A Few More Questions ... :)

I received these questions via a Facebook message, because the comments weren't posting. Weird. I'm sorry! Here you go:

What is a typical day like now with 2 kiddos?

I usually wake up before the kids and start a pot of coffee. If I'm on the ball, I read my devotion and post what I'm thankful for on Facebook. Then I start breakfast and the kiddos wake up. We eat breakfast together which is all kinds of a hilarious mess, and then we sing a song or two at the table. The kids play while I load the dishwasher, and then Caleb gets dressed (Naomi takes a morning nap still, so I keep her in her pj's). We go outside to feed the chickens and then Naomi goes down for her morning nap.

While she's sleeping, Caleb and I do "school" together using this curriculum. I know, the website looks a little cheesy, but trust me, the curriculum is great. We choose a few of the activities and work on our letter and number of the week, read the Bible story for the week, and do a craft or dramatic play. It all takes about twenty minutes. Then we read books and play puzzles, and I try to sneak in a shower while Caleb plays in his room.

When Naomi wakes up, we either eat a quick lunch or head out to run errands. This is my "window" between Naomi's two naps and before Cub's afternoon nap. We run errands and sometimes grab lunch. Once we make it home, we eat lunch and the kids go down for their naps. During this time I give myself thirty minutes to nap and then I try to be productive the rest of the time (this doesn't always happen ... but I try!). When the kids wake up, we go outside and play and I'll leave the door open when I come in to make dinner while the kids stay outside. Then Dadda comes home, we eat, play more, and then it's bath and bed! Then my husband and I hang out and have our time.

Having two little ones is a lot of fun, but it does take a little extra planning. Remember the "window" of time? I know that's the prime time to get things done because both kids are awake and happy. If I cut it too close to nap time, then YIKES. Two cranky little ones out running errands can go downhill quickly. It's all in the timing and it took me about seven months to figure out how to do it with both! We're pretty consistent every day so the kids know what to expect, which really helps. But, don't get me wrong--sometimes the days seem to be destined disasters from the moment we wake up, and nothing goes as planned. Sometimes Naomi doesn't want to take her first nap. Sometimes Cub is extra cranky. But, that's why I write what I'm thankful for every morning on Facebook--it's hard to have a bad attitude when you realize how you are blessed. I'm thankful for my children, no matter what. Even if our days look a little more like a hodge-podge of randomness rather than a seamless stream of productivity, I'm still thankful for them. These days are precious and go by way too quickly!

I know several people have asked, but your loyal readers are dying to get a peek of your new home.... or better yet a vlog post :)

Ha ha, a vlog post! :) Thank you for wanting to see our house! I haven't really shown any pictures because the decorating process has been slow-going. We're busy here at Footy Pajamas! I guess it doesn't matter if there are things on the wall or not. I have my decorating budget, but actually going out and finding what I want takes time. I don't want to fill the house simply to fill it--I'm not personally a fan of decor for the sake of decor--so I want the money to be spent intentionally and thoughtfully. Unfortunately, finding that kind of time can be tricky! I will happily do a post once things are a bit more to my liking--but they will probably come one at a time.

For now, here is our playroom/schoolroom/reading room/etc. room. This was the formal dining room, but we knew we wouldn't use it as such at this point in our lives, so it sat empty for a bit. It has columns and is open to the entryway, so I was worried about making it a play room since it is the first room people see when they walk in the house. Then I realized ... who cares? The people that walk into our house are either our friends or family, both of whom wouldn't mind one bit how we chose to utilize the room! Now it's the coziest room in the house and I love piling the kids in the chair and reading together.

More pictures will come, when I get to it, I promise!

Have a lovely day.