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Where does the day go?

Hi girls, how is everyone doing?

Paige is now over 6 weeks old and i thought everything would have settled down a bit now, but i don't seem to have enough hours in the day. Most of the morning seems to be spent on the lounge with a leech stuck to me, lol. The house looks like several bombs have gone off and i'm usually in my PJs until after lunch. If someone came to visit me now i'd have to hide and pretend i'm not home, lol.

My dear hubby has been helping out and has not commented on the state of the house, i think he knows i'd tear his head off if he did. I said to hubby the other day that i was being a bit selfish and using an hour each day to exercise instead of housework and he said that's great and he would rather i exercised than cleaned, although i'm not sure how i should take that, lol.

I'm feeling really good at the moment and i've started jogging about 2km each day on the treadmill as well as trying to do 30 mins workout on discover health channel most days. I'm still about 12 lbs from pre preg weight and i'm going to a wedding next month that i'm using as incentive to try to fit into a dress instead of buying another (not sure if my boobs will fit even if i do lose the lbs, lol).

Does anyone have any time management tips or am i just dreaming to think i can manage 6 week old as well as 3 & 4 year olds too???? image

Shell & Paige

Replies

  • I take my hat off to you - exercise??? whats that?? Oh yeah its what I should be doing! Congrats on getting an hour of exercise - I'm lucky to get out for a short walk with the 2 little ones and Bryn will be 6 weeks on friday!

    Don't beat yourself up over housework - you are obviously coping brilliantly to be able to be that active! But if you are worried about it couldn't you substitute one session of exercise a week for housework - it can be a good form of exercise (well thats what I'm telling myself!)

    Em x
  • excercise?? what that!! i'm just impressed that you can get an hour a day to excercise with 3 kids!! As for the housework... I just try and get washing and washing up done and anything else is a bonus!! Depnds how long Cole sleeps for really!! Not much help there really..sorry
  • Very impressive Shell! I'm not into exercise but am going to buy the Vicky Binns dvd that hollylizzy has...for when I have an non-clingy baby! She loves her cuddles!
    I take each day as`it comes and am happy if I get one job done, no matter how big or small. Yesterday I was chuffed to have cleared all the crap that had been dumped on kitchen sill AND wrap all pressies for son's bday, extra to the kitchen's daily clean! Hubby v understanding...he'd feel the wrath otherwise! It's a bonus if tea gets made; he's a better cook than me anyway!
    Little and not often is my current motto!
  • I decided last night that I was going to try and start to implement a bit more structure/ routine to Brendans day and follow The Baby Whisperers 'EASY' routine of Eat, Activity (can be play, nappy change, bath etc), Sleep and Your time. Sounds pretty simple in theory and doesn't involve clock watching as it all revolves roughly round a 3 hour cycle depending on how often the baby feeds.
    Well, Brendan woke at 8am for his breakfast, had his nappy changed and then went back to sleep. So I thought great, short cycle of EASY but still a start! He then slept until 11am and he woke up wanting a feed so I got him a bottle, then he def needed changing so did that, changed his clothes from his nightware, and he was quite awake so talked to him, sang etc. He started to yawn after a while so I thought great that is the cue she tells you to look for he wants his bed! I gave him a cuddle and told him time for a nap, put him in his moses basket and tucked him in. He was ok for a bit (5 mins!) but then started crying. So I used her technique of gently patting his back with the rhythm of a heartbeat (which works well by the way!) and making 'ssh ssh' noises. This settled him again for a few minutes, then he started making sucking noises so I thought well I know he isn't hungry, so I gave him a dummy which he was ok with for a short while until he pulled it out and started crying again! This went on for a while until I think he wore himself out and finally drifted off to sleep!!!
    But as a result I have got nothing done at all! Not even had a cup of tea yet and its lunchtime already. Feels like I have taken a big step backwards as last week most days I was pretty organised by late morning and some days had even had a shower by lunchtime! That was just by following what he wanted to do and letting him fall asleep on me before putting him down in his moses basket.

    Will stick at the EASY routine and fingers crossed it starts to work better as this morning he has been a very grumpy little boy!! Has anyone used any other techniques that they think are good?

    L xxx
  • My technique is do what he wants at teh time!! Philip seems to have fallen into a routine on his own, feed at 6.30, back to sleep, take stepkids to school, feed him again about 10am, sleep, feed at 1.30ish sing and "play", fetch step kids, sleep, feed at 4pm, play and stay wide awake till 11pm when bottle and bed. It works for now but i really need to get him settled upstairs in bed much earlier! so at teh moment he is awake instead of asleep but as i have to go shopping he will be asleep soon (car sends him to sleep) so doing it today is out of the question!
  • Liz,

    I had read on here somewhere that the Tracy Hogg book was good and people seemed to agree and prefer it over the Gina Ford way because it talks abouting getting to know your baby. I have a ten year old who was so rediculiously easy, slept and feed well, happy when awake just stared at the world in wonder. But my son seems a little less impressed to be here! So when he was 6 days old I bought the book and set about reading it while I was having 'me time' in the bath. Well my biggest problem is the Eat then Activity. I'm breast feeding and this always sends him off to sleep! Also he is not happy about being left to fall asleep himself. And as for the quiet place so that your you respect your baby when he is eating. Well I'm afraid my favourite place in the day is in front of the telly! (usually with visitors comimg and going) I've also fed him while I'm eating.

    He has such bad colic that I just can't see how I can follow the EASY plan at the moment, it was just making us both upset and in the end just ended up with us both in tears. So I came to the conclusion that he is in real pain with all the trapped wind and that he just wants something or someone to help him and being rocked, held and cuddled is doing that (I've liken it to me at the end of preganacy where I felt so awlful and my poor hubby had to spend literlly hours rubbing my back) I've decided that my lo is too young for a rountine and just to go with my instints! Although maybe I blew it form day 1 when I broght him home and didn't give him a tour of the house as she suggests!

    El & Oakley (16 days)
  • I got most of the house cleaned today (yippee), because my mum came around for a few hours to keep kids entertained.

    My eldest daughter Erin is starting kindergarten next week, it seems so surreal because she is only tiny and isn't 5 yo until April. I'm now starting to wonder how i'll get her to school by 9am every day of the week (i just hope no-one looks at my greasy hair and bloodshot eyes and guesses that i haven't had a shower yet, lol).

    This will definitely help me to manage my time better, lol.

    Shell & Paige
  • Lol Shell! I can empathize with your pending problem of the school run! What`makes mine worse is that I'm a teacher where my son goes (he was 5 yest ) so not only do I have to hide from other parents, I'm on show to kids AND work mates! Luckily they are mates and tell me how fab I look! Teachers never lie.....!
    I don't impress any routine on Gracie, as she's sort of done that herself, give or take an hour or 2! She only sleeps in her bouncing chair during day (when she does sleep!) and I'm not bothered yet that she goes down asleep at night. Both boys did that and they've (mainly!) been very good sleepers, sleeping thru from 15 and 10 wks.
    Obi, does Philip only have 5 feeds a day? Are they bf or formula? Gracie's still on 10 or so, inc 3 bottles!
  • Alioli,

    I'm exactly the same as you - a teacher and my 10 year old also attends the same school. Not use to being in the playground at all, it takes me forever to get back home as all the children, parents and teachers want to see him!

    El x
  • Lol! Yeah, you get bombarded don't you?! And always when I'm rushing to get her back home for a feed! After giving my (male) boss the shock of his life bf her in staffroom, I won't be doing that again! Will you go back to work? I'm back Sept but mat leave ends just as hols begin...so well planned! Bonus paid leave!
  • I bet the kids love you going in to see them - I'm a secondary school teacher and when I had my daughter my yr12 tutor group were really sweet with her - I gave up work when I had her so I've now got the task of looking for work for sept image

    alioli - that was well planned - very clever of you. x
  • Alioli

    I wish he only had 5 feeds a day, more like 5 before midday!! He's bf and he has a 5.30ish, 7.00ish, 9.30ish, 11.30ish, 2.ooish, 4.00 ish, then from 6pm he's like a leech and feeds almost constantly till about 10pm, then he has a 5oz bottle at 11pm which he usually finishes. he seems to be a porker but in the last 2 wks he has only gained 5oz, the hv doesn't think that this is cause for concern but i do, i'm convinced he only gained this due to the bottle, but what do i know i'm only his mum!! if he hasn't gained much by next wednesday i'm going to start easing him over to bottlefed as he can't be getting enough from me.

    We visited our mw today and she told me we are the only culture who don't encourage mixed feeding, asians bottle feed for the first 3 days then start breast feeding and mix bottle with breast successfully so why do our hv seem intent on keeping us all bf all the time?
  • Alioli,

    Does that mean you are going back just for the last week? So you can get paid for the six week hols? I've heard of people doing this. I started mat leave on 26.11.07, I'm planning on going back after the May half term (but don't know if I can get paid for the half term too) My friend at school who is due in 2 weeks time left before xmas but only started mat leave on 7.01.08 so got paid for all of xmas - lucky her!

    I saw on the news in Sweden that you and your partner can take up to 3 years leave between you (although I don't know how much of that is paid). Unfortunately it all comes down to money. We moved house 7 months ago, for a bigger place and also to an area that is the catchment area of a very good sec. school for my daughter so our mortage is HUGE now. Would love to give up work or at least work just one day a week.

    We have booked to go to cenerparcs in 7 weeks, in term time! It's sooooo cheap compared to the school hols. (taking daughter out of school, naughty I know but I have never been one of those teachers who bad mouths parents that do it). It's going to feel so great going on hols when it's not rammed full and knowing that you are paying a reasonable price!

    El x
  • El - no I actually finish my mat leave the 1st Sunday of the hols and still get paid for all 6 weeks! Well, I'd better had do- that's what the lea said. I'd love to go away at cheap time but hub's a teacher too so no skiving for him! We're same, having moved 9 month ago to a bigger house with a bigger mortgage so back to work for me. Hoping hubby will get deputy somewhere then I can do 3 days!!!
    Obi - Philip sounds like he's following a similar pattern to Gracie! She has 3 bottles a day now so she sleeps a bit longer in the aft, having last bottle at 9ish, going thru til 2-4 ish, depending! Still 9-11 feeds a day tho!!! Am gradually upping the bottle intake too!
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