iPad...

Our house is haunted...

Motherhood Support System...

My mommy group has been invaluable to me.  I joined July 5, 2011.  I was still pregnant with Alex.  I remember one of my first meetups.  I went to the Coffee Bean and met with a bunch of new mothers.  They all had babies 5 weeks olds to 7month olds.  They told me their labor stories and what to expect.  

Those mommies have helped me through every sleepless night, taught me about naptimes, what to do when Alex got sick, and informed me when stages of development were normal or not.

Here I am.   2 years later and pregnant with my baby girl.  One of the other mothers and I are trading boy clothes for girls clothes because now she is pregnant with a son.  

After she comes by to drop off the clothes.  I thought where would I be without these women?

I found my mommy group on meetup.com.  I highly recommend joining one or starting your own because the camaraderie you feel is priceless. 

Having a son means...

Organizing Your Week As a Stay-At-Home-Mom

 
It's easy as a Stay-At-Home-Mom to lose track of time, be lazy, and/or not get anything done.  I am really embarrassed when my husband asks what I did today and I can't think of anything to tell him.  I find the more unproductive I am.. the more bored and depressed I am.  So of course... being the list person that I am... I came up with a weekly regimen so I can stay on top of what I need to do.  Then I have the freedom (and lack of guilt) to do the fun things that come along with being a Stay-At-Home Mom or SAHM.

What are the basic expectations of a SAHM?  Usually... laundry, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the children.  (If you have a housekeeper give your hubby a big kiss!)

The Weekly List
I have a weekly list which I re-write each week to update it.  You can do it on the computer.  I do mine on a yellow pad.

On the top of my weekly list lists the chores that need to be done.  Starting with:

1. Laundry.  At the top of my pad I have M, T, W, T, F, S for the days of the week.  Under them I have C, W, S for colors, whites, sheets.  Colors are Monday, Whites are Tuesday, Sheets on Wednesday.  I do a load of laundry a day and it usually takes 3-4 days in my house depending on how much there is.  I have a 3 hold hamper (got it at Target for cheap) to separate whites, colors, sheets, and I disperse towels where ever there is room.

Under the laundry and the days of the week I have:

2. Cleaning.  Some women are great about banging out all the cleaning in a couple hours one day a week.  I'm more of a divide it up daily, so my house always looks decently clean.  I list one of these each day: Bathroom, Groceries, Vacuum, Dust, Kitchen Floor, Trash, Windows/Fridge.  Groceries are mixed up with these chores because it takes quite a bit of time, but divide it up however you wish.  Also, if I miss a chore in a week, that chore starts on Monday and then listed by necessity by day for the rest of the week.

Then I skip a line and have my lists:

To Do List, Sitting List, and Errand List.

3.  Sitting List.  Ok, this might sound strange.  But this is the list of my "To Dos" which require me to sit to get them done.  I'm a mom... I'm tired... And on those days I'm exhausted, doing things on the sitting list is where I go.  These are things that could be done on the computer (like bills) or anything I can sit for (ie. Thank you notes, ordering from Amazon, looking things up online).  The sitting list can also usually be done in front of the tv, so if you are feeling unproductive, these things are easy and keep you productive.

4.  Errand List.  These are of course anything you have to go out of the house for.  These become more important when you are starting to go stir crazy in the house and need to get out.  Go run some errands.

5.  To Do List.  So really this everything else there is left to do... that you do in the house, but can't do sitting.

At the bottom of my page I have lists of:

6. Clutter.  What areas of the house need to be cleaned up?  Stuff needs to be given away or sold?  Rank them in order of importance.

7.  Projects.  These are more "me fun things".  A list of: topics I want to write on my blog, the book I'm reading, nails, or any classes, or things I'm working on for "me" time.

Then in the margins... (yes, there is more) I list different stores I need to go to.  Examples of stores are: CVS (Drugstore), Trader Joes, Dollar Store, Target, Kohls, Sprouts (Groceries), and Costco (Bulk).  Whenever I find a run out of something, I list it under the store so I don't forget to get it the next time I'm there.

The Daily List
Then on a separate sheet of paper.  I list M, T, W, R, F, Sa, Sun... for the days of the week.

In the margin, I write (So I don't forget anything):
1. Fun
2. Laundry
3. 5 Min
4. Clean
5. To Do.
6. Me
7. Dinner

1. Fun.  The first on my list... is usually a playdate or something fun for my son and I to do.  First and most important. :D

2. Laundry.  List which laundry is up to bat.... Colors, Whites, Sheets, Towels.

3. 5 min.  This is a reminder to me to clean up the house for 5 minutes between most of these things on the to do list.  Yes, I set a timer or... you could clean up based on zones of the house ie. the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, the bedrooms.  It's important to clean up in between tasks because this is what keeps the overall house clean.

4.  Clean.  The Cleaning chore of the day.

5. To Do.  One thing off the to do list whether you are sitting, running errands, or the "to do".

6.  Me.  Don't forget to do something you enjoy.  ie. blog, read, nails, set up a mom's night out, plan a trip for your family, watch your favorite tv show.

7.  Dinner.  What do you have planned for dinner.

There you have it!  That's how this Stay-At-Home Mom stays organized.  I hope it gives you some ideas on how to be a productive Stay-At-Home Mom.

This morning's walk..

Wanted to get some exercise so I took Alex on a walk.  Decided to take Sauvi knowing she needs to lose some weight and this is what happened...

Terrific Twos...

Today we played with stickers.  Alex chose which stickers, in what order, and he could place them anywhere on the paper he liked. 

Then we went outside and had a water gun fight.

And shot objects with our water guns.

The tree and stone didn't know what hit them... 

We walked up and down the block shooting things and each other an had a grand ole time.

Alex firsts..

Alex has been squiggling, but started to name his squiggles... Do you see a butterfly?  A sheep?

Alex also imitated his first super hero today.  Dash from The Incredibles.  He kept commenting on how fast he was running from room to room..getting his teeth brushed and getting ready for bed.

Mr. Potato head

To a two year old.. Hiding things in Mr. Potato things butt is way more exciting than putting features on his face.

His creation.. One ear, one nose, one eyes, and a tongue..

Fear is...

Fear is... being locked outside in 90 degree heat, at almost 7 mo pregnant, by your toddler...

Disappearing Cereal

Every morning Alex gets a bowl of yogurt/fruit and a a bowl with cereal.  When he's done I put the left over cereal on the dining room table so he can graze when he wants.  Most mornings I'm surprised at the amount of food he consumes... and have to admit I keep putting more than I think I should because he eats it all.  This morning after breakfast we left the house.  When we came back that cereal was gone.  Which means one of my stinking dogs has been getting on table and eating Alex's cereal!!  Grrrr....