Staying Sane

I know I’ve been severely slacking here. It’s not the only thing lacking my attention. Aside from daily laundry, cleaning, nursing, toddler meltdowns and overwhelming amount of diaper changes – life is flowing and the kids are happy.

I’ve heard it millions. The change from one to two little ones is huge. That’s an understatement. You have one set of eyes. And two kids. There’s no warm up here. Just game on.

I was thinking of writing about the regulated chaos of my daily life. Juggling a newborn and toddler. Instead, I thought of something more useful. The tiny things that have kept me sane. More relaxed. And able to enjoy this ever-so-short time with my babies.

So here it is. Some things that have kept the hair on my head. My eyes open. And my husband smiling at me. Well, most days.

1. Coffee. I’ve referenced my requirement for coffee before, but with the addition of Ella come night nursings and lack of sleep. I can’t complain. Ella’s slept at night since she was born. Sleeps in four-hour chunks. And only wakes to quickly eat. I know. I thank God daily. But, I’m still loosing sleep and now have two littles to occupy. Which means I need coffee to run.

2. Minus One.  Whenever possible, I leave a kid at home with Justin or a grandparent when it’s grocery shopping or errand time. Although Jack has stood tall with his newfound freedom in the world, it’s just so much easier to pack up one.  Dress one. Unload one. Carry one. And so on.

3.  Get Fresh. I still shower every day and apply at least the bare essentials of make up. My husband laughs, “Who are you going to see today? Getting pretty for the UPS guy.” But, putting on fresh sweatpants and mascara makes me feel fresh and accomplished. Which equals sound me and, therefore, happy kids. So, I try to shower before Justin leaves for work or at naptime. Making sure to leave room for a handful of minutes to just stand in hot water silence.

4. Play Time. The dishes can wait. The laundry won’t burn. So everyday I make sure to get on the floor and play with Jack. Yesterday we built a zoo of blocks for all the small spiders, snakes, dragons and animals he has.  Today we cooked rubber bands in his kitchen. One day, my Mom watched sleeping Ella while Jack and I built a snowman out front. My favorite is coloring. Amazing how rejuvenating crayons and books can be.

5. Read Anything. I love to read. And lately I’ve realized it’s not only my adult books, but also magazines, blogs, news and even children’s books. I’ll read at night after Jack’s asleep and Ella’s nursing. Jack and I’ve also gotten lost for an hour reading his books. I never thought it could be so relaxing.