This is a sponsored post brought to you by Wendy’s new Waffle Cone Frosty.
I’ve never done a day in the life kinda post before. I just figured that it would possibly be the most boring thing ever. EVER. I mean, why would anyone in their right mind want to hear about what a stay at home mom does during the day with her two kids and playdates and cleaning and cooking and such.
So I get it if this is not for you. I get it. Truly. And obviously…this is just one day that I chose to chronicle. More for me than anything. So that I can look back at it in a month or a year or five, ten, twenty years and see a tiny flash of my used-to-be life. And to be perfectly honest…because Wendy’s sponsored this post, they made it happen. This is part of their Sweet made Sweeter promotion…which is about their new Waffle Cone Frosty but honestly, it makes so much sense to me as a mom for this post because sometimes it really is the little things like a quiet moment, or a kind gesture, or even a special treat that make our life so much better. It should be noted that every day is different for us. Every day is new and fresh with it’s own challenges and lows and highs and joys. It’s real. It’s not always perfect. But it’s ours.
7:15 am. Weston wakes me up by making tooting noises with his paci. Weston co-sleeps and usually Will sneaks into our bed during the early morning hours if he has nightmares, so both boys are in my bed this morning. I pick up Weston and nurse him over in the chair and leave Will to keep sleeping. I don’t even remember Jer giving me a kiss in the morning to say goodbye, which means that I was OUT. I put Weston in the jumper and I hop in the shower.
8:00 am. Will wakes up and he immediately asks to go to the bathroom. I am so proud of him for potty training so easily…and this morning I say a thankful prayer that I don’t have to change the sheets. We all head downstairs.
8:15 am. I start breakfast and the boys play on the blanket and the train table in the living room. It’s just eggs and toast today so it’s literally ready in three minutes time.
8:20 am. I sit Weston in the walker and Will and I sit down to eat. I shove the food in my mouth because it seems like Weston decided the blanket was more comfortable. I sit him back down on the blanket to find the entire back of my arm is wet.
8:30 am. I finish cleaning up Weston’s blow-out. Curses on the fact that the laundry room is still out of commission. Throw his jammies into the potty to soak and bundle everything else to put in the wash later.
9:00 am. Start Will on his ‘school’ while I wrap on Weston and do the dishes and try to do a round of picking up/vacuuming/dusting between helping Will. Today his school involves two pages in his activity book (which he needs my help), doing some lacing cards, and playing with his ‘sorting elephants’.
9:30 am. I’m pooped already. Will’s mentally done and just wants to play cars so I put all the ‘school’ stuff away and we all sit on the floor to play/read/sing/crash stuff. Weston is learning to crawl so I grab my camera. The slow crawl is one of my favorite sweet moments in a baby’s life.
10:00 am. Will’s independently playing so I nurse Weston again and then get up and start gathering supplies for my morning project.
10:30 am. Weston goes down for his morning nap. I want to paint the laundry room ceiling so I encourage Will to play right outside the door with his rice box (it’s a giant box filled with white rice and he has digger trucks that make a huge mess…but this morning, it’s the price I’m willing to pay for a white ceiling).
11:00 am. I’m done. Will’s bored of the rice and has started “feeding the shoes”…aka putting rice in all the shoes near the door. I set up Will on his bike to ride in the yard while I sweep the garage and fish wet, dirty rice outta Jeremy’s mountain biking shoes.
11:30 am. Our play date friends finally arrive. We try to have play dates at least three times a week and this time it’s with my friend Charity and her kids, Nicky and Natalia. The kids play out in the yard with all the trucks while Charity and I make lunch.
12:30 pm. Weston is awake so we pack up all the stuff we need to head down to the creek. The kids all want the same shovel. There was fuss over the sunscreen. Then Weston tries to eat a handful of sand. And then the kids discover the ‘little fish’ and the waterfall and the smooth stones and all is well. I nurse Weston while my feet are still in the running water. Sweet indeed.
2:00 pm. The kids are starting to get too cranky…looks like we need a change of scenery. We head up to the house and take out the baby pool for them to splash around in. They decide the funnest part is squirting each other in the bum with the hose. Weston munches on some baby puffs followed by five minutes of comfort nursing. He’s getting tired.
3:00 pm. We promised the kids ice cream if they ate their lunch so we head to Wendy’s for a new frosty in a waffle cone. It’s perfect. Weston falls asleep on the way there. We are a rugged looking group…and the little old lady in the back booth is looking at us with big smiles. While we wait for our cones, she exits and tells me that she remembers when her kids were that age and to cherish these times. I promise her I will.
3:40 pm. Hugs all around and the kids are buckled to head home. I remember that I need to stop at Sherwin Williams on the way home for paint samples. By the time I get there, both boys are completely out. I call the store and ask if I can just drive up to the side door and hand them my swatches through the window. They know me by name (aka crazy picky painting lady with two crying kids) so they agreed. I give them all five color names and my debit card and they deliver my samples back out to me. I thank my lucky stars for living in a small town and spend my time in my car emailing.
4:10 pm. I remember the bag of old clothes in my trunk and drop them off at the local thrift store that helps folks with drug and alcohol addictions.
4:15 pm. Finally home. I transfer each sleeping boy upstairs. I walk like a ninja so I can keep them asleep. Both boys sleep the afternoon nap in Will’s room. Then I look around the house. It looks like we were robbed. Nope…no burglary here…just a detonated bomb. I start picking up.
5:00 pm. The house is partially picked up…I’m done with approving comments and reading my favorite bloggers and then I eat a handful of Almond M&M’s. I need something stronger…I stare down the can of Coke in the fridge and settle on a glass of Crystal Light iced tea. I grab a handful of mini foam brushes and my paint samples and head outside.
5:30 pm. The flowers are all watered…the paint is drying for when Jer gets home…the kids wake up and I find both of them in the pack n play (Weston’s bed) playing with their lovies. It’s so cute to see them, that I run to get my camera. I notice Will’s bangs are scraggly – take him outside and do a five second snip. He freaks out….too soon for any post-nap activity, I guess. He insists that he needs a new shirt because the current one has hair sticking to the ice cream drips. One new outfit later, he’s happy as a clam.
6:10 pm. Daddy’s home! All is right with the world!
6:30 pm. I show Jer the paint colors…and the new laundry room ceiling…and the info we need for signing Will up for soccer and preschool for next year. Then Will does his routine of “what I did”….basically a full run down of things Will did that day…sometimes he only repeats what I tell him and sometimes there is some embellishment. Today he told Jer he saw a dinosaur down at the creek and that he peed on an ant. That last one is very well true.
6:45 pm. Jer moves both the washer and dryer back into the laundry room for me. I am amazed at his strength. Then he heads downstairs to do his workout while both boys play cars down there. I get three loads sorted and ready.
7:15 pm. It’s already late and I haven’t started dinner yet. Jer will be done soon and usually he plays with the boys outside while I try to make something. I pull some random goods from the fridge and start googling Pioneer Woman recipes on my phone.
8:00 pm. Dinner is finally finished. I couldn’t make 95% of Pioneer Woman’s recipes because I didn’t have any heavy cream. So I go back to my cooking comfort zone of pasta with chicken in some kind of sauce (this time it was artichokes, mushrooms, white wine, cream cheese and capers). It’s no Pioneer Woman but it’s tasty enough for all of us.
8:45 pm. Immediately following dinner, I nurse Weston and Jer tries to get Will to eat more. Jer tells me all about his plan for Saturday’s mountain biking ride. I tell him about the volunteer opportunities for the women’s group I started. We both dream about how cool it would be to buy a super old house at an auction and renovate it. Then I could use it as a photography studio or rent it out for special events. We both laugh and know it’s just a dream…but a good one.
9:00 pm. Bath time. This is Will’s favorite now that Weston is old enough to sit up. I read the Bearenstain Bears book while the boys play. Jeremy is down stairs cleaning up dinner.
9:30 pm. Jammies are on! Boys are ready and so am I. Will decides he wants Daddy to read and put him down tonight…so I give hugs and kisses and take Weston into our room to nurse while Jer does prayers/books/and songs.
10:00 pm. Weston nurses and is down. I put him down in his pack n play (we moved it back out of Will’s room into our room) to sleep for the night. Then I break out the computer. On the agenda: sorting photos, editing some pics of the boys, answering more emails, approving comments, and starting the post for today. Jer walks in with a tall glass of water for me, two bowls of ice cream for us both and some paperwork for the blog. He starts an old episode of Shark Tank.
10:30 pm. Will walks in with great urgency and tells us he needs to pee. I remember Westons jammies are still soaking in the toilet. I fish them out and throw them in the washing machine while Jer helps Will back to bed.
11:00 pm. Will walks in again to tell us that he sees a dinosaur.
11:30 pm. Will walks in again to give us ‘birthday cards’. They are of course, imaginary. This time, we threaten to take away his tractor. He falls asleep in his teepee. Jeremy is up past his normal bedtime so he kisses me goodnight and heads to bed.
12:00 am. Weston wakes up. I know his teeth are bothering him. I try comfort nursing him but he just gets mad because he’s not hungry. I come to grips with the fact that my blog post won’t be finished…and break out the numbing stuff for his gums. I walk him around for thirty minutes to no avail. Jer gets irritated because he needs to be sleeping. I confess that I am at the end of myself right now…Jer takes Weston so that I can finish signing all the paperwork. Jer has him asleep in under five minutes and heads back to bed.
2:00 am. All Bower boys are asleep and I am still up…this time trying to upload photos to a blog post. I realize I am dozing when I hear Will crying in his room from a nightmare. I go in to check on him and move him into his bed. Then I lay in bed and play three games of Candy Crush on my phone just to get my brain to calm down again and finally fall asleep. I fall asleep swearing to myself that tomorrow I’ll try to get a nap…and send myself a note to wrap the birthday presents/shower presents in the kitchen, clean up the bathrooms for ladies group tomorrow and to send out the thank you notes that have been sitting on my desk for the last two weeks.
4:00 am. Weston starts fussing again and I nurse him in our bed while half asleep. He co-sleeps for the rest of the night.
So that’s it. One little day in the midst of our crazy. I’m sure that most moms out there have their own version of crazy each day . We have triumphs and failures. We get involved and try to stay on top of the mess. We love our partners and our kids and our friends and family. And that in my book is beautiful.
disclaimer – this is a sponsored post by Wendy’s Waffle Cone Frosty. All opinions and memories are 100% mine.
You soaked the baby’s jammies in the potty? As in, the toilet? I know your laundry room was out of commission but come on… You don’t have a bucked or a sink? So gross!
I don’t have any kids yet – you’re scaring me! Where is the slot that says “and then I got 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep”??
Oh I don’t know how you do it!
You are a tough cookie.
Sounds like a great day to me. 🙂 Genius with the toilet soak. It’s where the blowout would go if he was potty trained. And toilet water is clean. In fact, it’s probably cleaner than most drinking fountains since it gets more regular maintenance/cleaning (don’t think about it too much). I’ll have to remember that tip for later.
I don’t think that’s gross…it’s what people did forever when they had dirty cloth diapers (which was what Weston turned his jammies into!). I guess it could be really gross if your toilet is nasty or has something already in it. But yeah…I don’t imagine that I would want poop in my sink and my solo bucket was already soaking my shoes in it. Honestly I am so disappointed that that is the only thing you get from this post…a judgement on a soaking pair of jammies…instead of focusing on the positive…like the fact that four kids are enjoying the great outdoors or that there are thrift stores that benefit those with addiction or that there are men that enjoy playing with their kids. Maybe that is a simpleton mentality on my part but my desire is that people start trying to see the good in others vs criticizing the different. I’m not saying you are being cruel or anything like that but in general, lately I’ve seen a trend in comments on lots of blogs and social media where people are tearing others down instead of building them up. I’m not perfect…I make mistakes…but I’m trying to encourage, engage and uplift others and I hope that everyone out there does the same.
xo – kb
haha!
xo – kb
That high-pitched noise you just heard was me whimpering a little…my first baby is due in August and the lack of sleep reflected in your post scared me just a whipstitch. I know I’m in for a rude awakening in a few months! 🙂 You use your time waaay better than I do…keep up the good work, Katie!
Really, Katie? You don’t want soiled jammies in the place where you wash your hands (or your dishes) or brush your teeth? I cannot believe you put something with poop on it in the place where poop goes. And then you take it out and toss it in the laundry machine (where it can be cleaned and sanitized?) …Girl, you crazy!
You have made me scared to have #2! but in a good way 🙂 Your dinnertime scramble is all too familiar. I am on week #3 of emeals and it has helped a ton. I paid $29 for a year of membership on groupon… it is worth checking out. I don’t have to think or plan, emeals app on my iphone tells me exactly what to do and I love it. Also I am only spending less than $100 a week at the grocery store. I am not paid by emeals, I promise, it is just super helpful. Also, how amazing is your sherwin williams!??
This was a delight to read. To the people who are grossed out about the toilet being used to soak clothes and diapers – get over it. Think about it, if flushed after each use, it is rinsed on a regular basis!
To the one wondering about 8 hours of sleep – that usually does not come until the youngest is at least four.
I love reading your blog – I get tired thinking about what you do but the memories you are making for your family are wonderful!!
You, Katie, are awesome. I don’t have kids yet, and have been struggling with the transition from college life to newlywed life. I think when I’m feeling overwealmed with life, I’m going to need to reread this post. You are so busy, I really don’t know how you do it, and it’s obviously that your family gets so much love from you which is the most important thing You are a huge inspiration to me!
I dont have a blog, but try to do a Day In the Life each year for our family. Routines change quickly, and precious memories fade far too fast. I enjoyed reading about your day, and I remember those toddler days well! Sleep will come eventually, and for now you’ve made sweet memories with your loved ones 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing so much of yourself with us!
The play time down at the creek sounded so wonderful. I think I could spend all day there. You are so lucky!
Also, I can’t believe you could even keep your eyes open past midnight. I could never stay awake after I breastfed B to sleep.
Soaking in the potty.. genius!!! Why didn’t I think of that. So much more sanitary than using the sink. “Good thinking Jones”, as we would say in my family 😉
People are so catty these days- ignore them Katie. This sounds like an exhausting but rewarding day as a mom, you’re doing a fantastic job!! What a challenge with Will’s sleep difficulties, I give you so much credit for carrying on with so little sleep. This is the first year Evie is old enough to really play in the creek behind our new home that we bought last spring, and it has been such a joy to watch her explore down there. I love seeing your boys in your creek too- it’s such a fun thing to have growing up! 🙂
Keep at it mama, you’re an inspiration in creative, cheerful sleep deprivation!! 😉
So amazing. They even honored the 30% off promo that expires the day before just simply bc they know my painter!
xo kb
Way to go! You rock getting all that stuff done. I don’t even have kids and I’m exhausted just reading this post. This is very inspiring Katie, thank you so much for sharing.
You mean to tell us that you put clothing with POOP on them in a receptacle made for . . . POOP?! How could you?! 😉 No judgment here. If you had stuck them in a gallon of milk, I would have been a bit concerned!
I have two kids (girls) that are 5 and 2, so I totally get you on all of this! You’re a wonderful Mommy!! We can tell just by reading your posts! I loved this Day in the Life, but it made me more exhausted than I already was! 🙂
Katie,
I love reading your blog and you make me excited for when I have children! You are an inspiration and light to anyone who reads your blog! Thanks for sharing:) And dude, that frosty in a waffle cone is calling my name. Gotta get to a Wendy’s! 😉
Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I don’t have kids yet (just one on the way!) and I so appreciated a peek at a day with your boys! When you think back to your childhood, you remember the most random things but your boys will certainly remember two parents who were loving, caring and most of all, fun!
I loved this post. I always feels like bloggers out there are perfect and their lives are one giant Pinterest board. Everything is perfect, they eat the healthiest food, their kids are perfect etc. I love seeing this glimpse into your life and see that you are just like the rest of us. I hope you do more of these posts 🙂
Love you, Katie!
xo Melissa
I totally agree with you, Katie! I hate seeing demeaning/belittling comments on blogs and even Instagram posts about personal choices and parenting skills! It all goes back to, If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all! I’m sure people have done way worse things than soaking some baby jammies in a toilet. Keep doing a GREAT job parenting YOUR children the way God wants YOU to! You have so many supporters and people who DO see the good in your posts. Funny, the only thing I thought was crazy was that Jeremy gets irritated when he’s trying to sleep…haha! Haters gonna hate. 🙂
The toilet! How am I just hearing about this… Two boys and SO many blow outs later and I have NEVER thought about throwing them in the toilet. Genius!
I love the day in the life posts! That creek is a dream!
I can’t imagine how much energy actually went into blogging your day. I have 4 kids under the age of 8 and I am in the middle of a house renovation too. Also, bravo to you for standing up to an online bully. You are just so” put together” that people who aren’t so confident look for reasons to hate you. Reading that post was like group therapy. It’s nice to know your day is just as crazy wonderful as mine. I would like to say that a good nights sleep would be in order after such a day but….well, motherhood. Hooray for your boring old post!
Behind you 100% on this one, Katie. I’ve never soaked poopy clothes in the toilet, but only because it never occurred to me — I read that and thought, “Of course! Brilliant!” And really, how is it less gross to have poopy things somewhere other than the toilet? It actually seems kind of illogical when you think about it.
BTW, Loved this post. My favorite part was the 11:00 pm entry — I actually laughed out loud at that one!
Loved this post, thank you for sharing! Question – what activity books do you use with Will? I’m looking for something for my son and would love a recommendation! Thanks!
I can so relate, I think I promise myself daily that ‘tomorrow I will take a nap for sure!!’ Never ends up happening but it somehow makes everything so much better! One day at a time!
Katie, I loved this post! I am a stay at home mom of a 3 year old and a 1 year old. This could have been one of our days. Just substitute writing Bower Power blog posts to reading Bower Powerblog posts. 🙂 And I don’t think jammies soaking in the toilet is gross st all, do it all the time.
Sadly, our toilet water here inAmerica is cleaner than a lot of countries drinking water! I soak poopy stuff in the toilet too.
Check you out girl. im jelous of that boob-age! haha
Sounds like a fun day, the thing i most look forward to about becoming a parent someday is teaching, and having fun with my kids!
x
Wow, you are one busy mama! I just have one (a 1 year old) and I know I’m lucky…she sleeps 12 hours straight every night, and I am nowhere near as busy as you during the day…but we are considering having a second one now and I’m NERVOUUUUSS!!! Does Weston wake Will up during the night? I love my sleep and don’t know how I’m going to deal with a newborn again!
Wow- what day! I’m surprised you went for frosty cones after all that. You’re an awesome mom. Those that feel the need to be negative have too much time on their hands. I’m glad you’re real enough to admit your life isn’t perfect just perfect for you. Keep it coming!
love the post. both my boys have a strider bike–hands down the BEST thing we have ever gotten them!!!!
as for the paint, the blueish one would be beautiful on the door, with white trim (but i’m biased, that’s what i have on the inside of two of my exterior doors, haha).
i’m yawning just thinking of your day–and totally get it–i have two boys–one will be two this fall, the other will be four in a few months. some nights (and days) are tough when there is just not enough sleep 🙂
Your kids are gorgeous 🙂
katie, i loved this post so much! so real, and such beautiful pictures!!! the one with you holding both boys is my fave- they’re so cute & you look so pretty!
Anything worth having is worth soaking clothes in the potty for! Loved it Katie B. You nailed it. Bravo. And get some rest.
This is one of my favorite things you have ever written on this blog:
“They know me by name (aka crazy picky painting lady with two crying kids)”
I also loved the bit about not having any heavy cream and therefore not being able to make a PW recipe. I read her blog regularly and she does have an affinity for heavy cream (which I totally share and thanks to having a dairy delivery service* never run out of).
*I know it sounds like I am writing to you from Ye Olde Timey Times, but seriously, milk delivery is popular enough in this town that there are TWO local services for it.
I enjoyed this post, were trying to conceive, and I love to sleep lol. That’ll be my excuse for my naps, “I have to tak advantage while I can!”
I never thought of soaking in the potty! At first I was thinking “ew” but it does make a ton of sense! I loved reading this post – not something I’d want to read every day but its great for me as a new mom to see how others do it. I think we all read these posts differently – depending on what our life is like at the moment.
For instance, if love to know more about your sleep/nursing schedule (of lack of if yoire more on demand). I’m sure it was just an oversight, but did you go from 2 till 8ish without nursing Weston? Maybe I missed it.
Terrific post, Katie. My son has that same “big brother” shirt. So cute! I have written one of these day in the life posts before . . . it was exhausting, but I’m so glad that I have it to look back on. It’s easy to forget even by the end of the day what we actually did, much less remember those moments a week, a month, or a year later. You will be thankful that you wrote that all down when your boys are grown. Don’t let the haters get you down. We cloth diaper so dunking stuff in the toilet does not phase me one bit. Neither does cosleeping . . . glad no one is giving you grief over that one. Hope you’re able to get that nap in someday. 😉
Katie, this was my favorite post you have ever done. It was so beautiful, how lucky we are to stay home with our children and watch them grown. I loved every part of your day, especially the constant nursing, its one of my favorite things in the world-you are a wonderful mama. so much love, Chelsea
ps. the only part I did not like is when you went for the Crystal Light instead of the Coke:) hehe, I call Coke my mama juice, well that and iced caramel macchiattos
i like you. 🙂
your post made me 1.) miss my son who is with his dad right now (boo) and 2.) tired.
our imperfections are what make us human. there was only ONE in the history of the whole world who achieved perfection and of course … He was a man. 😉
thanks for keepin’ it real!
Loved this post! Especially impressed that you can get Will to sit still for “school” activities. What age did you start that at? I’m wondering if we might need to start my daughter with some more structured activities (she’s 1 1/2)..
This was great, I’m a new mom and it was good to see someone else’s day!
I am tired reading your day!! My second is due in a month so a nice peak in the future. You running your blog seems even more impressive now!
We co-sleep, but now he doesn’t even want to nap or lay down in his crib. We love having him next to us, but I’m not sure when or how to transition him to the crib, successfully. Do you have any tips? This first time mom would love help!!
You go girl! Wow, I don’t know how you do it. But I loved this post. I love how real and honest you are…definitely one of my favorite attributes in the blogs I read. Way to stick up for yourself and take a stand for what you think is right (in reference to the comments).
Hi, this is the initial commenter. I read your comment and the other ladies comments. The lesson i have learnt from this today is that i shouldn’t judge or compare the way I would do things to how others would handle things, so consider me schooled! Actually, I think I will try serving soup to my husband in an old smelly shoe, I am sure he will say ” thanks darling, this is just how my mom used to make it…” seriously!!!!!! So gross!!! Sorry Wendy you wasted your money. I actually have been a fan for a long time but will stop reading now for sure..cannot handle it! Best of luck to you Katie
That’s exactly what I thought. I’m getting nauseous just thinking about getting that little sleep and being responsible for caring for two humans the next day. I know as kids get older it gets better, but I am about 50-50 on whether I’ll survive long enough to see that happen. My strategy is to deny all the hard parts of parenting exist until I’m already gestating and it’s too late.
Soaking the jammies in the toilet made perfect sense to me, it was there, it was wet, and as a bonus it’s where poop normally goes. Toilets aren’t really gross unless you never bother to clean them.
Such an inspiration and motivation! Please tell me what you do to have that energy. I only have one toddler and can’t move after 9:00 (and didn’t accomplish half of what you did)! Also, I just loved all of the table settings! I’m sure they were a blessing to your church group.
Thank you so much for sharing and keeping it real.
You truly are an inspiration. I was already impressed at your tiling while 9 months preggers and having a toddler but this post just kept it so real. I loved it and it sounds so amazing and rewarding for you and your family, just the way god intended it to be. You are a great mom and I can’t wait to read more of those Day off posts.
On a side note, you look amazing for having had a baby recently.
Katie – I have been wanting to do a “Day in the Life…” post on my blog since my son was almost 6 months old…he turns 1 in three weeks. I guess time just keeps getting the best of me but this inspired me to get.on.that. Thanks!
I was most intrigued by Will’s school work. My guy is around the same age and would love to know what types of things you are doing with him, where you got your resources, etc. Thanks!
By the way I couldn’t stop thinking that you are super impressive to do all you do in one day!
You are such a great mom!
Hi girl, I am sorry to hear that Sonia. I understand that you feel mocked and may have hurt feelings. My entire point was to encourage tolerance of others and focus on the positive and I believe that didn’t happen back to you. Best of luck to you as well.
xo – kb
I’m a mom of three boys and I have to say that your schedule exhausted me! I wish I could get as much done in a day as you do and still be an awesome mom! And soaking the poopy clothes in the toilet is a brilliant idea! If I dare to have one more then I will have to remember that trick! I admire you for putting the negative comments up here. I probably would have just ignored it, lol!
Every kid is different, I hear! In Will’s case, we co-slept from early on to about nine or ten months…always with the first part of sleep in their own bed. We hope to do the same with Weston (probably the cause of the no-rush mentality on his room). We always do naps in their crib solo style so transitioning is less hard. We would just try to wear him out (swimming is great for this!) before naps or bedtime and get into a solid routine (like eating, playtime, baths, reading, prayers, humming the same songs to sleepy eyes). The kids need cues sometimes that it is time to go to sleep and then we would always put him down in his crib. Some folks do it differently but it’s what worked for us.
xo – kb
Katie, I loved this post and the pictures from your day. You scare the crap out of me with your no-sleep with 2 kids but I know that is part of it (expecting our second). We finally get a full nights rest nowadays and it’s going to be very hard to give that up….of course worth it too! My son was not a great sleeper for a while there and we found that making sure he was down for a nap around 2-2:30 at the latest and then only letting him sleep 1.5 hours has made a huge difference in him being tired enough for bed at 9:00 at the latest. He went from going down at 9 and taking 30 minutes or longer to go to sleep to going to bed at 9 and going to sleep without any fuss. I think he just was getting too good of a nap during the day before because he would sometimes sleep up to 3 hours. I just wanted to throw that out there. I am sure you’ve thought of or tried lots of things to help Will with sleep and we are only seeing one particular night…so I’m sure they aren’t all like that. Either way, here’s to hoping you all get to sleep one day. LOL
Whoa. That’s awesome! I wish we had that!
xo – kb
Awesome! I love day in the life posts- I have no idea why, but for some reason the imperfect (but endlessly more adorable), hastily photographed segments make me feel that bloggers are… real! Not that you seemed fake, but I think you know what I mean. I cocked my head at the clothes in the toilet, until I realized that was a stroke of brilliance! When this Little Bit comes, I’ll be chucking clothes in the toilet left and right. Also never realized just how much your boys look like your husband until that photo!! OH MY! Only to scroll down and see they look exactly like you too! Love it all, thanks so much.
No…Weston doesn’t wake up Will. Will does wake up Weston at times…but in all the days they napped together, Weston has only woken up Will once.
xo – kb
I do whatever I can find free online or at the dollar store or at Barnes & Noble or order on Amazon. I have only bought four or five books and then we use a lot of other books too…like the Seek & Find books, or Giant Stickers Books (they are at Walmart I believe) and worksheets are awesome. You could google preschool curriculum and there is a ton of info available online.
xo – kb
Yup…about from 2 till dinner time. He goes longer now that he is eating some solids (puffs and arrowroot cookies and mushed up fruits and veggies)…then he clusters in the morning and at night. There are some days when he wakes from his afternoon nap and wants to nurse long…so it really is different every day. I would love it if he would drop the 4 am feeding…but I understand that going from 10 pm till 7 am is asking a lot 🙂
xo – kb
We started doing it daily about a year ago…that’s age two…before that it was more reading and play-learning based.
xo – kb
haha. I like the fact that you used the word “gestating” 🙂
xo – kb
You inspired me to paint the trim in my 3rd daughter’s nursery today while the toddler slept and the 4 year old did school. And by “paint the trim”, I mean slap on one coat add high as I could reach on 1 bank of windows. And by “did school”, I mean she played on more.starfall.com. 😉
Thanks for the inspiration to be productive!
Most of my curriculum was formed from online research…and cheap materials. I have only bought a handful of books and in general, I believe that you really don’t have to do much at this age. I like to do a balance of occupational activities (like cooking, measuring, tool skills, etc) with some life readiness (that’s what I call it and it is manners, chores, relationship and role understanding, general emergency know-how, etc.) and then school activites (music, art, crafts, math, science, etc.). I find that if I do themes for a day that it helps…like say if we were doing a ‘camping theme’ then occupational would be collecting sticks and sorting by size. The life readiness would be to talk about fire safety and then school activity would be to make a picture of a tent and maybe counting marshmallows. If you are looking for something that is really structured, I do recommend A Beka Books preschool items…and sometimes, you can just walk into a teachers store and find TONS of cool stuff to help with your kids ‘school’. Good luck!
xo – kb
This is a beautiful post Katie. Your authenticity is engaging, refreshing and encouraging. As always, thank you for sharing 🙂
This is by far my favorite post of yours! I can relate to the craziness of your day all too easily. I have 3 children that are a total of 3 years apart and run 2 businesses. It was hairy for awhile but I made it out alive and the youngest is now 4.
And soiled jammies in the toilet..you know that is absolutely brilliant. That is one trick I did not know about and it would have been uber helpful when my kids were 18 months a younger. Some things you can only understand when you have children. 🙂
Side note…have you considered getting mothers helper? Not sure if you have a young girl that lives nearby but I have an 11 year-old that comes and plays with my kids after school one day a week for $5 an hour. The kids love it, the mothers helper is gaining great experience for true babysitting and I can sit at my desk for an hour of work and only have to play referee if needed. Its priceless.
Keep it up Katie!
…and tell Jeremy he has great taste in TV says Rebecca from HoodiePillow 😉
I love that you posted this! As a reader I often wonder how you and the other bloggers I read fit all the activities you write about into your days. Glad to see you keep it real! Your boys are precious and congrats on getting that ceiling done!!
Hi Katie,
I simply wanted to say thank you for your blog, I love reading about you and your little boys and especially your renovations! Can you tell us more about Will’s “school”? I have three boys under two and I need more ideas how to occupy and engage them without watching Mickey Mouses clubhouse.
Please know what you share wih your blog is appreciated ( even all the way from Australia).
All the best to you and your family.
This is a great post Katie! Blow out nappies (diapers but I’m an Aussie and we call em nappies here) in this house occasionally get dumped in the toilet because there isn’t a bucket everywhere in this house. Oh well, that how we roll here! Glad you do too!
Love your idyllic creek spot, what an amazing place for W+W to grow up. As for the last minute dimmer scramble, that’s life (but has improved since I started meal planning! But seriously still happens!).
Keep up the fabulous writing, I love it.
Hi!
I LOVED this post! I thought it was really cute and you totally have inspired me to do this… I don’t have any kids (and probably won’t for another half decade or so…) but I think this would be a really sweet thing to look back on, and do once a year (or whatever)… because we all move so fast! so THANKS. Oh and ps you are awesome and I don’t understand how you accomplish so much in a day with two kids! OH pps, which colour did you end up choosing for the house?
xo
Love this post. Two of mine are now in elementary and makes me miss those days. I still have one home with me and I am soaking it up. This post is as real as it gets 🙂
To all the scared pregnant or not yet moms….some of you will sleep! I have 3 and they have all slept about 11 hours a night from about 6 months on. It was work to get them there and not always so but it happens sometimes! Each child is different and I may have just been blessed with great sleepers but I was so determined to get them there that I made it a priority. Just wanted to add my experience.
I love reading a day in the life of posts and think your day was anything but boring. Tiring yes. Boring no. I’m amazed at the amount of blog work you were able to fit in to your already busy day and that your blog work didn’t interrupt your time with your boys. I need to find some sort of rhythm like that. Thanks so much for sharing and making me want a Frosty!
Haha, I can’t believe the primary takeaway for some, from this post, was the dunking-stuff-in-the-toilet line. My cloth-diapering mama must have primed me for that because it totally did not phase me. Now I’m a cloth-diapering mom of 2 myself and nothing about poop, toilets, etc. really phases me…. it’s so normal that some part of my day involves dealing with kids’ bowels, it’s not even surprising at this point! 🙂
As a person who is still child-free, I’m kind of freaked out by how little sleep you get. But it does sound like a really fun day, so that’s clearly the trade-off. 🙂
Do you plan to homeschool Will for a while, or are you just getting him ready for preschool in the fall?
Brilliant! Our daughter just turned 2, and I’ve been wanting to up the anti a little bit with her learning activities. Not that she is going to sit still or understand about fire safety (that’d be impressive ha) but with some age appropriate tweeks I’m totally stealing those ideas! DOing something super simple for her like a water day or a plant day would be great. And when I read about the onesie in the toilet I thought “How did I never think of that?!” I used to put my daughter’s blow out clothes in the bathroom sink and then rinse it with out bleach, but it still grossed me out seeing them in there. How did putting the poopie clothes in the poop receptacle not dawn on me earlier? I will definitely be doing that for the one we’ve got on the way.
My mom raised 4 kids and used cloth diapers for all of us. She always used the toilet to rinse/soak/wash off the diapers. Funny thing happened just recently when she accidentally stepped in dog poop. She went and used her bathroom sink to try and clean it up but the sink got backed up and smelled up the whole house. Her and my dad tried to fix it but couldn’t and had to call a plumber friend for help. They were so embarrassed by the situation. We happened to be all coming over for dinner that night so when we got there and inquired about the smell she told us everything. We said “why didn’t you use the toilet.?” She said ” I didn’t even think of that!”
i am sorry this thread even started. its sad. i enjoyed this thread. you do it all katie! anyway,that person was bitter and i am in a place trying to see the good in people too. its going to take practice sometimes,but i know its amazing for the soul and a great example for our children.
You go Mama! 🙂
So for realsies, how do you function on so little sleep? We’re TTC and I is scared!
Do you know where can I get one of those cute lacing toys that Will is playing with?
this is great! i bet you’ll look back at this in a few years and think, “wow, remember those days…!??!”
at first i was really jealous that your kids sleep in so late, but then i saw they just have a later bedtime than my son (who wakes up at like 5:45 – argh!)
i guess we all have babies who are awake awake awake.
ps. not to add to the toilet drama, but i’ve read before that toilet water (if your commode is cleaned regularly) is super clean because it’s usually refreshed more often than other water in your home. not that i have any research or wiki links to back that up…
Will’s are from Melissa and Doug. Here are some that are similar.
xo – kb
I was a 9 to 12 hour a night kinda girl and I was afraid of the sleep thing too. Once you get used to being tired, it isn’t really so bad. You nap when you can…and do whatever you can to get more sleep. You find that you had a lot of spare time before kids 🙂
xo – kb
WE ended up choosing a trim color but still haven’t decided on the color for the back of the house!
xo – kb
I have no plans…only thing we want to do is a preschool program in the fall for a couple hours a couple days a week. We will probably cross that bridge when we get there.
xo – kb
Hi Jo,
I just answered this question in an earlier comment. Check it out above 🙂
xo – kb
AHHH! I feel like I just got a comment from a total celebrity! Oh my gosh, you were our favorite! We both talk about Citi Kitty and Hoodie Pillow all the time 🙂 Off to go scream some more!
xo – kb
Meanwhile I didn’t even notice that was what you wrote in the post and am thinking to myself ‘that is genius!!!’. Wish I had known that trick when mine were little. 🙂 People are so unrealistic and paranoid about ‘germs’. The antibacterial product push could very well kill us all…. Did you know that most of the dust in a house is actually dead skin from the inhabitants? Go and let that gross you out. Ha!
I was just wondering if this was a cultural difference but I was kind of surprised at how late the boys go to bed (like I said, ABSOLUTELY NO JUDGEMENT – just curiousity). I was just thinking how you could get some more sleep (or earlier blog posts done) if they were in bed by 8pm. I am saying this mainly because I had a lot of sleep problems with my first one and went to a week long ‘sleep school’ (run by nurses, you slept there and they helped sort through sleep issues etc.). One thing they insisted on was feeding the children at 5pm (shockingly early I thought) and then they were down for the night by 7pm. CHANGED MY LIFE. My two are 11 and 7 now and still go to bed by 8.30pm (that gives them time to read and so on – they don’t go to sleep necessarily). Anyway, just thought I would ask because I come from a different country and everyone does things differently so was wondering.
At first we had Will going to bed around 8 but then we realized that he would get close to zero time with Jeremy (which we felt was important)…so we put him down later and just allow him to have a longer nap. Some folks obviously would think this is crazy but we feel that daddy time is higher on the priority list.
xo – kb
I loved this post. I want to be a mom so bad and it’s really cool to get a glimpse of what my life might be like. I love posts like this — you sharing something personal. It may seem boring to you, but I loved it!
I totally understand sacrificing bedtimes for quality time with Dad. My husband is in the Navy and gone a lot. In the summer time bedtime goes right out the window, but its so worth it to have the evenings with Dad. When hubby is gone though bedtime is strictly enforced so that Mommy doesn’t lose her marbles.
You are awesome and I love reading your blog:) You inspire me with how much you get done, I’m a newby stay at home mom of one and can barely get anything done.
Girl, quit the insecure disclaimer preambles about posts being sponsored each time. We like you, we like your blog, we like your style, we like your projects, we like your designs. Don’t pander to the haters as though you are defending yourself for making some money. Time = money and you are the one staying up until 2am!!!!!!!!!!! Keep the great stuff coming and don’t apologize for the businessier aspects of your business.
A great example of a mother using her own good sense and making choices that are right for her family even if it seems “different” to other families! Boys need their daddy 🙂
Hi Katie:
Just wanted to say I loved this post! I found myself smiling throughout and was exhausted at the end! A mother’s work is never done! You are doing a great job!!
Enjoy every minute…..as you will blink and they will be 21.
Great post. And was thrilled when you called me “old friend” on my last comment about a week ago. Made me smile!
B.
Both of my boys (now 14 and 19) waited a LONG time to give up that 4 a.m. feeding, and I ended up cherishing it, even looking forward to it. I would play this MIchael Card lullaby cassette tape(totally dating myself here), and sit quietly, be encouraged by the music, soak in the incredible miracle of “mommy hood”, and crawl back in bed around 4:20 or so, knowing that I had a good 4-5 more hours to slumber, if I wanted/needed it.
Now that they don”t need me nearly as much, I am so glad that I cherished that time.
BTW, Katie, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. Enjoy those boys. They are gifts. It goes fast.
I teach preschool, and love to see kiddos focusing like Will is in those pictures. Another cherishable moment.
love these types of posts 🙂 loved the peek into your day.
SO glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t sleep. I have a 15 month old that still wakes up 2-3 times a night. Recently found out I’m expecting number two (best surprise ever) and am really praying that new baby is a better sleeper than número uno. It’s amazing how the Lord sustains you through the sleeplessness! You’re a great mom, KB! Thanks for keeping it real (blow outs and all)!
My 4 kidlets are in bed at 7 (that’s my knock off for the day time and oh how I look forward to it!) but their dad is home a LOT earlier than Jeremy is. And while they aren’t in preschool/school and don’t have to be up at a certain time in the morning why not keep them up later if that’s what works for your family routine?
Katie! Honestly, I don’t know how you do it! I have one baby. One! She’s just about the same age as Weston. 6 months and a week right now. I can’t even get one load of laundry done start to finish in two days lol. But I wanted to ask you a question about Weston’s naps. How do you put him down for them? Kealey (my baby girl) won’t fall asleep unless she’s nursing, or if she’s really tired, in her swing. But I can’t get her to sleep in her crib or the pack n’ play. She wakes up the instant I put her down… and screams. I just want to be able to get her to sleep, somewhere I can’t accidentally wake her up. Any tips?
Sayonara Sonia!!
Loved this post.
Great PW comment…I love her recipes but never have heavy cream on hand (canned condensed milk seems to work great though).
You sound like a fun and busy mom.
I love that you are teaching Will at home. I did that with my oldest 12 years ago…we couldn’t afford preschool so I purchased material from a used homeschool sale and did K.T. School instead (Kitchen Table School). A few years later I became a preschool teacher…it really is fun getting on their level and exploring and learning.
I have a 5 month old and he started sleeping from 7 pm – 7 am at 3 mos but his doctor said he needed a meal worked in so I wake him up every night around midnight. I miss sleep but since he is my last I really enjoy it. Still, I can only imagine how tough it would be having 2 as young as yours. You must have a naturally cheery disposition to be so pleasant on such little sleep.
Keep sharing…we’ll keep reading 🙂
Oh how similar …My son naps longer so that he can spend time with dad to….Very important for us too. And do u take your son for classes…. or do you do all the activities with him? Plz do post some sit down activities you do with him. Would be nice to have an ‘Insight’ into that aspect. 🙂
I am not rigid in my schedule or nursing habits…I figure that if he’s hungry, or needs comfort, then fine…I’ll whip out the boob 🙂 But in general, I’ve found with Weston that white noise helps, a blanket helps and a paci/lovie/comfort item helps. We do a little rocking and he likes to snuggle his face in his lovie…and loves the noise of the fan. I hope this helps a little!
xo – kb
A lot of his school need me to help…so most of them are sit down for me and him…and then of course, he likes to do puzzles, reading, etc. together. I do all the activities with him except for Sunday School…and he does music with my mom when we go to her house…but yeah, right now he doesn’t go to classes.
xo – kb
You are an old friend! You have been one of my favorite commenters 🙂
xo – kb
Oh I didn’t mean to seem insecure…just wanted it be clear why I did this post (and I’ve been a lifestyle type blogger for five years without really revealing our days)…and that it could seem really boring to my DIY lovers 🙂
xo – kb
I have to say that you are a rockstar. I have four wild kids (10, 7, 3 and 2) and I’m an avid diy-er with a ton of bitten off more than I can chew projects going on, and we BATTLE every day to get my little ones to take naps, we do play dates (almost never at my house, lol) and stay pretty busy…oh and I babysit a 9 month old three days a week too….but my house is never all of the way clean (usually one area at a time) I always have a mountain of laundry to do and we stay reeeeally busy…. but after reading this post, you are most certainly way busier than I am. Granted I don’t write a full time blog or have a photography business either, but I just wanted to let you know that I feel for you and hope every single day isn’t that exhausting for you. Sometimes as moms, its hard to take time out for ourselves because our whole entire job revolves around being selfless. I hope you are able to have the balance you need so that you dont burn out. I’m exhausted just reading that! Don’t forget to take care of yourself! I’m in awe, you’re doing an amazing job, xoxo!
Oh Katie, I know your life isnt easy or perfect but its exactly what I hope my life to be one day. 🙂
Ha, I just wouldn’t be able to stay sane that late but I think I would totally do that if the situation with Daddy time warranted it. Thanks for answering my curiousity!
That is one long day! I was exhausted just reading about it!
I’m exhausted just reading this. But I do remember having days like this not to long ago. I wasn’t trying to keep up with a blog though. Your a good Mommy! I love seeing those sweet boys of yours.
a lot of people would like to know when it’s sponsored so we can continue reading if we want to. some people find sponsored posts annoying so i think it’s good to know before hand and i can make my own judgement before reading it all and finding out at the end. i think it seems more honest.
All I can say is, “Wow! You are amazing.” Thank you for sharing.
Girl, I was completely wiped out just reading about your day! I have 3 boys and know how exhausting it can be but they do grow up fast. Now my days are filled with with moody teenagers or broken hearts from girlfriends instead of temper tantrums and gooey fingers. Some days I miss the gooey finger prints.
A perfect example of how what works for one family doesn’t work for others. My husband isn’t home until at least 6 most night but my 16 month-old son refuses to sleep past 6:30am regardless of bedtime, so a 7pm bedtime it is. And honestly, we love our son but we also love some downtime and our own sleep as well 🙂
Thanks for sharing – you all look very happy and like you are having a lot of fun!
I’m not sure it’s a cultural difference, so much as a personal choice / what-works-for-each-family. We have two kids fed at 5pm with the 18 month old in bed at 7pm and the 4 yr old in bed at 8pm (who sometimes falls alseep right away and sometimes gets up a few times). The oldest crawls into our bed at 5-something and both wake up for the day between 6-6:30am. It works for us to be inflexible with meal + nap times, b/c it means WE can sleep and potentially connect as spouses (also, I am an absolute mess on pour sleep) – we actually did very different sleep things with both kids to match their styles (one coslept for a very long time and one did not), solely based on our parenting motto of, “whatever gets everyone the most sleep!”. Each family and kid is so different, with some things controllable and somethings not and many different dependcies like commutes, etc. in between. Rock ON for all you get done in a day, Katie!
My goodness, I had no idea! I was a stay at home mom 49years ago. You have so much more to do now – really – I think I was either the laziest mother in the world, or young mothers nowadays have too much on their plates.
I don’t know how you do it, but am glad that you can. I really enjoy your blog….
Will read it with more understanding from now on. How you get it all done is beyond me.
Huzzahs to you and Jer.
I love this <3
Haha I had to laugh at this post. There is a certain website that gets mad if you don’t post everyday or on schedule and maybe if they saw this post they would change their mind about what goes on with two kids. I have two kids under two and just last week my childless friend asked me what I do all day-not in a mean way, but I think she really was wondering what you can do with two kids at home all day, LOL. Love this post because it shows how much it really takes to raise kids…
What sweet photos of your little family! One thing is for sure, y’all have a FULL day! 🙂
I’m with you ladies. I want kids but I am all sorts of “Aaaahh!!!!” about the lack of sleep factor. Sleep deprivation effects me big time. That said, I was up from 4:50am – 11:00pm the other day with a 30 minute nap in between and I was pretty much totally fine. Now all I have to do is add in waking up a few times during the night to that, plus watching two other humans to make sure they survive the day in a healthy manner.
Oh boy. You know what, I’m in camp, “I know it’s coming but I’m going to ignore it until I’m gestating”.
A Beka, duh! I should have remember being a former homeschooler myself. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Hm…I cannot complain about my life at all. You totally ROCK.
Your “dedication” to yours son’s as the mother is what is making you keep going, going and going more. You will never run out of energy because of YOUR LOVE for your boys 🙂
WOW!!! You both live on very little sleep!! 😮
Loved it! I was actually just thinking the other day that I really want to do a “day in the life” post, for myself, for down the road because I know everything seems normal now, but one day soon it will be totally different.
I was just looking back on a little schedule I jotted down several months ago when I was trying to keep track of when my baby was eating and sleeping, and already things are SOOOO different than back in December, and it was funny to remember how much she’s changed and how much my daily routine has changed in just that short time.
Your post inspired me to go ahead and do it 🙂
I love your flexibility in your schedule and parenting. I have a hard time sometimes trying to balance doing what I think is “right” based on baby books and such versus meeting my baby’s needs and my needs and my husband’s needs… can be such a challenge!
Thanks for sharing!
I absolutely loved reading about your day, I think it’s neat to see how others spend their time. We use to do this on our mommy’s group site – we had so much fun. I got teary-eyed at the end when you mentioned the elderly lady at Wendy’s… sometimes it’s just a simple comment like that, that makes you realize what life is all about – slowing down and savoring the little moments. I need to enjoy it more. You made me realize something today K Bower… thanks! <3
Katie,
Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!
Your post was great, but what stuck out for me was that Weston wakes multiple times in the night. My daughter is maybe 2ish weeks older than he and still gets up at least twice to nurse. I know how exhausted you must be (trust me, I KNOW!!) and I know how sweet/frustrating it is to snuggle that baby when you need to be sleeping after running ragged, but here’s a HUGE thank you from another tired/madly-in-love Momma – you just made me feel like I’m not alone at 2am and she’s right on track. Thanks for the glimpse into your life. Both of your boys and my girls are very close in age, so its been really fun “following along” with the Bowers!
You sweet girl… you are doing it all, and you are doing it all exactly right.
Everyone has a different takeaway from every blogger’s posts, I’m sure. Here’s my 5 Minutes in the Life of Reading Katie’s Post:
Huh… Wendy’s sponsors posts? No, I like my Frosty with a spoon. Wow, eggs and toast in only 3 minutes? She’s a superstar. Ha! wet arm. Oh, poor girl – no laundry room? What are these sorting elephants? OMG – look at Cute Instagram Baby. The rice box! Totally forgot about that. Q loved her rice box. Why do I never think to paint a bit at a time? Most awesome bike ever! Will’s a superstar, too. Oooh – cute chair pad. Tall chair from Ikea? I am so insanely jealous of the creek. Ha! hose squirting. I *am* that old lady. I should move to a small town. Good girl on the thrift store bag. Ha! ninja. We always look like a crime scene, too. Weston = Jeremy, Will = Katie. Ha! peed on an ant. Dang, I should work out. Nice crop on the washer; I am a terrible photographer. Ha! PW/cream. Dang, I’d eat that. We dream of opening a B&B for boardgamers. Our fave was “Inside Outside Upside Down.” Whoo! cleavage-o-rama. Oh, Jer is so sweet with the ice cream! Ha! dinosaur. 2 AM… that was me last night, but I played Spider Solitaire and had to move a sleeping cat. Ack – I need to write my thank you notes. Get some sleep, girl. xo
I totally thought you were kidding when you said this post was sponsored by Wendy’s… I was thinking… “yeah, my whole LIFE is sponsored by wendy’s!” But I think it’s fantastic. That is all.
KB- I just wanted to thank you for sharing your life and day with the internet-world. It made me smile (as a stay at home mom myself) and helped remind me that this time is fleeting and (the long nights with little sleep) shall pass. 🙂
You are a rockstar!! My husband and I are trying to have a baby and this post a. inspired me and b. totally freaked me out!
I bow down to you 😉
This is one of my favorite posts so far! I have a boy a little younger than Weston so it’s great to read about how other moms live their days :). A weekend post would be fun too.
Katie, I am a mom of adult children now, but I LOVED reading your post. It brought back so many memories of those sweet, exhausting, busy, baby days. You are doing a wonderful job and the smiles on your little boys show it.
Our oldest son and his wife just left after a week-long visit and we are missing them already. Funny thing, we were talking with them last night about how late our kids went to sleep because Dad had long work hours. We wanted the kids to have “Daddy” time so our schedule sounded a lot like yours. Enjoy every minute with your sweet boys…children do grow up so quickly! Give them extra hugs and kisses for me today!
It’s also legally required to disclose when something is a sponsored post and the new FTC guidelines suggest that it should come at the beginning of a post.
Plus, let’s be honest, I bet it’s so much better to have them up later and night when their dad can help with them and have them take a longer nap in the afternoon so you can get things done, rather than short naps with no quiet time for you during the day. Around here with my 2y/0 son, naps are getting shorter and shorter and I’m realizing just how much I took for granted those two and three hours naps when he was younger. It’s hard to adjust.
Katie, I loved this post! I joined a Mothers group in my new small town when I was on leave with my second daughter and I swear they made me feel like the worst parent in the whole world. I am a laid back person – I obviously don’t let my kids hang from the chandelier. But we fish, and we play in the mud and I don’t worry about getting dirty. Apparently this makes me a HORRIBLE Mom worthy of extreme judgement. It was so nice to read how your day is geared towards fun for the kids mixed in with getting what you need to do. I just hope I can find a Mom like you here in our new town. I think it’s amazing that you take care of these two incredible boys and then manage this blog and home projects. You are my hero!
I have also seen them at Home Goods.
Hey and have to ask where did you get those fish shaped plates….they are adorbs!!! Plz..do mention !x
Oh Amanda! I feel for you. My first went down with such ease and would sleep like a rock. My second won’t sleep on his own, and he is 15 months. He has to nurse to sleep, and cuddle (think feet have to be resting on top of me), and has screams of pure terror if he is left alone or wakes alone. He has been like that since he was a newborn & cry it out is not in his vocab. I nurse him to sleep in our bed, then I use my ninja skills to quietly roll out of bed. 🙂 Sometimes he will lay like this for 30 minutes on his own. It isn’t a lot, but gives me time to pick up toys, clean something, or fold laundry. You just have to do what works for your child, and remind yourself (A LOT) that it won’t always be this way. Best of luck!
I love posts like these! More! More! We are a late to bed family, too. Mainly, because they take long naps & I like to sleep until 7 am.
I don’t have kids yet, but I think soaking dirty clothes is the toilet is BRILLIANT and definitely something I will do…of course my kids will probably flush the toilet when the clothes are in there.
Katie- Thank you so much for doing this post! I was a nanny for a few different families and the kids always went to bed around 7. So when I had my daughter I thought this would be the case for our bed time… WRONG! My daughter is 2.5 and she falls asleep anywhere between 9:30 and 10:30- which feels so late and I feel terrible about it. After reading the sleeping cycle in your house I now know that there is another family that has the exact same schedule (er pattern) as us. I’ve always been curious at how you are able to 1. live with 2 children (1 is SO much work for me) and 2. Get home projects done when Jeremy isn’t home. Kudos to you! You have inspired me!
Katie, You look great and I am amazed at what you get done. The boys are lucky to have such a great mommy!
Ha! I feel like I am chatting with a mom-blogger celebrity so right back ya! 😉
…or if I would proof what I type so it makes sense it would say “Ha! I feel like I am chatting with a mom-blogger celebrity so right back at ya! ;)”
Random question, but in the second photo is that the MamaRoo from 4moms? And if so, how do you like it?
I LOVED this post! You are supermom! I only have one 10 month old son so far, and I was exhausted just reading that! I think I’ve had a productive day if I can go to the grocery store and get the house picked up in one day! Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the post… It’s nice to read from time to time the ins and outs of another mom. The good, the bad, and the ugly… it’s nice to be able to relate. Also, loved the PW comment! Ha, that’s so true!
Yes it is and I LOVE it. I have heard some mixed reviews…like it doesn’t go as fast as some swings which some babies probably need super fast speed. Weston did like his regular swing but he liked the Mamaroo better. And I liked the fact that we didn’t need to keep buying batteries 🙂
xo – kb
Walmart! I bought them last year before we went to the Aquarium with the Petersiks because I wanted to make the whole day a fishy fun day!
xo – kb
Katie, you say Weston is teething, have your tried Amber teething necklace? My little girl is 11 months and has been wearing one since 5 months. It’s all natural and the amber is a natural analgesic. Here is the link on Amazon…it really works and I swear by it. I hope it works for you. Good luck
http://www.amazon.com/The-Original-Art-CureTM-KNOTTED/dp/B0071MQ0NG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370317437&sr=8-2&keywords=amber+teething+necklace
Exactly, I wasn’t sure if it was a cultural difference or not. Even now some people look at me strangely at the times my kids go to bed normally. I have lived in several countries and sometimes those things are influenced culturally so just wanted to ask. I am sure there are plenty of people in Australia who put their kids to bed much later than we did also – very much to do with personal family preference for sure. Love hearing how and why families do things differently though.
Love this post! Thanks for sharing. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one that seems crazy busy and like days fly by. I love your blog so thanks for all the late nights you spend writing the posts for us to read. Hope you got that nap 🙂
Ha ha! Enjoyed this.
Hi Katie! As boring as you may think a post like this might be to your readers, I actually quite enjoyed it. Perhaps as a comparison to my own life. I’ve got a full-time job and two step-children (who are 9 and 6) so my life is already clearly different from yours, but being a parent is a job on its own. I too was almost exhausted just reading your post. I can tell you right now I’d be POOPED doing that every day. It’s great that you have those play dates a few times a week. It gives the boys great variety to otherwise sometimes mundane days. Go you! I can tell you how tiring it is working 9 hours a day and having to still fit in all the small things afterwards: making dinner, clean-up, homework, play time/bath time, etc. I think being a parent can be the hardest, yet most rewarding job anyone could be lucky enough to have! Keep up the great work!
I’ve been having angst about my random, rambling, lengthy comment… Just wanted to show you that *lots*of things caught my interest, but your toilet? Not even for a second.
It’s so nice to read that there are other kiddos/babies in the world who don’t sleep soundly. Our 16 mo old still wakes in the night, we’re exhausted, and I feel like I mostly read about moms who have angel children that sleep through the night at 6 months old. You’re clearly a great mom with sleepless kids, so maybe that means there’s hope for me! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
You, my dear, are AHMAZing! Seriously. This post is so real and so wonderful. It gives me further confidence that I am no where near ready for children, even though I love them, but it also shows that staying home as a mommy is a full time job! Cheers to you!! Those boys are fabulous and you are doing an incredible job of juggling everything.
xoxo
After all the day’s goings on, you make a dinner that makes me salivate just watching the photo! 🙂 However, those are not artichokes on your photo, those are broccoli.
The side was broccoli…but the chicken had artichokes in the sauce with the pasta 🙂
xo – kb
Thank you! Good to know! We are expecting our first baby in November and there are too many options! It seemed more expensive than some other swings, but I love the idea behind it! (And everything else 4Moms sells!) The cost of no batteries is a huge savings in and of itself! Do you have any of their other products?
We also have the pack n play…it’s called the Breeze…and it’s AMAZING. Will can still sleep in it and that right there is worth it to us…because when we travel, he does much better in a confined area vs. a pallet on the floor.
xo – kb
I rarely comment… but I had to. Um, seriously… you are fantastic. I literally feed my child… color for a minute and then I am like… I need to sit here for five minutes on the couch (after my four hours of sleep) You are going to promote me to be better tomorrow!!! thank you!!!
I second the emeals! I subscribed for about a year and I printed them all out and put the shopping list and recipes in a binder. So, now I can just recycle the meals! Such a time saver!
Hi Katie! I loved this post. I have a 9 month old and work full time and you inspired me to write my own “Day in the Life” post on my blog. I think it’s such a great way of chronicling what is going on in your life. So quickly we forget how things used to be. I quoted you in my post. You’re such a great mommy and you give me inspiration to pursue my dreams. Here is the link to my post if you want to compare and contrast our lives 😉
http://www.lifeonagravelroad.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-day-in-my-life.html
Can’t wait to check it out!
xo – kb
What a productive mama you are!!! I loved this and I’m not usually a day in the life person. You fit it all in (except maybe time for yourself… but you’re a mom to two, when does that happen!?).
I also can’t believe how big Weston is getting!! He is one of those babies that truly makes me smile when I see him on here. And Will. Big boy Will. Love to all of you Bowers!
I’m just catching up on some older blog posts and realised I had missed this one. I LOVED it! We are hoping to start a family in the next few years with me being a stay at home mom so I’m fascinated to read what your days are like. Even with the challenges it sounds so rewarding 🙂 x
I somehow missed this post and just saw it now as part of your May Monthly Report– I loved it! Thanks for sharing a day in your life. 🙂