Time really does fly when you’re raising a child.
Our sweet Madeline is twenty months old right now and we are all settled into our two morning a week preschool program. We had a bumpy start to the year when she missed an entire week due to hand, foot, and mouth. But that’s another story for another day.
Our schedule was kind of chaotic over the summer as we transitioned from two naps to one, balanced my doctors and physical therapy appointments after my accident, and I just tried to squeeze in work when I could.
We all thrive on routine around here so I’m happy that we are back into one. Here’s a peek at what our days look like right now.
6:30 My alarm goes off. I’m really trying to push that back to 6:00 but it’s a work in progress. I make the bed, get dressed in work out clothes, and have a glass of water. I check social media and my work emails.
7:00 Madeline is awake. We have a diaper change then she has a sippy cup of milk and I drink a coffee. We turn on the news (sometimes Daniel Tiger or Peppa Pig) and play for an hour.
7:45/8:00 Breakfast for Madeline and I make and drink my shake.
On Preschool days we head upstairs right after breakfast and get Madeline dressed and her teeth brushed. I always pack her lunch the night before and go ahead and fill up her cup and put it in the fridge to make the morning a little easier.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I try to get my workout in around 8:30 or 8:45.
It’s really my goal to start working out before Madeline gets up but I’m not there yet. When I worked a traditional job I always had to be up between 5 and 5:30 but now I really ride the struggle bus when I have to get up that early. #youknowyoureoldwhen
9:15 On non-preschool days, I’m usually finishing my workout about now. Usually I just stay in my workout clothes until her nap unless one of our playgroups is meeting or if it is music day. Then she watches a show in her toddler jail while I shower.
If it is a preschool day, we hop in the car by 8:50. Madeline’s school is just minutes away from our house.
9:30 We play! Now that she is in school I try to save my errands for those days and let the mornings be “her” time. There is a great toddler park near our house that we love to go to and our neighborhood has a playground, too. Madeline is obsessed with the slide.
I’m still trying to figure out how I want to use my time to be most efficient while she is at school but right now I am using my mornings to exercise, meal prep, do chores, and for “me” time if there is an errand I want to run or an appointment I need to go to and using nap time for work. I may adjust that later on once we are further in the school year.
On Wednesdays Madeline attends music class. She started going when she was 11 months old and has just loved it so much so we’ve continued. We also have a couple different playgroups that we are part of that meet in the mornings.
10:00 Snack. Madeline gets a small morning snack. She really likes the Costco organic ducks, which are pretty much goldfish without the extra salt, fig bars, or Cheerios with dried fruit.
11:45 Lunch time. I try to meal prep my lunches so we can sit down to eat together. I think that is just so important for modeling proper eating and nutrition habits.
12:30 Nap time! This is Madeline’s preschool pickup time so if it’s a preschool day we come right home, wash hands, and read a story.
2:00/2:30 Madeline is awake. While she was napping I work. She has a snack (usually a babybell, yogurt, or cottage cheese and some fruit) and I switch out the laundry. She usually watches a show right after she wakes up after (or during) snack.
More play time! We try to schedule an afternoon play date once a week if we can or will sometimes use this time to run an errand. She isn’t in an ideal phase for Target runs or going shopping right now so if it’s an errand it has to be a necessity.
5:00 I start dinner if I haven’t prepped something ahead of time. I try to plan 3 healthy meals a week and we eat or repurpose leftovers one night. I love easy one pan or pot meals and crockpot recipes. If it’s more labor intensive then I set Madeline up with paper and crayons or some kind of sensory activity to do in the kitchen.
I really want a learning tower for her for Christmas so she can help with cooking, especially because preparing healthy homemade meals is so important to our family.
6:00 dinner time. If Corey is in town we try to all sit down together even if he has to go back into his office to work for a few minutes afterwards to start setting up the expectation of family meal times. But, if he is traveling, I some times don’t eat at the same time as Madeline but I do always try to sit down and talk with her while she eats.
6:30 Bath time. If Corey is done with work and at home then he runs bath and I straighten up all the toys. After bath, Madeline has milk, then we brush teeth, read a story (er at least two stories), say prayers, and she is in her crib by 7:00.
After 7:00, Corey and I have a few hours to ourselves. For a long time we used to eat dinner at this time and it was really nice to enjoy a dinner just the two of us at the end of the day. We still do that occasionally if Madeline is eating something different than we are for whatever reason.
Since we both work from home (when Corey isn’t traveling) it can be really hard to set boundaries for answering emails and checking our phones so we are both working to make sure they are intentionally put away in the evenings.
Of course every day doesn’t always go according to plan or schedule but she is so much more flexible now that she is older and this is my favorite age yet.
It sounds like you all are in a great routine! I love this stage too!