I have gotten quite a few emails & comments requesting an updated daily schedule now that Eloise is a little older. I also love reading other people’s daily routine so I thought this would be a good time to put another one of these together. For a while, Harper was in nursery school at our church, but a few weeks into the school year I decided to pull her out because of how sick she kept getting. I know it is good for toddlers to build their immune systems, and Harper did just fine with it, but it wasn’t fair to Eloise. As a four month old, she caught everything Harper brought home & was miserable being sick. It was a really hard decision because Harper loved school, but I felt like at the end of the day, it wasn’t worth it for a mere three hours two/three days a week to have a small baby always being sick. We will definitely try it again in the coming school year.

We are honestly a mess lately. No real structure, just sorta doing whatever & trying to squeeze in some work/blogging whenever the girls naps overlap. I gave up on being so busy after the girls go to bed because, frankly, I’m exhausted. And it’s the only time I get to hang out with Brandon too, so we try not to spend it on our laptops. 

The girls wake up around 6:30/7, Eloise is finally sleeping through the night (most nights), so I try to wake up at least 30 minutes before them so I can take a quick shower & make coffee. Brandon is usually already gone, so when the girls are awake, I bring them both downstairs, Harper has milk & her little cup of cheerios while watching some cartoons & I feed Eloise her bottle. Everyone stays in pajamas (or in Harper’s case, pajamas + a tutu), we sometimes just play inside, Eloise in her jumper & Harper painting/coloring. If the weather is nice, we go on a wagon ride or walk with the double stroller, this is most days lately & I love this part of the day.

Eloise goes down for her morning nap around 9:30, Harper & I will make a late breakfast or snack, her current favorite is apples with peanut butter.  Then we usually go upstairs to get ready, I do my makeup while Harper plays dress up with my shoes/dresses/jewlery. I usually braid her hair (or at least attempt to), get her dressed & sometimes we paint her nails. Eloise doesn’t usually sleep long, so when she gets up, we typically head out of the house for a bit. Some days she just naps on the go so we have more time, she is pretty chill if even she skips her morning nap as long as she isn’t stuck in her carseat. We either go to the park, the bookstore (ours always has story hour at this time or Harper plays legos, animals, trains, etc.), we meet friends for play dates or just run errands if we have to. We are home by 12:30 usually, Harper is obsessed with feeding Eloise when she is in her high chair, which usually results in pears thrown onto the windows or carrots up one of their noses. It’s so. insanely. messy. but it gives me 15 minutes of silence to do dishes or make our lunches, so whatever. The girls go down for naps by 1:30. On a good day, they both sleep simultaneously until 3:30/4. Other days, one of them (or both) wake up after only an hour. So my free time is pretty unpredictable.

After naps, Eloise hangs out playing with toys while Harper & I work on activities like reading or alphabet & number puzzles. Harper loves to play in her room now, so the girls will play together in her teepee or with all of her dress up stuff in her closet & I usually do some laundry and put things away from the morning. So exciting, right? 

I feed Eloise again by five, Harper usually gets a little impatient during this & wants me to build a fort or braid her hair just as sissy is screaming to get food in her mouth faster. After she is finished eating, the three of us hang in the kitchen while Harper helps me cook dinner. She loves helping so any activities I can find for her to do are sure to keep her entertained & happy for a while. Eloise will play in her jumper or scoot around on the floor playing with spoons & bowls.

By the time dad walks through the door at six, we are all starving & ready for a change of scenery. We eat dinner, then usually either go on a family walk or Brandon takes the girls upstairs to the playroom while I clean up. Bath time is still the hardest part of the day, since Eloise can’t quite sit on her own in the tub & Harper turns into a wild woman the minute we turn the bath water on. So we tag team baths, one of us feeds Eloise while the other winds down with Harper for a bit in our bed. We usually watch 20-30 minutes of a Disney movie before heading to her room for books & bed. Brandon’s work schedule has been insane lately, and for the last five weeks, usually 2-4 nights of the week he doesn’t get home until after the girls are in bed. Bath/bedtime by myself is no fun, especially when I am feeding Eloise in her room & Harper comes barreling in with some sort of loud music playing on our old ipod just so she can come kiss sissy goodnight for the eighty fifth time. But then everyone sleeps, and I miss them. Because that’s what moms do. 🙂

It’s crazy, and chaotic, but I love (almost) every minute of it. So tell me, what are your tips & tricks for crazy long days at home with your little monsters? 🙂