A Day In Our Life (Currently)

Happy Weekend! The weeks just keep flying by this summer…I can hardly believe we’ve made it to the last weekend in June. Since things just keep moving along, I really wanted to pause for a moment and document what our ordinary days look like at this stage. We all know that as kids grow, schedules adapt to their needs, so while it will be ever-changing, I want to remember how I made it through these crazy months with three kids under 2 years old!

Before I start, I’d like to note that while this is a “typical” day, certainly not every day looks exactly like this. I can plan all I want, but there are days when kids will be kids and have little interest complying with a schedule. And there are also days when my alarm goes off and I just can’t pry myself out of bed, so I wake up when the kids do. However, this is what I shoot for, because we all function optimally around here when we have an idea of what to expect everyday!

Our Daily Schedule (Baylen: 20 months, Emersyn & Mckinley: 3 months)

6am: Alarm goes off. I shower and/or get ready, pump, read a devotional, and get a cup of coffee into my system! Once in a while I’ll get up a bit earlier and work out before the kids get up too, but I’m not quite at a point where that happens regularly yet. Prep Baylen’s breakfast to minimize stress when all three kids want breakfast at the same time.

7am: Baylen gets up. He’s sleeping straight through the night without getting up. Praise the LORD for that! I get Baylen dressed for the day and we cuddle for a few minutes in the upstairs toy room until the girls get up.

7:15 – 7:30am: Emersyn and Mckinley wake up. Change and dress them for the day. Bring everybody downstairs. 7:30 – 8am: Breakfast. Feed Baylen at the same time I feed the girls. 8am: Story time, playtime, tummy time, and whatever else it takes to keep all three happy!9am: Girls go down for their morning nap. This means I get some one on one time with my little bud! We either do puzzles, work on colors or words, play outside, or he’s my little helper while I do laundry and get some cleaning done. 10:30am: Feed the girls, snacktime for Baylen while he watches a show or plays on his own. I must give major props to my friend Leah who gave me the great idea for a snack rug. Baylen now knows that if he wants a snack, it must be eaten on the snack rug, and not all over the house. Game changer. 11am: Out and about! I try really hard to prioritize being home for my kids’ naps. When they get enough quality sleep, they are happier, and our days are much smoother! Therefore, the most opportune window for getting out of the house is between 11:00am – 1:00pm. Most days we go on a walk and end up at the park for a while so Baylen can release some energy! Sometimes the girls will take a short catnap in the stroller, but I only let them sleep for 10 – 15 minutes at the most so that they’re ready for a nap when we get home in the afternoon. 12:30pm: Lunch for Baylen and Mommy while the girls kick around on the floor. 12:45pm: Feed the girls

1pm: Put the girls in their cribs for their afternoon nap. After they’re down, put Baylen down for his nap. Fun fact: This is known as Baylen’s “long nap shirt.” I kid you not, when he wears this shirt to nap, the kid pulls out a 2.5 – 3 hour nap every time. There may be a few days here and there when I strategically change him into it.

1 – 3pm: Break for Mommy! I make myself the cup of coffee that I’ve looked forward to all morning, blog, read, have phone dates with friends, or clean the house (if I absolutely have to). I’ve learned that it’s best to start out naptime with something that really recharges me, or else by the time I finish cleaning, ect, I never actually get a break because there is always something to do! This means my house isn’t as clean as I’d like most of the time, but at least I’m in a happy mood for my kids!

3pm: Baylen usually wakes up around 3 (unless he’s wearing that striped shirt). We play or watch Thomas together.

4pm: Feed the girls, snacktime for Baylen.

4 – 5pm: Read more books, shake rattles for the girls, more tummy time, zoom cars around the house and *pray* that the girls don’t start their witching hour before Jake gets home.

5ish: Jake gets home from work. I usually demand a little break and go for a quick run, or go to Target or Trader Joe’s (by myself). If I’m not desperate for solo time, or we need all hands on deck, we walk to the park or just hang out at home before making dinner.

6pm: Eat supper. Eat quickly before the girls get too tired and fussy and need to be held nonstop. Although, who am I kidding, we almost always eat with a girl in our arms these days.

6:30pm: Bathtime for all three kids. We give baths every other night. Every night in the summer for Baylen because he gets filthy being outside so much. Bathtime is followed by jammies.

6:45pm: Swaddle the girls and bring all three kids to the upstairs toy room. Feed the girls while Baylen watches a bedtime video, usually Cars or Cars 2 which we undoubtedly have memorized by now. Sometimes we sneak in The Lorax or Toy Story for a little variety, but most of the time our motor head toddler insists on Cars. We oblige. And laugh at Mater.

7pm: Put the girls to bed. They barely make it to 7, and are more than ready to hit the hay.

7:30 – 8:00pm: Put Baylen to bed. He gets to stay up a little later than his sisters, which is a pretty big deal.

8:00pm: Go downstairs and pick up fallen debris. Our house is a disaster at the end of the day. As much as I try to contain most of the toys to the toy room, this is what we end up with. We always pick it up before we go to bed though, so that I have a clean slate to start with in the morning.

8:30 – 10:30pm: Hang out with JAKE! I love my kids so much, but he’ll always be my favorite person in the world to hang out with.

10:30pm: Bedtime. Fall to sleep when my head hits the pillow.

3:00 or 4:00am: Girls wake up hungry. Most nights they are sleeping 8 or 9 hours straight until 3 or 4…occasionally until 5! When they wake up, we feed them, and they go back to bed until morning. I’m so glad we are past the worst of the sleepless nights!

6:00am: Alarm goes off. Repeat.

And that’s how we do it! Some days it feels like we’re in a good groove, and other days it feels like complete chaos. BUT, God always gives us the grace we need to make it through, and keeps multiplying our love for our three precious littles! He is so faithful and good, and despite the craziness, I feel like these are some of the best days we’ve experienced in our lives thus far. We’ll keep maximizing the moment, because boy does time keep flying by so quickly.

Take time to treasure the simple memories today, friends!

Love,

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!