@smithers Yep this 100%. Things have gotten easier over time (LO is now 20 months) which means things aren’t as chaotic. But you have to embrace the chaos or you will drive yourself mad.
@holyspiritleads2truth I use instacart for costco delivery. Also i can use it for target it as well but i usually do the drive up option. And house cleaners 1x a month.
@holyspiritleads2truth Costco has instacart! As a heads up the prices are higher. Try to get staples on two day delivery instead of instacart and it becomes worth it IMO
My bullet journal helps me prioritize things for me. I'll always schedule appointments for the family or buy the thing they're out of. I forget to do it for me. So I make those types of things goals for the day.
@holyspiritleads2truth You can’t. The main goal of the first 4 months is survival. All else can go to the wayside.
Once baby starts sleeping through the night, or at least in longer bursts then the next phase begins.
Have easy grab and go food ready and on hand. Or make a big meal and have leftovers for awhile.
Set a timer for 15 minutes tidy and clean whatever you can in that time. If it doesn’t get done after that oh well.
Make sure dad is doing his fair share. That includes everything. Cleaning, laundry, cooking and overall meal planning, playing and taking care of baby, diapers, all of it.
@holyspiritleads2truth Not trying to do it all while I’ve got a toddler lol That’s the secret. Im also am not someone that is militant about cleaning and keeping everything spotless (my bff is and she has 3 kids and stays up until midnight to clean everything every night. That’s just her preference)
@holyspiritleads2truth I dress my baby for daycare the night before. They wear sleep n plays anyway so unless there is a blowout that is one less morning task. Mornings are awful for me (double drop off, not a morning person etc) so anything I can shift to the night before I do (packing bottles, picking out clothes, showering). I started bringing my breakfasts (for the week) to work on Monday and just eat when I arrive. I ship daycare diapers directly to daycare, I have auto bill pay mail my daycare check on the first of the month, we hired a cleaning person to come twice a month, my car is a disaster and I just let it go (I pay for the nice car wash every so often; where they vacuum it for me). I have shifted our expenses over time to be less on things and more on services because i often wish I could turn my house upside down and throw all the “stuff out”, and I would rather wear these clothes until they are threadbare than have to vacuum/ scrub toilets again on my limited free time.
@christiansworldwideweb We didn't come up with that sleep n play hack until our third kid. It is the best. Clean PJs every night, diaper change in the am and zip em right back up. Simplified laundry too.
@christiansworldwideweb Shoot, I dress my 3yos for daycare the night before Boy wears a Tshirt and sweats, girl wears a shirt and leggings most of the time. Sometimes change them into jeans but we don’t do cutesy outfits to daycare
@christiansworldwideweb My kids are in elementary school and we still have them dress for school the night before. They mostly wear cloth-based pants with elastic waistbands plus a t-shirt or long-sleeve shirt, which is basically the same as their pjs.
@holyspiritleads2truth I let the kid watch tv so I can get through the morning routine as painlessly as possible. I’m also not above bribing her with slices of bread.
@holyspiritleads2truth Accept that some days the goal is to have everyone still alive at the end of the day. Outsource whatever I can, work my 40 hours a week. When I have a chance I try to do whatever will make life easier for future me - get the dishes moved along, tidy up more off the floor before my house cleaner comes, make sure the trash all gets out this week.