Technically I am still a full-time employed woman. This week is our vacation week and I am doing some stuff from home even on holiday. Boo to that, but it's not so bad since Pete has been working 18 hour shifts at the hospital.
Starting next week I will officially be a part-time worker, full-time mommy. I'm excited for this change, although I'm quickly learning that I have quite a bit of adjusting to do. I'm trying to give myself a lot of grace this week as it's my vacation week and I knew I would need some time to adjust to my new lifestyle anyway.
I have to say, I'm not sure why, but I'm a bit offended by the term stay-at-home mom right now. I don't think there is anything wrong with SAHM's at all! I think I still have a lot of my identity wrapped up in being a worker, and since I will still be a part-time employee of SOMO, I feel some strange need for people to recognize that. Dumb, really.
So the question I have right now is, what do I do with my girl all day? She still takes 2 naps a day, so we have a chunk of time in the morning, nap, chunk of time, nap, then the usual getting dinner ready and playing before Pete comes home. I just joined a gym and we go after her first or second nap, but there is a lot of time in there and I want to be sure I'm doing the most I can for her. I just don't really know what all a 13 month old needs. I have a degree in business, not babies. Ideas please!
Hey I found this site about finding fun and educational play for your kiddos and immediately thought of you and this post. It seems they have a lot of inventive ideas. I specifically enjoyed the busy boxes post but it seems there's a lot here http://playathomemom3.blogspot.com/.
ReplyDeleteI try to do one activity a day with Nora that equates to the specials that we had in school.....30 min of gross motor something (PE), 30 minutes of singing, dancing, playing instruments (music), 30 minutes of coloring or doing play dough (art), etc. Addie might still be a little young for some of that...not sure. I already don't remember. Also, the pretoddler Babywise has ideas in there, I think. Or maybe it's in the toddler one. Independent play time, time to play with mom, etc. We also usually have one outing a day that takes some time (shopping, library, park, etc). You will figure out what will work for you.
ReplyDeleteAsh you are going to do great with Addie! It's really fun! I have found that Natalie and I both need a loose routine (i.e. wake up, eat breakfast, play a little, get ready, go do something, eat lunch, nap time, play some more, dad comes home, eat dinner, etc etc...) BUT I also love the flexibility to mix things up. I try to give her a variety of stimulation - outdoor activities (park, pool, walk in the neighborhood, dog park, nature center), indoor special play (Chuck E Cheese, museums, library, train set at Barnes and Noble), educational activities (on the computer or on the TV or flash cards or whatever), creative play (color, stickers...), pretend play (make a fort, have a tea party), dancing etc. I keep a list on my fridge with indoor and outdoor activity ideas so that if I wake up and i'm like "oh man, what will we do today?!" I can get an idea.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I need to work on Natalie with and I DON'T KNOW HOW is that I don't think she is very good at playing independently. Well, I take that back. She does well playing with things on her own, but she needs me near her or in the room at all times, which makes days when she naps for only a short period real difficult. She's always into trouble seeking my attention if I try to cook dinner or do something that is not paying 100% attention to her.. hmm.. ideas? Okay now I'm off on a tangent. Feel free to call at anytime. Maybe we can bounce ideas off each other! I'm always interested in what other people are doing because i'm not so sure I'm doing it right!
Of course grocery shopping and errands will always need to be done. to save money I go to 2-3 grocery stores a week. I'm sure that's not N's favorite past time, but on those days I try to do something fun with her too like stop at the playground before or after.
ReplyDeleteIn January Natalie and I are going to begin volunteering at a nursing home one morning per week. I'll let you know how that goes - could be something fun to do.