what does your day look like with your 2yo?

[olien]

DS is 22mo & active. I was pg & lost mothering momentum toward the end. Now that DD is 7wks old I need to get back in the swing of things.

I need to do more hands on active things with my little guy. I hate to admit it, but we started to watch some TV during the pg/newborn period & I want that to end.

So, what do you do all day. Tell me what your days look like - give me the details. I need inspiration!!

[mommariffic]

I am HUGELY pregnant and in a lot of pain now, so my days are 100% lame currently. I have had a fantastical babysitter to help get DD to the park, and other stuff so maybe I shouldn't even comment at the moment, but whatever!

Here's our normal routine/rhythm:

Mornings are lazy - if I don't have plans to get out of the house early, we tend to lounge around over breakfast, read books, do some crafts, work on house stuff and go outside if it's not too hot out. I get a lot of inspiration from Waldorf inspired blogs or craft kids websites like The Crafty Crow.

IF we have plans in the morning, we basically haul a lot of butt to get to them on time, and we are almost always 10 minutes late. Lazy girls here!

Normally I try to get out in the afternoon. We may go to the park, run errands, go to the bookstore to drink smoothies and "read" go hiking etc. DD doesn't nap so this kills a few hours -- being right outside NYC means there's always something fun to do, but sometimes we just play in the sprinkler in the backyard.

Evenings are relaxed. Now that it's light out DD can play outside in her water table, we BBQ etc. I allow some TV before bed too because I'm dead tired and need a break.

Again, I suck right now so I'm with you. You JUST had a baby so don't feel guilty about "slacking off" a little

[crunchy_mommy]

DS is younger (16 mos) & the only child ATM so not sure how helpful this will be but here's a typical day:

10am wake up (yes he wakes up pretty late), breakfast, I shower, etc.
10:30-12:30 outing (usually playground or library or meetup group)
12:30-2 lunch, stories, free play
2-4 (if I'm lucky) naptime while I work
4-5:30 play outside or go to the library or home activities (music, coloring, etc.)
Then DH comes home & he and DS play, we have dinner, DS plays outside or we go out somewhere, etc.
8:30-10:30 plays in the room while we watch TV/read/computer and we read him stories

[jumpmama]

DS will be 3 soon but, this past year has been pretty well like the OP. We also, have been watching too much tv. with the baby keeping us busy and the blistering cold winter that just finally ended...

anyways,

wake up between 7-8. change diapers. eat breakfast
go upstairs, get dressed and ready for the day
usually head outside and play for an hour
10:30ish come in for snack
have free play until lunch
baby naps at around 11 if I am lucky, DS and I have quiet time
DS naps at 1
we tend to do our shopping in the afternoon. if no shopping then coloring and music time.
since baby usually sleeps again at 3
cook supper, some times DH is home. usually not since he works away a lot.
bath then bed by 7:30

honestly, our days are soooo long and I would love some fresh ideas to keep this kids entertained!!!

[Pippi L.]

My daughter is 2.5 and I'm nearing the end of my second trimester. Our schedule has been similar for most of the school year (I'm a teacher and I work 2-3 days a week). We eat breakfast, usually I try to get some little household task done (or I drink tea and check the internet...) and then we head out. Usually to the park for a while and often we stop in at the library close by for story time or Family Place, a drop-in program for kids and parents that has playdough, toys, etc, and a circle time at the end. Or we run a few errands if I can't avoid it any longer. We head home between 11 and 12 to eat lunch and take a nap. After nap time I either get dinner ready, we read books, go upstairs to play with the little boy who lives right above us (or he comes down) or, if miraculously it's nice out or I have the energy to get raingear on us again, we go out and play on the sidewalk or at the little park up the road. When my husband comes home we have dinner, bath, and bedtime.

I LOVE our routine! I can't wait until the school year is over and I have the whole week and don't have to cram everything into 2 days. Of course, we'll see how it goes once I'm hugely pregnant and then afterwards with a newborn.

[WhiteHorse]

Now that summer is here, we don't have to get up so early. So here is our normal routine with approx times:

8:30-9 wake up, potty, feed fish, help mommy make coffee
9:30-10 breakfast, watch train videos to help distract him into eating
10-10:30-get ready to leave if we have errands or park/zoo/museum/library
12:00-lunch
1:00-wind down for nap, usually books then nursing
1:30-4:30-nap
4:30-snack, then water plants outside, play in yard or on the deck
6:00-watches Wonderpets, his only tv addiction while I start dinner
6:30-Daddy usually home and takes over with play in the playroom
7:30-Dinner
8:30-Plays with whatever he didn't get to earlier (puzzles, playdoh, the train set, etc)
9:30-10-Bath and/or book time
10:30-Lights out he goes to sleep

I know it seems he stays up late and takes a long nap, but that is how he is wired at the current stage. He usually sleeps through the night but he won't fall asleep until 10 pm and it's fully dark outside.

For activities, I have his stuff organized so that he is not rifling through everything whenever he wants or making a chaotic mess everywhere. We get out select things and put them away properly when he is done. I also try to keep the activity in it's proper area when he's doing it. (Like he does his play-doh in the kitchen only, etc.) I find it's easier to manage the mess, AND it helps him get what he needs to get out of the activity and then put it away when he's done.

[OkiMom]

I have two, a 18 month old and a 3 year old. Im also currently pregnant with our 3rd, around 5 weeks (or 6, Im not sure when my LMP was). We are extremely early risers here, heres our schedule
4ish- I wake up, work out or spend time with DH
530ish- DD1 wakes and gets some daddy cuddles before he gets ready for work. I go and make breakfest for everyone.
6- DD2 wakes and we all sit down for breakfest.
630- DH leaves for work, the girls and I clean up and then read a book or two
7- I do a few worksheets with DD1 (she LOVES the Kumon workbooks) while DD2 colors (or destroys paper)
730- the girls play in their room or help me clean up whatever i clean for the day
830- first time outside if its sunny, if not then we play together inside
9- come in, feed fish, water plants, wash hands
930- I jump on the computer while DD1 and 2 play in the office area.
10- DD2 lays down for a nap and I do some one on one activities with DD1 (whatever she wants to do)
11- DD2 is up from her nap so we fix lunch together and eat. While they eat I usually will read scriptures to them
1130- clean up, do some art work or another project at the table.
1200- play/read to them
1230- I read whatever book Im reading while they play (I stay in their playroom so they have access to me when they want/need me)
1- second trip outside, usually to the park or for a walk.
2- come back in, clean up, general house clean up
230- depends on the day, sometimes they play and I work on a project, other times we read together or paint or cook or....
330-4 (depending on the day) I start pulling things out for dinner. If we are going to do a dessert we make the dessert
430- start dinner
5-530 (depending on when DH gets home) we eat dinner, I clean up while DH gives baths, gets them ready for bed and spend some time with them
630ish- we take a walk, usually the girls are asleep before we make it home (I LOVE our double jogging stroller!!)

This is our schedule but usually we don't stick to it. I tend to be really flexible since I know sometimes the baby wants to nap early, sometimes my 3 year old is having a clingy day and needs mommy in the morning and other times (a lot of times right now) Im just to worn out to do much but read to the girls and play with them.