A "Day in the Life"

And I thought I'd share a little bit about a "normal" day for theDeLong girls. I'm the type of person who likes a simple everyday routine and I've found that my girls are so much happier when we keep to it! I try to do all my errands in one day each week so that the rest of the week we can stay at home and be productive and much happier. Last week was absolutely crazy for us and we were out of the house 4 mornings in a row! Karlie missed her morning nap each day and was an utter wreck every afternoon. Karis and I were too tired from all the running around to accomplish much and the laundry and dishes piled up like crazy. I realized then that my goal of trying to stay at home with the girls as much as possible is well worth the effort!

So here is what we generally do. The times vary depending on when they wake up and when Daddy has to leave in the morning/

The girls wake up between 7:30 and 8:00. Normal morning activities (potty, get dressed, etc).

Breakfast with Daddy

After Daddy leaves, Karlie goes down for a nap )usually around 10:00) and Karis has "blanket time" for about 30 minutes while I do dishes or other morning chores. Then we do something "educational" for about 20 minutes. We usually do a puzzle that is too hard for her to do by herself or play a game like Memory, shape Bingo, number Dominos, etc.

Karis and I have "Bible Time" -- she has a box of children's Bibles and picks one to look at while I read my Bible for about 10-15 minutes. She is supposed to read quietly, but always asks tons of questions :) Then I read Bible stories to her until Karlie wakes up, usually about 20 minutes. If Karlie takes a really long nap, then we will do a chore together.

When Karlie wakes up, we read a handful of library books together while Karlie gets her snuggles. Then the girls play together with their toys while I get my chore of the day accomplished (hopefully:).

Lunch Time

Outside Play Time -- usually about a half hour if the weather permits. If it is an absolutely beautiful day, then we'll stay out for an hour. (I don't know what I'm going to do when spring hits because we are going to want to be outside all day long!! :)

Nap Time for both girls (usually around 2:00) -- on Mon & Thurs I do my e-mail and blogging for the week. The other days I try to be super productive. Most of the time I do my major dinner prep while they are napping so I don't have to do it in the evening when they are hungry and grumpy :).

Books on the couch for about 30 min.

Give girls dinner while I finish up making Daddy's dinner (usually around 4:30) -- Right now, Mark has a pretty late schedule and the girls have to eat before he gets home. As much as I'd like to, at this stage it is not worth the fussiness to try and wait to have a family dinner. Karis and I will usually eat a second dinner with Daddy :)

Read books or play til Daddy gets home. A lot of times this is the time of day when I bring out the tunnel, school bus, train, etc.

Playtime with Daddy for about 20 minutes, then Karlie goes to bed (around 6:15) and we eat dinner.

Karis has playtime with Daddy until bedtime (around 7:00) and then he does the good-night routine with her.

Mommy and Daddy get to relax!! :)

Note: I try to incorporate crafts and learning activities for Karis but they do not have a specific time in our routine. She has access to all her craft stuff and will randomly bring out her water colors or crayons and decide to do art during playtime.

I am getting ready to train Karlie to do blanket time, although I haven't decided where I will fit it into our schedule yet :)

So now you know what a normal day in the DeLong household is like :) Let me assure you that it doesn't always go as planned, but the girls are definitely happier when it does!