Holy Chaos

I have dreaded Labour Day. To me that was D-day. The last day with Daddy at home for the summer. While most parents worried about their child’s first day back at school on Tuesday, I worried about how I would cope with two littles at home with me, just me, during the day. I was spoiled as The Hubster has been home all of July and August on summer vacation. It was so amazing to have the three and then the four of us together. I so appreciated having another set of hands, eyes and legs to help out!

Last year, when I found out I was pregnant, we decided that Princess Peach would now attend pre-nursery 5 mornings per week from 9 am -12 pm. I couldn’t justify paying daycare two-thirds more than I do for pre-nursery to feed her lunch, take a nap and then play in the playground when I would be home and am able to do it myself.

Last year, when we made this decision to only have Princess Peach in school for 3 hours I didn’t think about the logistics of my day nor the fact that Princess Peach would have the word “no” in her vocabulary. No longer could The Hubster help with drop-off as he is at work and pick up is all me. When The Hubster leaves in the morning I’m alone for 1-1.5 hours and then alone until he comes home. So far, the first two mornings before school have been hellish. Princess Peach has decided she no longer wants to eat breakfast. It doesn’t matter what we offer her or if she chooses what she pretends wants to eat, she plays with it, builds towers with it, drops it in her water cup, drops it on the floor. She flat-out doesn’t eat breakfast anymore.

Then there is the “no” factor. “No” I can’t change her out of her pajamas,”No”she doesn’t want to wear those pants. “No”  she wants to wear pants that clash her outfit ( and it makes me cringe….can’t let her out of the house like that), “No” i can’t do her hair, “No” I can’t touch her backpack, “No” she wants the pink socks. And on, and on it goes. So I choose my battles but I also have a little baby to worry about too!

Then there is Babagunky. What is that you ask? “Baba” is her pacifier and “gunky” is her adorable monkey lovey. She likes her baba on her gunky and refers to them as one known as Babagunky. When she is whiny, crabby, crusty, upset, and sad she cries for Babagunky. We have 6 floating around the house. It’s crazy. So not only do I need to worry about the three of us surviving but I have to know where Babagunky is or all hell breaks loose!

Then there is my cute little baby who likes to eat, and eat, and eat. Which makes it a little difficult when I’m breastfeeding to be stuck sitting somewhere sometimes close to an hour! He likes to be held a lot so I have become creative and wear him in the house. I try putting him into the swings that we have but he isn’t always a fan and mostly just wants me to hold and cuddle him. Why couldn’t I have octopus arms? It would make my life SO much easier!

Then there is the amount of time I have with Little Dude once we drop Princess Peach off at school. What can you do in 1.5 hours? Well you can make a trip to the mall to shop, only to be sidetracked by a hungry baby. Which means that every outing I make has to be intricately planned. Once I drop Princess Peach off and get back to my car its 9:10 which gives me time to drive to my chosen destination, do what I need to do and get back into the car between 11:15-11:30 to be at school on time. It’s stressful considering that Little Dude will most likely need to be fed during this time.

Whew……did that tire you out? It has exhausted me so far.

I am sure that over time our daily routine will in fact become routine and that I will look back on this post and laugh because all I do now is worry.

What are your tips on surviving the day with two little kids 2 and under?

Comments

  1. Lisa says:

    My oldest is goimg to daycare two days a week tues and thurs. I find this is helpful in getting stuff done and having more time those days to be able to go out with just the baby. Anyway you can switch your nursery school schedule?

  2. Jen says:

    Great post Renee! This has been my life since April! I also have my 2.5 year old in daycare Tuesday and Thursdays all day which I do find helpful for running errands with the baby or just catching a break. Because she’s there for 8 hours, I don’t feel rushed to get everything done. On the days she is at home, I ALWAYS get out of the house in the morning- playdates, park, visit with family, whatever to keep her occupied and me sane. If I can make it to lunch and nap, I’m good! Oh and the dressing herself? TOTALLY my toddler too! I don’t fight that battle as much as I cringe to see what she picks somedays… She wore a yellow printed romper and pink polka dot leg warmers to the park last week and got comPliments from people so I say all the power to her! Hang in there!!

    • mscmommylife says:

      Thanks Jen! I’ve been trying to get out of the house right after naptime which has helped a bit. Hilarious that she dressed herself and got compliments! She must have felt so proud of herself 🙂

  3. Karin says:

    Sorry that I laughed a little (been there done that). I totally relate to the stress of the 9-12, I did the same thing and it really is so much work. In fact, when my little one (Evi) was new, my older didn’t go to daycare at all (we went to playcentres, TDSB runs free ones). When my older (Gali) was 3, she started 9-12. It really is so stressful, more so than just having the kid stay home all day, as you know…. As much as we think we are Supermoms, it can be very challenging, so not worth it. So, I hired a family member to pick Gali up from school at 12, help me with lunch and to fold laundry! I really needed those few hours of help…. Don’t be shy. There are plenty of young people out there that need a little extra cash. That’s how I coped for about 4 months…. At some point it gets easier….

    • mscmommylife says:

      Karin, I have actually been thinking about hiring someone a few afternoons a week to give me a break. It would be great for Princess Peach to get some 1-on-1 attention and then get some things done around the house. I’m hoping that in the next month or so once we get into some sort of routine that life becomes easier. Happy that there are lots of moms out there who can relate. I’m not the first one to be in this situation and definitely won’t be the last!

  4. karin says:

    I would argue that it doesn’t get “easier” until about 1 year, it gets more challenging until then because later the newborn is awake more, demands more than just feeding…. At about 1, the baby can play on its own for a little bit (long enough to fold laundry!)… Anyway, enjoy every moment!

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