Intro and SAHM questions

apinkpelican · July 2015

Hi ladies,

I’m 34 and due 1/16 with my second. My DD just turned 14 months. I’m excited and so nervous about 2 under 2! I really feel like I was just pregnant with my first baby. Time really flies even if it doesn’t feel like it when you’re pregnant! I was part of the May14 group and saw a lot of sh*t go down on TB which is one reason why I’ve been slow to introduce/interact. Also, I’m trying to break my addiction to my phone (that’s not going so well).

After much thought, DH and I decided that I’d become a stay at home mom. Currently I’m in upper management at the company I work for. DH and I didn’t even get married until we were 32/34 and 2 years later we still have yet to join our bank accounts. Basically what I’m saying is that I’ve been a pretty independent career- focused woman for a long time so this will be a big change for me. I’m so fortunate to have the opportunity to stay home with my babies but am nervous for this new role in my life.

I’d love to hear any feedback from other SAHMs. Any tips? How do you manage it? Do you adhere to a strict schedule? How do you keep your sanity with 2+ little ones at home? How do you keep your kids entertained, enriched, and socialized (I love what daycare has provided my DD). How do you keep connected to life outside of the home/family? Any blogs I have to follow? My fears are that I will be overwhelmed and exhausted and lazy (as lazy as you can be with 2 kids), won’t be able to keep up with housework, that I’ll resent my husband for being 15 minutes late from work and will feel like I have to ask him for permission for $5 for a Starbucks. I know that's a lot of questions but any advice would be appreciated! Sorry so long! TIA

ladyexlibris · July 2015

I am expecting my first on 1/19/16. I would love to be a stay at home mom, but we just can't afford it at this point. It will definitely happen if we have another child within the next few years, because of the cost of childcare, but right now, it's just not an option. I would love to find a job working about 20 hours a week, but I just haven't been able to find anything. That would be the perfect compromise.

SullyN · July 2015

Welcome!!

For money we have a joint account and I have a personal account. I basically get an allowance transferred from the joint account to my account every pay period. It helps me keep track and not go crazy going to Target & Dunkin all the time. I find having X amount every month is WAY easier than sharing an account and him seeing I spent X at Dunkin then X here and there. We agreed on the amount in the beginning

For a schedule I don't have one cleaning wise but I try to check the library and recreation department for our town and other nearby towns and add any activities to my calendar. Also, check and see if your area has a MOPS group, moms group, or local churches have moms groups too!

My sanity is keeping DS's nap/quiet time. I try to throw a load of laundry in first thing in the morning so that by nap time I can put on a show and fold everything. For staying connected to family & friends I try to get a girls night in once a month.

For housework how do you keep it up now with a LO and working? Granted there will now be messes made throughout the day but I would think having balanced that will help you! Also, I've found setting the kitchen timer for 30mins after DS goes to bed and I clean as much as possible. Sometimes I'll add another 10 but for the most part it helps.

With all that said: there are days where I don't clean, do laundry or anything because I am too lazy. I'm curious to see how all of this changes when #2 gets here though! At first I used to beat myself up over it but realized if I was to be back at work I would either never see my husband, and finding child care for his insane hours overlapped mine it wouldn't make sense. I also try to look at it as I'm helping my family by staying home because my husband has the ability to work late or go early if he needs to without us trying to find a way to make both our work schedules work.

kayyyy13 · July 2015

ladyexlibris your EDD is a day before me!

My SO and I are considering it. I will be a FTM and it will be a big change since I have been working and supporting my self since I was seventeen.

I am a massage practitioner and thinking of going back to get the additional 300 hours I need to become a therapist and then I can do massage part time.

nanamp · July 2015

From what I've read about happy family life. It is suggested that money gets divided up between spouses and joint stuff just as a standard. No permission needed to spend what you want with your money (unless say you decide to redecorate the living room - probably both of you need to be on board for that!).

The book "The Secrets of Happy Families" by Bruce Feiler has an excellent chapter on dealing with home finances. The author consults with the top people in their fields. When talking about teaching children about allowance, he consults with Warren Buffet's financial planner, for exaple.

apinkpelican · July 2015

ladyexlibris said:

I am expecting my first on 1/19/16. I would love to be a stay at home mom, but we just can't afford it at this point. It will definitely happen if we have another child within the next few years, because of the cost of childcare, but right now, it's just not an option. I would love to find a job working about 20 hours a week, but I just haven't been able to find anything. That would be the perfect compromise.

I'm thinking that after the second baby is a little older I may try to do some work on the side. I went down to part time at my job about a month ago but it isn't working with my level of management. If I do any work in the future it needs to be something I can do while I'm at work, and leave it at work. Or something that I can do on my own from home. Childcare is crazy expensive!! Having 2 in daycare would take up my whole part-time salary which doesn't make sense.

keshakdavis · July 2015

Welcome. I'm also due Jan 16th. I'm considering staying home as well since we are expecting 2 and daycare cost will eat up a huge chunk of my paycheck. I'm definitely doing a schedule since it worked well with my first. Hubby and I also have joint accounts. Did this about a year ago after being married 2 years.

apinkpelican · July 2015

@sullyn Thanks so much for taking the time to write that out. I really like the 'allowance' idea in my own account so I don't have to explain every purchase and so I know ahead of time what I can spend on 'me' and can plan accordingly.

For housework now we hire a cleaning lady about every 3 weeks. But half the time I'm so stressed about picking up all of our crap on the floor that I'm more stressed that they are coming! I need to keep up on the organization, downsizing the junk/clutter,and teaching us all how to put things back in their place when done with it. My husband and I are horrible at this. DD is at least at the age now that I can clean around her while she is playing but that will change for awhile with a new baby.

This will be a major convenience for my husband for sure. His job is really taking off and he is pulled in all sorts of directions. It will be good for his work (and ultimately us) if he doesn't have to worry about getting her ready for daycare and such.

Thank you again!

apinkpelican · July 2015

@kayyyy13 That sounds like the perfect part time job. Something you hopefully wouldn't stress out to much about when you weren't working.

stlmomof2 · July 2015

STM and SAHM here....

My DH and I have joint bank accounts. Its just easier that way and I am considered an authorized user instead of a person using his card all the time

he lets me handle all the $ since he's not very good. I usually have his card so I don't have to ask for Starbucks. But I don't do it often at all!!! It adds up! $5 a coffee and one income.

Adjusting to staying at home with the kids all the time was tough for me. I used to go out often and to change and be at home more often ... I must admit I still get cabin fever from it. So I go to a park with my DS and let him play on the slides and swing set. Helps with socialization. When I get tired of sitting there's a lot of moms taking their kids in a walk in a stroller which is nice to see. If you live near water, Try the beach or take them to a creek and play in the water. I live near family so DS plays at his cousins house which has a pool too. He likes to play with their toys too lol.

If you have extra $ membership to the zoo, go carts, a theme park, are all pluses for me and DS. I loved with daycare did for me too and you can also do the same things for your DD!

Finger painting, coloring, playdoh, looking for bugs outside lol matching games, singing and dancing. All stuff I do at home too.

SullyN · July 2015

@apinkpelican anytime!!! For cleaning we both definitely struggle with staying organized! I find that his mess annoys me more since only he knows when he plans on getting around it to. Compared to any mess I make I know I'll get around to it. Also, teaching DS to clean up after himself has been super helpful. I know on pinterest there's a list of "chores" kids can do by age that helped me realize just how much I can expect him to help with! Granted he's 4.5 now but we keep a safe cleaner in a spray bottle next to washcloth sized kitchen towels for him to clean up messes, and a small dust pan for him. That's been a huge help! It didn't kick in as much until he started preK though!

Also, schedule wise I find having access to DH's work calendar helpful. Then I'm not asking when he'll be home I can see if he has a late appointment. Oh and another thing for sanity joining a gym with childcare!

kayyyy13 · July 2015

stlmomof2 Everything you mentioned seriously got me so excited to have the LO here already!

apinkpelican I really hope that It works out, Its just trying to figure out when I can go back to school for the additional hours, as well as getting all the licensing stuff down.

I do have a question about insurance.. my SO is self employed and the baby will be getting added to my insurance plan, So I am wondering what experiences all the other SAHM have with insurance and costs and coverges etc..

WriterMama924 · July 2015

I never thought I'd stay at home, but I had a rough first pregnancy and had to stop working halfway through. When we did alright financially, we decided that I'd stay home because what I was making was negligible compared to childcare & other costs both of us working. It works for us, but then again, we've been married 10 years and had joint accounts from the beginning.

Luckily, I'm a writer and a graphic designer, so I'm able to make something of a supplemental income, though not that much. As far as a schedule, every day is different. I try to take my son on an activity almost every day to get his energy out, then I'll work when he's occupied with other things. We've never had any arguments or issues about finances, our main problem is arguing about when and how much DH helps out. I try to be understanding that he has to go to a job every day and doesn't want to have to work more when he comes home, but I also try to get him to understand that my job--and it is a job--goes from about 7am-8pm. There are no weekends, vacations, or holidays.

We've just learned to compromise. I get one weekend day per week where he does the morning shift and I get to sleep in. If he sleeps in on a weekend, I'll usually take a quick nap when he gets up. It works for us and there haven't been too many big conflicts about it. No matter how hard it gets, I'm always grateful that I have the SAHM opportunity, because I'd miss my little bug so much if I wasn't with him. Good luck!

LauraFi · July 2015

I am a FTM, and will be a SAHM for the first year, and am already a stay at home person. My husband got a 2 year work opportunity in Europe that we couldn't turn down so I put my career on hold for a bit, perfect time to have a baby. Other than that we are so far away from family. Prior to moving overseas we were both working professionals and for banking we had individual accounts as well as a joint account for household bills etc that we would each put money in. Now we still have those bank accounts set up at home but just have a joint account for here in Europe. I don't have an allowance or anything like that, I can spend what money I want and if I want to buy something expensive (we set an arbitrary value of over $200) then we would talk about it first. I now do all the grocery shopping, cooking, housework, dog stuff, and travel planning in addition to hobbies. We are both quite frugal though so we haven't had any issues with spending too much money. I was worried about how I would feel being dependent on my husband but it has been easier to get used to than I imagined, though I'm still looking forward to getting back to my career when we move home at the end of next year.

apinkpelican · July 2015

@stlmomof2 can I come play at your house? It sounds like I need to stock my 'classroom'! Thank you! We are close to the zoo so maybe that will become a weekly/bi-weekly outing for us and I can get some walking in!

@sullyN I'll definitely be looking for a gym with daycare now!

@kristenhdavis maintaining a healthy relationship with DH will be part of the job too! So far he seems to understand that staying at home is a job (a hard job) so I'm hopeful we'll be OK. I think maybe since I'll be home more with the kids, that I won't mind leaving them every other Friday night for a date night or something. When we were both working full time neither of us wanted to really leave them with a sitter because we didn't have much time with them as it was. Maybe this will help us spend more time together somehow.

TVL25 · July 2015

I became a SAHM after my third was born. My 2nd and 3d are only a year and 2 weeks apart, so it just didn't make sense for me to go back to my PT banking job. Though I paid the mortgage with what I brought home, we were fine if I stayed home, but had to make some lifestyle changes. There was no more weekly shopping trips to target for whatever I saw that I wanted, no more "sure the kids can get x,y or z because they've been so good lately or because our oldest did well in school." I think that alone was worth staying home! Our view on life has changed and we've learned to *really* enjoy our experiences/family so much more. One of the biggest things that helps me daily, is getting ready for the day. No matter what, I'm up, showered and ready to go (even if I don't have to be)...it makes me feel ike I have more "purpose" than just taking care of my babies

( which believe me, I'm not down playing that!) We do have a schedule and I do have a cleaning schedule a well. I am not adamant that from 10-11 were doing crafts or anything, but for the most part, we wake, have breakfast, get dressed, play something quiet, have a snack, go outside (now that it's summer) come in for lunch, take a rest, do some kind of activity or craft or go outside, come in, have snack,

mamaksweez · July 2015

I’d love to
hear any feedback from other SAHMs.   Any
tips?   How do you manage it?   Do you adhere to a strict schedule? How do you keep your sanity with 2+ little
ones at home? How do you keep your kids
entertained, enriched, and socialized (I love what daycare has provided my DD). How do you keep connected to life outside of
the home/family?   Any blogs I have to
follow? My fears are that I will be
overwhelmed and exhausted and lazy (as lazy as you can be with 2 kids), won’t be able to keep up with housework, that I’ll
resent my husband for being 15 minutes late from work and will feel like I have
to ask him for permission for $5 for a Starbucks. I know that's a lot of questions but any advice would be
appreciated! Sorry so long! TIA

We have similar families! I am a SAHM my dd will be 14mo on the 30th and I'm due 1/9. First things first... All your fears will happen for the first 3-6+ months. It gets so much easier, and you really get into a routine.

Here's what our "schedule" looks like:
6ish: wake up
Play, eat breakfast, play
8:30or9: nap
10:30or11 until 1:30-2: get out and do something LEAVE THE HOUSE!! (We eat lunch during this time slot too)
1:30or2 until 3:30or4: nap
4-5: play
5: eat dinner
6: bath time
6:30 get ready for bed
7 bedtime

For me getting out of the house EVERY DAY is so so important for my sanity. We do things like story time at the library, mama/baby yoga classes, baby massage class, classes through community Ed, swimming lessons, etc. On days we don't have a class we go to the park or the play place in the mall or we go grocery shopping (which I admit I haven't figured out how I'll do with 2.) We have made some good friends through story time, and such so we call them to go to the park, etc with us so mama gets some much needed grown up time.

How things work with DH: we always had separate bank accounts until I became a SAHM then we got a joint account. At first I totally felt like I couldn't get a coffee or spend $5, but now it's just how it is. It's normal to use the money, because I'm always buying things for our family, our things we need. (Sometimes I NEED a coffee.)
Also on the wknds I get one day to "sleep in." DH sleeps in Sat and I sleep in Sunday. Normally only until like 8, but it's nice to have one day I don't have to be up at 6. And we each get one night off a week. Normally we split night time responsibilities(dinner,bath,bed) but we each get one night a week to go out with a friend or something.

You can do it! Just be aware when you are playing that you are teaching, so read and do all of the things your dd gets at daycare. It's going to be rough at first, but then it's So so awesome!!!

TVL25 · July 2015

(computer froze!) play quietly, and wait for dad to get home/dinner to be ready. Then we pick up dinner, go for a walk together, come home for baths (not every night but most every other), talk about our day, read and go to bed...then repeat! My days get a little monotonous but my husband works in retail so on his days off, I usually get a little time to myself while he plays with the boys. I also watch a teachers little girl so come fall, she will be back with us as well.

TVL25 · July 2015

(froze again- this is why I rarely get on an actual computer!!) anyways... I was going to say that lastly, my cleaning schedule is to deep clean a different room everyday. I do laundry as well on Wednesdays and Saturdays, grocery shop on Thursdays (works for us) I pick up daily and vacuum nightly as my sweet monsters usually have some sort of crumb all over

all in all, its totally worth it IMO and if you start feeling like you're losing yourself or you need to get out, find something to do PT that you enjoy for YOU or make a certain night for just you and SO or you and your girlfriends. Ido all of our finances so I never feel like I have to ask for money and I refuse to ever feel that way! My husband just opened his own checking and is direct depositing money into it every week for buying lunches, gas for his car, etc. That is a bit less stressful having to keep track of where he's spent what. I am paid in cash and I keep it in the house and use it as a savings or as "fun" money. staying home is not as easy as so many think, but worth the try. If it doesn't work out, change is always possible

steph_pegasus · July 2015

Welcome @apinkpelican!
I've seen you post a few times so I know you're not a total stranger but I totally get waiting for the board to settle down a little before making your intro.

I think everyone manages staying at home differently, and I saw some great ideas scrolling through earlier.
We don't keep a strict schedule with regards to daily activities, but in general meals, snacks, naps, and wake up and bedtime are fairly regular. I like to leave activities open-ended, so I let DD decide what she wants to do - read books, play, explore the backyard etc. Every day is different. For example - right now she's in a really active, physical development stage so she's playing a lot more than reading books. We always have her clean up her toys and books before bed - especially important because they are all in the family/living room and I can't stand cluttered up shared spaces.
This LO is #2 for me so I'll be finding out with some others of you about the keeping my sanity

I don't consider my job as a mother to be the entertainer - yes I do play with her but other times I encourage her to entertain herself depending on the activity in question. She has a variety of toys, puzzles, books, crayons, stuffed animals, and we sometimes let her play with things you wouldn't necessarily consider toys but teach her things nonetheless - a camping mat has been in our living room for the last 2 months because she has been playing with it every day. We also take walks nearly every week day, walk to the library every other week or so - and there are usually several other families in the children's room.
We've taken her hiking and camping, to lakes for wading/playing in the sand, we just got a canoe. In the winter we go snowshoeing or just outside to play in the snow... Local playgroups and playgrounds are a good idea if your DD is very used to playing with other kiddos.
We moved across the country from all of our family last summer so staying connected for us is mainly through skype, email, and phone calls.

Advice - set expectations regarding finances, meal prep, housework/chore responsibilities, and your personal time with your H before you have this LO. If you both know what you want to get out of the experience, it will (hopefully) be much less stressful as you all adjust to it.

apinkpelican · July 2015

@tvl25 and @mamaksweez This is great advice and so much food for thought! Thank you for taking the time to respond. I hope I can whip my household into shape like you guys! A very good point about getting up in the morning, showering, and getting dressed. I am not a morning person so this will be a challenge for me. I can be lazy and can totally see going days without showering if I don't get started on the right foot with schedules and routines.

@laurafi I didn't even think of my husband's spending. He'll have to become a bit more frugal than he is. He is the spender in the relationship anways

mollyj931 · July 2015

Congrats!
I'm a SAHM to a 5 and 2 year old and obviously soon to be #3. Here is my best advice:
-join a gym with childcare if you can swing it. Getting to the gym is a great way to get out of the house, get some alone time (including a shower), and give the kids a chance to socialize with others. Our gym also has a pool so it's great family time too. Best money we spend each month!
-have a semi-schedule or a reason to get out each morning. My oldest goes to preschool so we have to get going in the morning but we go to music classes, library, etc. If we didn't have someplace to go (even if it's just grocery shopping) it's easy to feel the day drag on.
-find a mommy group! My mom friends are my saviors!!
We get together at the park, go for walks or just have play dates. We also play volleyball weekly just for a night out!

Money wise, we have always shared accounts and as a teacher my husband has always made way more than me. But ways i have found to save money staying home are:

-meal planning, having more time to plan, prep, shop and cook has saved us so much money. I can plan our meals for the week and do one grocery trip (or have groceries delivered) which saves money.

-buying memberships for outings/kids stuff. We found that our annual zoo membership was the cost of going twice. We go frequently just for short outings. We actually have family members buy it for birthday presents instead of toys.

There are days that get really hard but most days I love being at home. My favorite quote is "the days are long but the years are short". I don't think I'll regret this time!

mamaksweez · July 2015

apinkpelican said:
@tvl25 and @mamaksweez This is great advice and so much food for thought! Thank you for taking the time to respond. I hope I can whip my household into shape like you guys! A very good point about getting up in the morning, showering, and getting dressed. I am not a morning person so this will be a challenge for me. I can be lazy and can totally see going days without showering if I don't get started on the right foot with schedules and routines.

@laurafi I didn't even think of my husband's spending. He'll have to become a bit more frugal than he is. He is the spender in the relationship anways

I shower during dd's morning nap, which actually works really well. When baby comes I'm sure I'll have to shower at night when DH is home at first, but when dd was little I put her in the vibrate-y chair in the bathroom while I showered and it worked great.

apinkpelican · July 2015

@mollyj931 awesome advice. I think the meal planning will be tough for me. I'm going to try to start doing this before my last day of work. Maybe Sundays will be when I can sit down and plan out the week's meals. Grocery delivery? Where do I sign up!? I'll have to look into that.

mollyj931 · July 2015

apinkpelican said:
@mollyj931 awesome advice. I think the meal planning will be tough for me. I'm going to try to start doing this before my last day of work. Maybe Sundays will be when I can sit down and plan out the week's meals. Grocery delivery? Where do I sign up!? I'll have to look into that.

I usually spend Sundays looking through my Pinterest boards and just jotting down dinner ideas for each day. I usually have at least one day of leftovers and obviously things may change day to day. I use my crockpot a lot and have found a lot of make ahead meals too.
Our grocery store offers free delivery with over $50 spent. I easily spend that weekly and actually save money not going to the store!

Jenbug116 · July 2015

There are some awesome ideas on here already!
I'm a sahm to our 3 girls and the twins when they arrive

. I was a teacher before our first was born and then finished out the school year with her in daycare before I quit teaching.
We follow a loose schedule now, typically we get out of the house in the morning and are always home for rest/nap time in the afternoons. Nap time for my toddler is a non-negotiable and it's the time when I get things done or nap myself (being pregnant with twins is wiping me out!!). Then usually after nap time it's playing outside, dinner, more playing outside and bedtime routine.

I agree about the gym with a childcare. I'm so thankful for our awesome gym, and my kids LOVE the childcare, so that's a plus. We also have a zoo membership, play dates with other mom friends, park time when the weather is nice. During the year we do MOPS (although this year with 2 kids in school we won't be doing that) along with other moms groups.

Dh and I have been married for 11 years and have always had joint accounts. I'm the one that manages the budget, so the money thing wasn't an big issue with us when I quit work to stay home. We've just done what works best for us.

I try to stick to a schedule throughout the week with household chores. Each day gets assigned something and typically I do at least 1 load of laundry a day (but again we have a family of 5 and the laundry is never ending). I spend Sunday planning out our meals and then either Sunday or Monday going to the grocery store.

With each child we've had our schedule changes and obviously has to be more flexible. I love staying home and someday when the kids are all in school I will go back to work. It's a tough job some days, but you'll discover what works best for you and your family and find your groove

Blueyedsky · July 2015

Overwhelmed and exhausted sounds about right

jk. This is my first, but I ran a daycare out of my house for two little ones before so I have a little experience. A schedule definitely helps! So does planning lots of little excursions outside of the home. If you get into a good routine where you can keep most everything clean and organized, then it will be super fun too.

vvitchhazel · July 2015

My cousin has been a SAHM for the past two and a half years and is due with her second child in October. There's this program called Mom's Day Out where twice a week for X hours, you drop your kid off so they can socialize and you can have a bit of a break, and it's around $24 a day. I know it has definitely helped her keep her sanity. Those few hours of freedom a week mean a ton! Worry free grocery shopping, naps without any interruptions, and cleaning without a LO making a mess behind you. Maybe they have something like that around you?

Monilee1017 · July 2015

Everyones experience is different so I'll just tell you what I do. Nap time at my house is pretty strict if we are home, but I am flexible if we have a play date or something. I deep clean one area of the house everyday while surface cleaning everything else. I put my boys in town rec center classes, that way I can talk to other adults, also my family lives near by and my sister is a SAHM and my brother is a teacher so we get together a lot. Really I don't want to get flamed here but I told my husband it's not that hard. If the house isn't clean it's because I didn't want to clean it. I don't follow any blogs so no tips there. Now for money my husband and I did and still have separate bank accounts and one joint. So every week DH puts an agreed upon amount in my account. It has kept us both happy and me not feeling like a child going to daddy.

Monilee1017 · July 2015

@mollyj931 yes to joining a gym and yes to memberships!

daninikicoli · July 2015

SAHM to a very busy 2.5 year old and soon this little one. All the PP had great tips and mine would be similar.

The gym is a must for me and my son loves their daycare.

My son only naps once a day now, for about 3/3.5 hours. Before, I kept him on a pretty strict nap schedule.

I keep the house tidy by just constantly picking up after my son and hubby. I also have my house keeper come every other Friday, it's amazing not feeling like a maid for one day. I also do laundry during nap time.

Lots of park days, indoor playgrounds, play dates, kid museums, water parks, etc. Our city offers great classes at our rec centers.

We have all joint accounts. I handle all the money. I'm good with money and my hubby would rather not deal with it.

I have a family friend who has an in-home daycare. When I'm going insane and need a break, I drop him off there. Jack gets to play with his friends all day and I go do whatever my heart desires.

Good luck! You'll figure out what works for you as you go.

mamaksweez · July 2015

Ok, I have a few more things to add...
1. We are really strict on sleep schedule. We plan outings around naps and are always home so dd can nap in her crib! It makes her a really great sleeper.
2. I've never been good at or motivated to do housework. Each night I normally clean up dishes from meals and toys and do a general pick up, but most of the actual cleaning happens on the weekends and DH does most of it.
3. We don't do bath every night, either, but we always plan time for it because dd really likes to feed herself and sometimes she is COVERED in dinner and needs a bath even if we had one last night.
I think that's all I forgot...

apinkpelican · July 2015

I shower during dd's morning nap, which actually works really well. When baby comes I'm sure I'll have to shower at night when DH is home at first, but when dd was little I put her in the vibrate-y chair in the bathroom while I showered and it worked great.

I miss those days when DD would chill in her rock n play while I showered. Not so much these days as she is all over the place. Have you let DD take a shower yet? We had to on vacation be our room only has a shower. It was hilarious and DD loved it! Of course I was too nervous about slipping so we don't do it regularly at home but maybe sometime I'll take her into the shower with me if I'm desperate

apinkpelican · July 2015

@daninikicoli a 3+ hour nap sounds amazing. We are good for a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. Thanks for all the advice!

You guys are all so great to share! I will be referring to this post many times I'm sure. It makes me excited to take on this challenge!!!

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