The June holidays has ended. We are back to our usual routine on the weekday. There is nothing to brag about here. I am just another mother trying my best at parenting and I am fortunate to be able to do it full time.
Our day starts earlier with the two elder kids waking up at 5.30am to prepare for school. Their school bus comes at 6.05 am and typically reaches school well before 7 am. I am not sure why the driver needs to arrive at the school so well in advance, but I am sure it is a reason for me to pick up driving again.
The two toddlers will periodically wake up when their elder siblings prepare for school. A commotion begins in the wee hours of the morning when they wake up to demand comfort.
We try to get them to bed again so that we can catch up with more sleep, or keep up with our morning routines such as yoga, meal plan or blog.
By 9 am, I will wake the little monkeys up to ensure that their ideal sleep schedule materialises. We like to spend our mornings watering plants, running around in the playground or otherwise marketing. On rainy days, we do finger painting, or some puzzle works.
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These days if I bring the little ones to the supermarket, I will let one out of the baby carrier to participate in the supermarket shopping. It is a pleasing sight to see an adorable little one walking around with a stalk of broccoli on her hand.
We return home in the late morning to prepare and eat lunch. For readers new to my blog, I must admit that I have a live-in helper assisting with all the housework. I am not a superwoman, and I dislike the chores. I will undoubtedly fall into depression if I ever have to handle the four kids and the housework all by myself. While I find cooking therapeutic, I can’t quite carry out the cooking procedure safely with two toddlers dangling onto my legs, and pulling down my pants.
By the time we settle the toddlers’ lunch, it is past noon. I will send the little monkeys to bed so that they get their adequate nap before the older ones are back. The latter would typically make a din when they return. The excited little ones would rather wake up to play with their beloved siblings rather than going back to bed. Without sufficient rest, afternoon time becomes hellish with two whiny and sleepy toddlers interrupting my attempt to coach the elder ones their schoolwork. The afternoon is the most rewarding when the elder ones are motivated and earnestly go through their homework without much trouble.
I have people asking me why I am so paranoid over my kids’ schoolwork since lower primary work is so easy. If you have kids who are smart or are self-starters, count yourself lucky. I am just thankful that my kids are healthy and happy (I hope). Please don’t judge when you don’t know us so well.
By fiveish, most of us are drained. I will either encourage the kids to go for an outdoor play or stay indoor to relish their favourite toys. It has taken me a while to delay TV time from 5 pm to 6 pm, and now 6.30 pm which is after dinner. Due to previous logistic arrangements, the older ones had cultivated the habit of watching TV from the moment they stepped into the house after their childcare. I took over a year to adjust this habit of theirs. So on weekdays, they only get 1 1/2 hours of TV time. I think I am happy with the result now.
By 8 pm, we start preparing all 4 of them to bed. It is another session of battles involving countless reminders, nags, latches and scoldings. I can’t handle this all by myself. Hubby helps out every night, and periodically my sister and father (whenever he visits). Getting the four to bed seems to be the most labour-intensive session of the day.
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The elder ones are typically knocked out by 9.30 pm since they wake up early in the morning. Whereas for the toddlers, I may need to stay put as a milking station for the next 2 hours while they continue to sleep fight. This is especially so if they mess up their sleeping schedule in the afternoon.
The night does not end here. It continues with a series of cries from the toddlers for milk and comfort for the rest of the night.
I have tried to remove the negative vibes from the post. But the matter of the fact is, parenthood is a beautiful but tough journey. I love spending my time with all four of them, and I learn tons from them. However, with school and schedules involved, things seem to get a little more challenging, and the daily routine has drained me quite a bit.
Do you manage with a routine at home? Can you share with us your tips to help the fellow readers here cope with the daily craziness?
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My self-care journey during my babies’ first year (part 1) – mental health
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