When I brought home number 2, my oldest was 21 months. The initial few days were great with all the visitors and help with entertaining and holding whichever kid I needed help with at the time. Then, several days later, as my husband went out to cut the grass, and my in-laws made their ways to their cars to go home, immense panic set in and I started to cry realizing that I was now in charge of taking care of not one but TWO children. Pretty sure I ran out to the street begging my in-laws to stay a little bit longer until Nick finished mowing.
Cut to, attempting to make dinner, baby crying in the swing, my toddler crying because she can't get something figured out with a toy she's playing with, the dog is starting to puke because I haven't fed him water or let him out in 12 hours and dinner boiling over on the stove and me yelling while ripping my hair out "HOW IS ANYONE SUPPOSED TO DO THIS?!" This was 3 years ago and the experience is still burned into my brain. All I heard was, "you'll figure it out" "Just take it step by step" "It'll be fine" "You'll look back and laugh". All of this advice was true but not helpful to my brain that needed specific direction on how to do it "right". There is no way to do it right, but I feel like I've gotten pretty damn close to making something tangible to making it right. I like order and I like organization and lord knows that it doesn't go the exact way I want it to go but I at least have a reference point to always go back to. Below is a schedule that I have created and have adapted during each kids shift in naps to make sure that I don't lose my mind on a daily basis and know when I can get things done because I know what the kids will be doing. I have 3 children (almost 5, just turned 3, and 15 months) and this is what we shoot for on a daily basis. The blue shade is sleeping times.
If I'm able to keep everyone on track, I know that from 10:30am-12:20pm, the two older girls are lost in play enough that I can clean both bathrooms without my 15 month old drinking toilet bowl cleaner. I also know that from 1:30pm-3:30pm my oldest will be doing quiet time, and chances are my 15 month old will be destroying the play room so I can prep for dinner. Chances are, the TV will be on during "play" time after nap while my youngest is sleeping so I can actually make dinner. And finally, I know that I will put down my youngest while the other two are watching their evening movie so I can peacefully read them at least 2 books before they go to bed at the same time. Unfortunately my husband does not have a conventional work schedule nor do I. So, myself, my nanny or my husband needs to be able to handle all the kids by themselves. If I didn't have this schedule to resort back to, my mind would be chaotic and I'd lose it way more often than I already do.
The beauty of the schedule is that this is not only helpful for yourself but when a sitter comes in for date night or in an emergency state, your children have a routine that they are comfortable following and the caretaker has a point of reference of what is usually down at any point of the day.
I hope this example helps you to create whatever you need in your own home to keep your mind sane and be able to relax in the evening with a glass of wine like I am...
