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Morning Routine with a Toddler and a Newborn
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I thought teaching kindergarten was exhausting.
But then I had a baby.
And let me tell you about exhausted.
I finally understood all those people who said "You think you’re tired now? Just you wait".
But then, I got pregnant again.
This pregnancy overtook me with the typical pregnancy exhaustion. The can someone please come drag me out of bed, I might fall asleep if I stop moving for too long, come home from work and fell directly asleep on the couch wake up to eat supper then go to sleep again until morning type of tired.
Luckily my husband was working from home and was able to help me get my little one wrangled and in the car so we could head off to daycare and school. But now that our new little one has arrived, our mornings look a little bit different. It was chaotic at first, but I promise it gets better and easier as time goes on.
6:01 My alarm goes off. I just can't force myself to set it for 6:00 on the dot, somehow adding one more minute makes it feel less early. I’m the type of person who sit straight up in bed the second I hear it go to off.
Not literally, but my alarm scares the daylights out of me every time it goes off. I have to force myself to not hit snooze, and if I do I’ll only do it once. I’m not kidding, sometimes I literally have to open my eyes with my fingers to get myself to wake up. And I’m not the only one, right?
I run out to the kitchen and pour myself a cup of coffee. I always set my coffee maker to start brewing 10 minutes before my wake up time so that I can have fresh coffee ready for me as soon as I wake up. Unsurprisingly, this is the only uninterrupted cup of coffee that I get to finish while it’s still warm during the day. I drink it as I get ready.
I assemble my breast pump, put it on, and head back to the bathroom to let it do it’s thing while I continue. I love my wireless Elvie breast pump! I recommend to everybody I see!
6:05 I start with my "skin care routine". I put it in quotes because it's really nothing special, but it's taken a lot of trial and error to find something that works.
I wash my face with a Cetaphil cleanser, use a witch hazel toner, and my versed moisturizer. I brush my teeth while I wait for my moisturizer to soak in and dry.
Once it’s dry I put primer on, I live and die for the Milani primer and give that a second to set while I pick out my clothes. If I'm in a big hurry, I use a portable fan (We used it when our little guy was a baby in his stroller during hot summer walks. Yes, I stole it for myself) to speed it up.
6:15 I start doing my make up. I love messing around with new looks and trying new things, but I save that for weekends or when I have an extra set of hands.
My makeup look usually takes me about 10 minutes on mornings that I have to go to work.
I start with either the L'Oreal bb Cream or Milani foundation + concealer
I love the ELF Camo Concealer. I have tried so many products and spent so much money on concealers, but this is still my favorite
Then I start with eyeshadow. I have tried tons of different palettes, too, but have fallen in love with a palette I found at Marshalls. It is so nicely pigmented and has a good variety of neutrals and colors.
I follow up with a light powdered foundation.
I used Anastasia powdered bronzer to contour. I know using a bronzer to contour isn't ALWAYS the best move but it works for me.
I recommend this mascara to everybody! I use the L'Oreal telescopic mascara. It is life changing!
Then I use AirSpun powder with a makeup sponge and Milani setting spray to finish the look.
6:30 I start doing my hair.
Sometimes I’ll braid my hair before bed so it will have a wavy look in the morning. Sometimes I straighten my hair, sometimes I curl it.
If we’re being honest, it usually ends up in a bun by the end of the school day anyways, so sometimes I just put it in a loose low bun to begin with. (The heater in my classroom is broken and it’s usually on full blast, things get a little stuffy and I start to stress sweat).
6:40 I get dressed And most likely put on something different than what I picked out for myself earlier in the morning because I am a woman and I’m indecisive and that’s just the way it goes.
6:50 I usually start to see or hear my toddler rustling around this time and I panic because I’m running out of time to get things done on my own.
I warm up a bowl of oatmeal or pour a bowl of cereal or make a quick protein shake and finish it in about three minutes flat.
I pack a lunch, usually leftovers, pour my coffee into a thermos up water bottle load all that stuff up in the car.
I pack up my pump parts and bottles, double and triple check that I have everything necessary for that, then pack that in the car, too.
Lastly I get all of my son's things packed up in his diaper bag and loaded. Check out my post on efficiently packing a diaper bag. You can find a free diaper bag checklist there, too!
7:00 I greet my little man with a nice cold cup of milk in his room.
We give hugs and kisses for a minute and then we change his diaper, get dressed and I let him pick out his socks and shoes.
He loves demanding me to put “thocks on”, so picking out what socks he’ll be taking off and asking people to put on him all day is one of his favorite activities.
He also loves running out and greeting his dad who has usually gone to get our sweet little LJ out of her crib by that time.
Isn’t it funny how they wake up at the same time and demand your full attention at the same exact time? It’s like they sense our desperateness.
We are very thankful that my husband has been working from home due to Covid and he is able to watch our daughter during the day while she is still young.
We all give hugs and kisses and little man and I head out the door (unless of course we need to take some picture of that handsome little guy in his outfit).
I spend a minute chasing him out the garage door and into the driveway or front yard before either bribing him to his car seat with his milk or carrying him kicking and screaming. Usually the mention of seeing his daycare provider or eating breakfast gets him to calm down quickly.
Our daycare is only about seven minutes from our house, probably not even 2 miles. It’s also right on my way to work so it’s extremely convenient.
7:15 By the time I get little man loaded up, on the road, and arrive to daycare it’s usually between 7:15 and 7:30. I am so thankful that he absolutely loves going to daycare and adores the kids there. Most days, he runs off to play the second I set him down without looking back. It’s a little sad for me selfishly, but overall I’m so thankful that he loves going there each day. It makes going to work a lot easier for me.
7:30 I usually arrive to work around 7:30. My contracted time is 745, but no matter where I go if I’m not at least five minutes early I feel late.
I don’t like to be rushed and I am more productive in the morning. I try to take advantage of those 15 minutes and get extra stuff done so that I don’t have to stay late at the end of the day.
7:45 My morning officially starts. Most mornings, I have until 8:00 to continue working in my classroom, but sometimes I have meetings beginning right at 7:45 up until the time that students come in the building.
Remember earlier how I talked about my hair going in a bun by the end of the day? 70% of the time it’s in a bun by 8 AM because I try to squeeze so much into that time and start overheating! Lol
8:00 Student begin arriving and the craziness of my day begins. I prepare myself to not sit down for four hours unless it's crisscross applesauce on the floor.
I sure do miss my babies while I’m at work, but I love what I do and really feel like I make a difference in the lives of kids.
Being a mama is the most important thing to me, but being a teacher is pretty important to me too. I worked really hard to find a healthy work life balance and ways I prioritize my family even with a busy work schedule.
If you are just getting into a routine with a new baby and a toddler, I would recommend working an extra 20 minutes into your schedule before you get things down to a science.
Talk to you soon,
Erica
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