Life Wright Now | Winter 2021

Silly toddler sayings and rowdy toddler tantrums; sweet baby giggles and fussy baby cries; visits with friends and long tiresome days; successful nap alignment and wacky sleep sessions gone sideways. These joys and frustrations have marked the past few months and shown me that life with three children is unpredictably predictable :). Finding a rhythm to each day and structure for the week has been helpful to break up the monotony, ward off mopiness, and balance to-dos with ta-das. 

Our days are made up of four chunks, centered around NLW's nap. Here are the things we tend to do in each block: 

• 6:00-12:00 PRE-NAP: wake up, prep for the day, nanny help, playtime, chores, meals, books, outings, cooking, errands, park-dates
• 12:00-3:00 NAPTIME: baby hangout, rest and read, Mr. Fleece lunch break
• 3:00-7:00 POST-NAP: stories and songs, video calls, neighborhood walks, porch-time hangouts, dinner, bath and bottles, bedtime
• 7:00-10:00 EVENING: kids in cribs, relax, Pilates, Ebony walks, reading, Netflixing, projects

Similar to how I plan vacations, I've found myself giving each day a header that helps define that day. Establishing an outline gives me some direction, rather than feeling like I have a huge blank slate to work from. While none of these are luxurious as lying on the beach or hiking a new trail, they still provide something to look forward to:

• MONDAY - GARBAGE TRUCK DAY: we "re-set" the house, tackle weekly chores, and go garbage truck-hunting in the neighborhood :) 
• TUESDAY - FLEX DAY: often my NLW in the kitchen day, we make something simple and fun like granola, muffins, or smoothies. 
• WEDNESDAY - SAFEWAY DAY: we love Safeway's free drive up and go grocery pick-up program! 
• THURSDAY - MEAL PREP DAY: chop veggies and cook up meals for the weekend. 
• FRIDAY - ERRANDS AND LIBRARY DAY: Trader Joe's, post office, etc. I also pick up library book holds so we have fun new reads for the weekend. 

I love our simple days with the margin and wiggle room to connect with friends or make last minutes plans. We fill in with park visits, appointments, playroom hangouts, short walks, outdoors playdates, and lots and lots of books on the couch. 

Note: This approach is only and entirely made possible because we have hired help! Our nanny has made all the difference and been such a great fit for our family. I think of her as a baby-guru, preschool teacher, sous chef, wrapped up in one lovely woman. I come downstairs to folded laundry, clean dishes, and Norman doing arts and crafts - truly amazing! She gives working-from-home Mr. Fleece the focus he needs, NLW the attention and consistency he needs, EDW and CCW the care they need, and me the break and rest I need. We are immensely grateful to have the means to afford outside help and appreciate all the support she brings! Here are some snapshots that capture this winter season:

Snow days, low days, slow days, grow days, 

- SJW