I set a timer while I’m cleaning. When Adam is at preschool/daycare,15 minutes in the kitchen is enough to unload/load the dishwasher, wipe down the counters, clear some clutter and sweep.
Not today.
Even though Adam was coloring very nicely and independently at the dining room table, it still took TWICE as long to do those basic chores. I think he interrupted me 4 or 5 times, and yes, I consider that “playing independently.” By the time the counters were clean (I didn’t even sweep!) it had been 30 minutes.
One day recently, I timed how long it took from the time I said, “Put your boots on" to the time we actually pulled out of the driveway. 17 minutes.
And when he was a newborn and I was nursing, it took us almost 2 hours to get out of the house just to run errands – mostly because we live 30 minutes from the store, so I wanted to feed him RIGHT before we left so I could maybe avoid nursing in public (or the car, or the target dressing room.)
I know I’m not alone in this, right? What is it that takes you twice (or 3x) as long with a kiddo? And (maybe I don’t want to know the answer to this) should I plan on 3x when Baby Brudder arrives?
I used to do the same thing with nursing! I hated doing that in public, but I was exclusively nursing so I would sit in the Target parking lot too. My little guy was afraid of the vacuum for a long time (the first year) so I had to hold him while I was vacuuming, it took so long!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear we aren't the only ones! I have four children (almost 1, 3, 6, and almost 9). To go anywhere is a huge ordeal. Just getting in and out of the car is exhausting! My 3 year old can make a mess eating anything, so it's sweep, sweep, sweep and then sweep some more! If not, the baby crawls around and eats what's on the floor. I love to sew, but that could be dangerous if I left the others unattended, so most "mom time" happens in the wee hours of the morning or late at night. Who needs sleep anyway?
ReplyDeleteEVERYTHING takes three times as long (at least!). I've just decided there really isn't "me" time at all anymore...unless I want to stay up late. It takes an extraordinary amount of patience to be a mom and work at a pace that accomodates kiddos needs/whims.
ReplyDeleteAdding the second one WILL be a different experience. The good news is that Big Brother will want to help; the bad news is Big Brother will want to help! ;-) My best advice is when packing the diaper bag, make extra room for Adam's toys (they will be bigger!), and try to squeeze an extra set of clothes for yourself. I remember many times when I had enough clothes to cover a big mess involving the girls, but if it made it on to me (and it usually did), I was out of luck!
ReplyDeleteShoes will ALWAYS be your biggest insanity moment: first FINDING them, then getting them on!
When my grandchildren were younger (3 of them) I went to visit them while their parents went away for the week-end.. I guess I forgot how hard it is to get out the door just to go to the store.
ReplyDeleteI had to plan 2 hours before we were actually in the car going out the driveway.
Now that I take care of Ben age 4, it takes time to buckle them in a car seat and then unbuckle. Used to be when I had the kids here at home we would just jump into the car and go.. no seatbelts...
I see you young girls with children and think what a struggle you all had just getting out to the car when you left home. That is why God gave us children when we were young.
Have a tiggeriffic day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:)
Ladies: I do not have good news for you about the kids getting older!
ReplyDeleteMine are 11 and 13, and it takes FOREVER to get out the door! Since LittleD now has to "do" her hair and she might end up with three outfit changes before she actually gets her coat on.
I think you hit the optimal time at around 8 or 9 years old (sometimes you can "race ya" out the door). After that, I think it's all down hill!
I found the 2nd wasn't as much of a change as the 1st. Except for adding in the extra nursing time! I have an hour drive each way to town, so it's hard to avoid needing to nurse somewhere when I'm out. I either pumped and took a bottle or nursed in the car--and I let my older son watch a dvd while I was at it. Good luck! I'm dreading what a simple trip to town will be like with 3!
ReplyDeleteI can attest to the fact that when your children are 21 years to 31 years, it still takes forever to get them out of the house. Mostly because they now have little ones of their own to corral and shuffle out the door! ;o) Trust me on this one though -- it is all worth it! Truly.
ReplyDeleteYep! Things take double the time with kids. It's kind of funny that it is easier for me to get up and go to the gym by myself at 5am than to get all three kids up, get them dressed (SOCKS and SHOES), get them fed and get out the door by 8:30am, head to the gym where they all play "independently" (meaning they interrupt me every 5 min) so I can run on the treadmill, keeping an eye on them. Its just too hard. I would rather get up at 4:30 to go by myself.
ReplyDeleteOh I LOVE that you set the timer while cleaning. I do too!! My husband thinks I am NUTS and that I am the only human in the world that does this. Thanks for letting me know I'm not so weird!! :)
ReplyDelete~Crystal