Sleep when the baby sleeps – Um ok.
New moms always hear the age old phrase, “sleep when the baby sleeps”. Well that would be a great option if there weren’t loads of laundry waiting to be washed/folded/put away, meals to be made, dishes to be washed and TV shows to catch up on!
Baby S currently naps twice a day, once in the morning from about 10:30AM to about 11:30AM and then again at 3:30 to about 5PM. So what exactly do I do when Baby S is taking his naps. I mean that’s a good 3-4 hours if you do the math.
Morning Nap – about 45-60 minutes
1. Clean up – the mess from breakfast which usually consists of dishes, refilling/cleaning milk cups and wiping down food that didn’t quite make it to his mouth
2. Prepping lunch – since I try to leave the house when he wakes up, it’s best to have lunch ready to go so we don’t waste any time. Packing his lunch bag includes cutting up some fruit, filling up tiny little containers (finding them and/or washing them if they are already in use) with yogurt and snacks. And of course the main meal is making his thepla. On most days, the dough is already made so I just have to roll it and cook it.
3. When I’m lucky, I have about 10 minutes or so left which I spend usually sitting on the couch catching up on emails, Facebook, chatting, blogging etc.
Afternoon Nap – 1.5 to 2 hrs (on a good day)
1. Put a pot of chaa (at this hour, this is a priority)
2. While the chaa is being made, I take what little energy I have to clear up the kitchen from the lunch prep and also start prepping dinner. Cut/wash/prep the veggies for Baby S’s dinner. Put his moong khichdi in the cooker. All that’s left to do for his dinner is turn on the cooker at around 5:45.
3. Chaa is ready, I sit. I’m beat at this hour because I spent the last 3 hours entertaining a very energetic baby! This is usually when I really catch up on a TV show and/or emails.
4. After about an hour of doing no physical activity I usually get myself to eat my lunch, if there is anything (yes, I have to eat on some days too!) Then back to the kitchen I go to figure out our dinner options. I usually get about 30 minutes in the kitchen before Baby S is up again!
As you can see, if I had done the right thing, and slept. I would’ve wasted very precious time.
Please note this schedule does not account for bathroom breaks, making my lunch, entertaining those who call during my break, responding to text messages/chat/WhatsApp, sharing on facebook, answering the door to annoying solicitors, picking up toys, trips up and down the stairs to throw in a load of laundry, cleaning (4) bathrooms because it’s impossible to do this with a Baby around, putting away clean dishes, rinsing knives, cutting boards, cups and plates that are used day in and day out, planning activities for Baby S, searching for creative lunch/dinner recipes, baking yummy treats, and oh yes…and managing the rest of the house.