Life Revolves Around Time!

Hi M., it DOES get better, but it's gonna be awhile, sorry.
After the baby/preschool phase comes Mom's taxi phase which is actually WORSE if you don't like living by the clock. If you have ANOTHER one you could be looking at simultaneous baby/preschool Mom's Taxi phases!

Good new is, they DO grow up, and sista is it FAST! For 'Mommy Time', a moment is longer when you're in it than a YEAR is when it's over! :)

You are brave to take baby out for errands at the end of a long day....and you still have dinner, bath and bed to go! :)

When I had my second I refused to go anywhere after nap time! So my day completely revolves around naps, meals, and bath/bed time. If we eat at my parents for dinner, I give them a bath there and we leave at their normal bedtime so they can fall asleep in the car and we put them straight to bed...There are many social situations I avoid and decline b/c it would be past the kids bedtime, even events for the kids...the local library had a touch-a-truck event at 6:30 pm so I fed them early, bathed them, put them in their pjs and then took them, just so they could still have a 7:30 bedtime...

So yeah, right now, your life is scheduled and routined for both you and your child's sake...which leaves very little time for anything else. I grocery shop at night after bed or the occasional afternoon that hubby is home early, I have discovered the joys of internet shopping this year (walmart.com loves me, ), I also started "stocking up" on things like toiletries,tp, staple food items so I have fewer trips out and am less likely to accidently run out.

But some days, like when you need to buy an outfit for a picture, you just have to go and do and maybe call hubby to met for dinner out, and let baby fall asleep w/o a bath and pjs that night!

Lists, lists, lists. That is how I get it all done without having to do it all at one time. Hubby is active Army and never around so I am doing it all on my own. I have a concrete schedule that I stick to no matter what else happens or I can’t get it all done. Figure out what works for you. I do my grocery shopping late Friday night at a 24 hour grocery. That way the store is pretty empty and I can get it done quickly. If I don’t have someone to watch the kids I will do it very early Sat. am and bring them with me. If I didn’t get it at the store then I don’t get it until the next trip. Laundry is done Monday if you didn’t get it in the wash by then you wait until next Monday. I write down where I need to go and what I need to get and design plans for the fastest way to get those things done. I also cook on Sunday so that I have meals ready to eat or at least the main part ready during the week which cuts down on meal prep time. We are very busy and it’s the only way to get things done. I also share jobs with the kids, hubby if he is around and family that is willing to help. Don’t be proud; ask for help if you need it. Most of all though I know no matter how well I try to plan things aren’t always going to go my way and sometimes I’m just going to have to be flexible. Good luck!

Definately try to get organized and have written lists/schedules/meal plans/chore charts so that you are making no extranwous trips. However, I hope you can learn a lesson from me. Your son will not care if you don't have salad dressing for dinner one night or if the dishes sit in the sink for two days or if he wears the same jeans for a week. He wants you to sit on the floor and play with him and that is all he cares about. I worked full time and did the daycare dance with my husband. The thing you have to prioritize and schedle is the happy fun stimulating times with you child. I was overworked an dcranky for much of my daughter's first year, I am a crazy Type A stressed out woman, but I learned from my daughter to let A LOT go.

Relax, you are called a M.! In my case I don't stress about time though...I really prefer if there were no clocks in life..lol...but I gotta live within the box of time for the sake of discipline in my life, lol

Here's what has worked for me in the past. (My son is 7 now and it's not such a big deal.)
*Tap into your lunchtime! Get an errand done every day at lunch if you can, especially picking up the odd, but needed grocery item.)
* Think late night! I'm sure you all have a pretty early bedtime but especially your 9 mo, so wait until he is in bed and hubby is home and then YOU run out to do an errand.
•Grocery shop with a list--a list of what you need for the entire week. Keep spares of basic stuff on hand or in the freezer (butter freezes, as does bread). Baby foods keep on the shelf. I'm a once a week shopper--if we're out of "it" we wait for "it"! LOL
*Thing like buying a Christmas outfit, getting pictures taken, etc...plan ONLY for weekend appointments.
*Definitely use a crockpot. It truly is a Godsend.
*Clean and prep fruits and veggies when you get home from the grocery store.
*When you make a meal, double it and freeze O.. You'll be glad you did!
It's not just you--the time anxiety happens as soon as the baby exits the birth canal!

You can get grocery shopping done fast at 9:30 at night b/c no crowds. and baby won't miss you if she's in bed already. I discovered the joy of online shopping b/c I can do it w/o lugging a baby/toddler & gear around (so FAST!)

I too feel so trapped by the evening routines and timing dinner against going out or bath or bed...

We only do baths every other night, so on alternate nights, we have a little more time to do something fun (play date, park, shopping, restaurant for dinner...)

Can whoever watches baby during the day do it for an extra hour one day a week? That can be your errands time.

I second the lists! organization for you is key. plan out your meals, use a crock pot for dinners if you can (BIG time saver!), make lists for shopping and only go out once a week (maybe on the weekend). and like someone else said, no one is going to care if your dishes sit in the sink until after she goes to bed. don;t make evening appointments that you know will stress you out...avoid it if you can! it's tough. i know how you feel. but little things like this will help and it WILL get better!

It does get better, slowly....

I tried to limit myself to 1 outside trip shopping per week, and 1 one weekend.

It helped me to take a few minutes on my lunch break at work to develop a "plan of attack" for the what needed doing. I also found it better to shop at the box stores (Walmart, Meijers) where I could get clothes, food, misc household things, etc. in one go. We also switched our prescriptions to the Target (5 min from our house).

We also ordered off the internet--this may be the first year (in 2 years) I do any holiday shopping in person, in a brick & mortar store....

I think this is really normal. Do what you can to simplify-- shop once a month (except for milk, etc.) Have stuff delivered (amazon and drugstore.com have the same prices as the grocery stores and free delivery). Feed the baby what you eat-- baby food is a waste, but if you do buy it, buy a TON and then you won't run out. Do your errands after the baby has gone to bed, or get your husband to get the baby food while you get the outfit. (Under no circumstances let your husband get the outfit!!!! LOL). It is tough right now, but it will get better!