Getting ready for work/daycare with 2 kiddos

watermellens · September 2013

I've been back to work for almost 2 weeks and I think we're getting into the groove. But man oh man, getting 2 kids out of the house in the morning is rough! Here's what our evening/morning looks like:
Evening: pack Brody's lunch for preschool, pack his backpack, pack Kieran's milk in a cooler, pack my lunch in a cooler, get my pump and parts together and put my school bag at the door.
Morning: I'm up at 515, shower, hair, make up, have breakfast.
615 - Wake Brody up and start his breakfast
630 - Wake Kieran up and nurse; turn on the TV for Brody. Change at least 1 diaper and get Kieran dressed
715 - Out the door to get to daycare by 740 so I can drop Kieran off and Brody can catch his bus (at daycare). Then I go to work. By the time I get there, I feel like I've already put in a full day lol
What do the other working mama's mornings look like?

EMOmamma · September 2013

Sounds about right. It still amazes me that by the time I get to work I've already been up for 3 hours.

It gets better once you don't have to pump & pack bottles.

H goes to work at 5am so it's just me in the mornings (although his schedule might be changing) but at this point we have such a system that when he is here to "help" I inevitably forget something b/c he throws off my routine. I also have my 2 dogs to take care of in the morning, J's chore now is helping me feed them and fill water dishes. He takes it very seriously.

--halo-- · September 2013

::bows down:: As hard as my days are at home sometimes, I don't think I could handle all of that every day! Good job!

keags5496 · September 2013

I leave before DS is up in the morning so it's all on DH and probably will be with newbie too. Sounds like you have it down though!

sdpookie13 · September 2013

I've been back to work for 2 weeks too and as crazy as it is, I feel that it's getting a TAD easier. I like to do as much before bed as possible...I even shower at night now which took some getting used to but saves me TONS of time in the morning. I'm also doing most of it on my own since my DH is a firefighter and isn't around much in the morning. The only challenge I have is who to wake up first. I've tried it both ways and there are challenges either way. I also enjoy TV for C while nursing K...it helps keep her occupied.

I can now appreciate how amazing us moms are. We're able to accomplish so much in such little time

We're like a well oiled machine!

Serendipity117 · September 2013

Good gracious, you save all that for the day of? It sounds like you have your routine down but man...

You need to start doing as much as you can the night before. It'll help immensely. If I didn't do the majority the night before I would never get out of the house in the mornings.

kat81again2 · September 2013

Serendipity117 said:

Good gracious, you save all that for the day of? It sounds like you have your routine down but man... You need to start doing as much as you can the night before. It'll help immensely. If I didn't do the majority the night before I would never get out of the house in the mornings.

Seems to me like the only thing she could move to the evening is showering. Everything else is already prepared in the evening except for "breakfast" and "make-up."

I'm so not looking forward to this aspect of going back to work, which luckily I don't have to do until January. At least for my first semester back, my first class isn't until 9:40, but given that's my schedule I'll probably never find a parking spot, either (they're gone by 7:40) and will need to bike from home after dropping off the kids. That will suck in the winter. What's worse is that LO#2 didn't get into DS's daycare, so we have to do two drop-offs. It was tight getting DS to daycare in time for my 8am class, so I don't know how I'll do it for two kids if/when they put me back on that schedule, which they might do in the fall.

Serendipity117 · September 2013

Reading fail on my part. Went back and saw she does that stuff at night. Didn't originally see she had it separated by evening and morning.

Sorry @watermellens.
Does you DC not provide breakfast? Just curious.

dee12807 · September 2013

I'm up at 5:10, shower, hair, makeup, get dressed. 6:00 I wake up H, he lets the dog put and gets in the shower. I put all the fridge stuff in the kids' bags (prepared the night before) and then they're up. I get them both changed/dressed (H helps if he gets done in time) and then we're out the door. We all leave at 6:30. The big thing that save me on the morning is that neither kid gets fed. Breakfast is at 7:00, 7 days a week. (I'm kind of a schedule freak

)I don't know what I would do if they needed to eat in the morning!

D is 9 months now, but when she was younger (and nursing) I would feed her before my shower. It sounds like you're doing great!

watermellens · September 2013

She would, but I have to put him on the bus, so I get there just before the bus does and then go to work. So he has to eat at home. Daycare can't put him on the bus b/c she has anywhere from 1-4 other kids in the morning and can't leave the house to bring Brody to the driveway. Stinks, but I get it.

msualum96 · September 2013

Wow, you ladies are rockstars! I've got nowhere close to the responsibilities you have in the morning...I wake up about 6:30, shower, then H is usually up. Changed/dressed/bottle for her, then I get myself the rest of the way ready while she plays. R up at 7:20 (kicking & screaming usually!), changed/dressed/teeth brushed and we're out the door by 7:35. I don't have to pack anything or feed either of them breakfast, so that helps!