?'s for moms of two and/or more

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-01-2004
?'s for moms of two and/or more
5
Mon, 04-09-2007 - 2:42pm

How do you mothers of two or more organize time between your children, house, family, hubby, yourself, etc? What is a typical routine for you day to day?

I'm still learning the ropes of being a Mom of two and how to organize my days with flexibilty so that I can spend time with my children and still find time for other things

~Marie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-09-2006
Mon, 04-09-2007 - 4:30pm

Hi Marie, welcome to the board!!


How many years is the age gap between your first and your second? I think that changes a bit the dynamics of the two vs. one difficulty. My kids for example have a five year age gap. While it was hard getting the adjustments down, it wasn't nearly as hard as it would have been if my first was in diapers still, not in school, still needing me to feed her, etc, KWIM? I'll just go right ahead and answer your questions.


"How do you mothers of two or more organize time between your children, house, family, hubby, yourself, etc?"


My time is organized differently for different days and goings on. Usually though my time with hubby comes first when he's home. Our marriage is the foundation of the family. First and foremost I am Dans wife (foxy at that LOL). My children share my attention and time as needed. Some days my daughter gets more. Some days her brother does. Some days it's even, some days it's one sided. In the grand scheme of things though, they both get my time, and neither one is neglected. Time for myself comes in little moments here and there. Right now for example, Christopher is playing and I get a moment to

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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-11-2006
Mon, 04-09-2007 - 4:32pm

First off, welcome and congrats on baby #3!!


I am a mom of 2..

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-23-2007
Mon, 04-09-2007 - 5:41pm
Hi
I am a sahm of 3 kids ages7,11,and 3.My last little boy is special needs so there is alot more to the picture than it looks!My sked. pretty much consists of being up early,getting two older ones off to school and then its time to tidy up from breakfast and bathe myself,the little guy,get us dressed,readylol and then its time to make lunch cuz the older ones are coming home and then...................tidy up,groceries,therapy,kids get home,snacks,start supper,eat supper,clean up from supper,kids have sports of some kinds!Then bathes,homework,laundry,more food and finally BED!!!!!!!!!That is when I get time to myself and sometimes with hubby if he is still awake!He works from 5 to 5 so when he is home there is always a helping hand.We do make sure to get a sitter once a week and go out just the two of us and that is nice!We also take in alot of sporting events and that is great family time as well!Nobody said it was easy,but it is definately worth it!
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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-20-2005
Tue, 04-10-2007 - 10:19am

I am a mom of three.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-28-2006
Tue, 04-10-2007 - 9:33pm

Hi! I am a SAHM with four kids: boy 13, girl 10, boy 7, girl 3. And I run a daycare in my home.

I guess things go better when I am in the organization habit. Planning for tomorrow in regards to school bags, forms filled out, clothes picked out. I try to plan some meals ahead and on wknds we cook some stews and casseroles, even roasts then freeze them to heat up in middle of week.Crockpots are my best friends. I have 3 of them.

You learn to multi-task, and I am always doing laundry!!! We get our kids to plan assignments and they have a regular routine of homework and chores everyday.

Kids can do a lot. I used to try to do it all- but one person cannot clean up after 6 people or she will get sick- which is what happened to me.

When I plan ahead things go smoother for whole family. and for me. I also try to be flexible on less important things. I find that my days go better if I start by making beds and keeping dishes done. I do chores in bits and bites. It is amazing what you and kids can do in a ten-minute tidy. We also do things like put clothes away during tv commercial breaks.

I find that routine is a lifesaver, so that I and the kids know who is supposed to be doing what- when. Some times with 4 one child gets a bit more attention on a given day. But I try to be fair and average it out over the whole week. We also go for walks, bike rides, or play games as a family. I get big kids to help littles. We stress that we are a family "team". My dh and I try to make some time with each child one on one or to do "girls" days and "boys" days.

We have had to limit outside activities. As kids get older they need to study, and they really need to spend time with family too. So I remember that saying no to others ensures that I can say yes to my kids.

Flylady was a lifesaver for me. But to give to your kids, you need to take care of you. That is not selfish. Your kids need a calm, together mom. So take time for you. Even it means putting on lipstick and brushing your hair.

purple

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