leads the prayer and Rowan listens at the end of saying the dinner prayer Rowan says…”Amen” in a little baby version that melts my heart into a million in one tiny pieces. After dinner Dusty and Rowan play and I sometimes will join in the fun or I get the dishes cleaned up and any other pressing end of the night tasks.

6:45 p.m. Dusty gets Rowan ready for bed.

7:00 p.m. Bottle, recliner snuggles and an episode of Sesame Street followed by a couple of books!

7:15 – 7:30 p.m. Rowan goes to bed for the night. Dusty says a goodnight prayer with him and tucks him in and I give him a little smooch goodnight.

7:30 p.m. After Rowan goes down I usually finish any tidying up or prepping for the next day. Sometimes that means steaming veggies for Rowan or cooking some meat up for him. I also like to put a candle going and finish folding the laundry while watching the late news.

8:00 p.m. By this time I’m ready to unwind and do my own thing…this typically entails writing blog posts, reading, watching a show with Dusty, a sauna, shower, snuggling the dogs, or working on some non-profit volunteer stuff until it’s time for bed!

10:30 p.m. This is the time I wish I was sleeping by each night…but it usually pushes 11-11:30 p.m. again…night owl!

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So there you have it. That’s a day in the life of us. Pretty uneventful if you were to ask us! As I said, some days feel redundant and slow…I watch the clock tick by and try to remind myself that Rowan only this young once…the creative, to-do lister in me wants to be busy creating…but I try to keep perspective, count my blessings, and take in the little but important moments.