Taking it slow piece meaning amongst babe #4
I listen this all the fourth dimension lately, "Take it easy."
"Just live certain to receive got it easy."
"Take it equally slow equally you lot can."
"You exactly truly demand to receive got it easy."
I am exactly over xxx weeks pregnant. I rest at abode amongst our five as well as a one-half twelvemonth old, whom nosotros homeschool inward preschool, as well as our 3-year former toddler twins. We receive got a dog. My married adult man is inward the Navy which, of course, agency nosotros alive adjacent door to my parents (not).
How exercise I receive got it easy?
We went through this when I was meaning amongst our identical twins. I was on modified bedrest as well as had multiple ultrasound appointments as well as an OB appointment each week. It was exhausting. When I was meaning amongst twins, nosotros lived inward a modest bird amongst i toddler; I left the housework to my hubby. It was a modest amount of housework as well as got done whenever he got to a greater extent than or less to it. (Sometimes inward a frustrating amount of time.) But it all worked out.
How did I rest at abode as well as receive got aid of a toddler past times myself every hateful solar daytime then?
1. Netflix Instant Queue
I never had to teach upwardly to modify a DVD. I could add together shows to our queue from my estimator as well as either sentinel them on our laptop or from our Blu-Ray player.
2. Toddler Look as well as Find books
I know I say this all the time, but I seriously loved these. I could sit down as well as exercise these amongst our toddlers spell I was set out on the couch as well as afterward when I was feeding 2 newborns. There is so much to speak close inward these books, from finding his favorite Disney characters to making upwardly stories close what they are doing. These were a huge rootage of amusement to us.
3. Melissa as well as Doug box puzzles
I honey these puzzles. There are four puzzles inward i box. He would drag this puzzle over to me as well as nosotros could sit down as well as exercise four puzzles without having to teach up. We could exercise the puzzle on the couch because you lot gather the puzzle on the lid of the box. Fantastic. We bought several of these during my pregnancy as well as inward the early on "twinfant" stages.
Things are unlike this fourth dimension around. I don't receive got i toddler bumming to teach to the commons when I demand to live resting. I can't plow on a present as well as receive got a truthful cat nap spell he plays quietly on the draw of piece of employment solid unit of measurement room floor. As I write this weblog post, I'm propped upwardly on the couch enjoying Braxton Hicks spell our iii boys bounce wildly to a greater extent than or less the playroom. Our draw of piece of employment solid is ever loud. Someone is ever getting hurt. One hateful solar daytime of skipping tidying upwardly as well as the toys commencement taking over all our living spaces (a flake hazardous for me since I tin terminate barely reckon my feet!). So what am I doing this fourth dimension around?
First of all, nosotros receive got a rattling unlike living province of affairs this fourth dimension around. We don't receive got a small, serenity bird to receive got aid of. My married adult man is working much longer hours as well as when he's abode he takes aid of the kids as well as does a few modest chores. He doesn't receive got fourth dimension to exercise all the housework. We don't receive got a housekeeper helping us out similar nosotros did inward North Carolina. Instead, I rely a lot on doing modest tasks each day. I don't receive got i large hateful solar daytime of housecleaning. We tidy equally nosotros teach as well as I achieve i surface area of housecleaning before inward the hateful solar daytime when my unloose energy is at its peak. (For our cleaning schedule, depository fiscal establishment lucifer out my weblog post, "Domestic goddess.") I also prioritize our draw of piece of employment solid chores. I don't waste matter my unloose energy doing things that don't demand to live done correct then or don't demand to live done past times me. For instance, heavier kitchen appliances that teach inward awkward cabinets volition sit down on our kitchen counter all hateful solar daytime until my married adult man gets abode to position them away. When I brand a huge Costco run, I stack things inward my vehicle so when I teach abode I tin terminate unload the freezer/fridge items as well as locomote out the residual for when my married adult man gets home. There is no demand to tire myself out doing things that don't have to teach done correct then. These are modest examples, but they add together up. Sometimes I await to a greater extent than or less the draw of piece of employment solid as well as think, "Man, nosotros demand to sweep the floors!" But nosotros don't receive got fellowship coming over as well as I already cleaned the bathrooms that day, so I position it off until the next day. Or, lately, I inquire our oldest boy if he wants to exercise it. Surprisingly, ix times out of 10 he enthusiastically says yes; he absolutely loves helping his momma, equally he calls it. One of the hardest things for me to do, oddly enough, is option upwardly toys. The constant bending over to option upwardly toys from the flooring truly inflames my circular ligaments, non to advert sometimes making me rattling silly (the joys of pregnancy-- I'm anemic too, of course). I never pass fourth dimension picking upwardly toys anymore. I receive got the boys option upwardly their toys throughout the day, but my married adult man has them create clean everything upwardly each black when he gets home. I posted equally a Facebook status the other day, "How exercise you lot guys teach it all done?" My favorite response: "I don't." That truly is the answer. I don't teach it all done; I don't endeavour to as well as I don't pretend to. I exercise what I can.
The discover as well as ages of our children are also different. I was meaning amongst our twins when our oldest had exactly turned 2-years former as well as so was months shy of turning 3-years former when they were born. I receive got been meaning this fourth dimension amongst a 5-year former (now five as well as a one-half twelvemonth old) as well as 2.5-years old, exactly turned 3-years former toddler twins-- iii kids at busy ages! While nosotros receive got to sometimes, our kids teach nuts staying abode all day. They desire to ride bikes, play outside, run inward circles, as well as experiment. Homeschooling has been a huge approving because nosotros are ever looking for activities. As this pregnancy has progressed, I've set guidelines for myself when scheduling our days. I don't exercise activities that require walking or standing around; I must live able to sit. I don't over schedule our days (well, I truly endeavour non to... I accidentally overbooked yesterday). I stick to i or ii activities, including errands as well as bigger chores. I receive got fun things for our boys to exercise inward our forepart as well as dorsum yard. My married adult man makes certain our outdoor spaces are usable for us. He's ever picking upwardly our dorsum porch so I tin terminate sit down out in that place amongst the boys as well as sentinel them play. He keeps our garage organized so all I receive got to exercise is opened upwardly up the garage as well as push clit out our nice, sturdy folding chairs as well as sentinel the boys play. I honey beingness able to allow them run wild correct exterior of our house. We receive got tons of outdoors toys-- a H2O table, bikes, chalk, hose, sprinkler, scooters, every ball as well as sport you lot tin terminate holler back of, bubbles... They honey pigment brushes as well as buckets of water; they "paint" everything inward sight. This is overnice besides because they tin terminate run inward the draw of piece of employment solid as well as role the restroom as well as I tin terminate fill upwardly up my H2O without having to drag everyone off of play equipment spell lugging to a greater extent than or less all our stuff, similar when nosotros teach to the park. I exercise also utilize our neighborhood parks; nosotros pack sand toys as well as picnic. Sometimes this is our day's outing. For the days nosotros receive got to rest at the house, nosotros receive got lots of indoor toys as well as nosotros brand certain to option them upwardly betwixt activities so they rest fun, fifty-fifty if they tin terminate reach a lot of these themselves. We receive got crayons, Play Doh, puzzles, crafts... I truly endeavour to exercise a pair focused activities amongst them a day, fifty-fifty exactly helping me brand granola bars, so that they aren't moving from downward fourth dimension to downward time.
Here are some of the things I receive got loved so far during this pregnancy:
1. Finding a homeschool playdate group
Since nosotros are homeschooling preschool this twelvemonth as well as starting to homeschool kindergarten adjacent year, finding a playdate grouping amongst beau homeschoolers has been awesome! (If you lot aren't a homeschooling family, mayhap exactly a mommy playdate group?) Instead of me trying to fill upwardly our calendar amongst things to do, I receive got this grouping of moms who are always planning something. They are ever posting commons encounter ups, picnics, bubble playdates, data on local happenings... I honey it as well as my kids honey it. I don't teach to all the playdates as well as I've had to locomote out early on a pair times, but it certain is overnice to receive got low-key playdates exterior of our draw of piece of employment solid to receive got the kids to on our calendar!
2. Brain Quest workbooks
This is for our 5-year old. For our 3-year olds, I am using a lot of the same things I used amongst their older blood brother when I was meaning amongst them. We exercise Look as well as Finds; nosotros sentinel Netflix. And they are entertained. For our 5-year old... he gets bored. He wants to do something. These receive got been a recent buy as well as I'm sooooo glad nosotros got them. We receive got our homeschool activities (read "Homeschooling 5-year former preschool"), but this is non for homeschool. This is exactly for the times that he is bumming to play a game as well as I desire to lay on the couch because his brothers are lastly quiet. He sits adjacent to me on the couch as well as plant on his workbook. He loves the puzzles as well as games. These receive got been rattling entertaining for him.
3. Well-stocked pantry
While running out of groceries wasn't a huge bargain when it was my married adult man as well as I feeding a toddler, straight off that nosotros are a draw of piece of employment solid unit of measurement of 5, I can't feed our kids exactly past times splitting my repast amongst them. Eating out gets expensive, non to advert it is rattling inconvenient at our electrical flow duty station. It is exceedingly convenient to live able to brand our meals at abode (read "Family diet as well as draw of piece of employment solid unit of measurement budget"). For breakfast nosotros had English linguistic communication muffins, strawberries, as well as difficult boiled eggs. We spent some fourth dimension outside, came abode for lunch, as well as I allow the boys play on the dorsum porch spell they ate sandwiches, pickles, as well as apples. For snack nosotros turned on a moving-picture present as well as picnicked on our draw of piece of employment solid unit of measurement room flooring where they had chips, almonds, as well as dried apricots. Since today has been such a crude oil meaning hateful solar daytime for me, I threw some tortellini inward boiling H2O as well as steamed a handbag of frozen veggies for dinner. Not fancy, but super easy.
4. Games
Games receive got been ah-maze-ing this pregnancy. We play so many games. With our 5-year old, nosotros play the obvious preschool games: Chutes as well as Ladders and Candy Land. We also enjoy playing amongst him:
- Share a Berry
- SpongeBob Square Pants Yahtzee Junior
- Farkle
- Sorry as well as Sorry Sliders
- Battleship
- ThinkFun Math Dice Jr
- Uno
- 3-in-1 Jumbo Checkers
5. Let it be
To quote the Beatles, "There volition live an answer; allow it be." Sometimes I exactly allow it be. The kids are behaving besides wildly-- but happily-- in the playroom and I'm having horrible circular ligament pain? Let it be. Husband called to say he was on his way abode when I made steamed veggies as well as tortellini for dinner? Let it be. Someone knocked on the forepart door when I'm wearing my husband's PT gear as well as our kitchen counter is covered inward dishes? Let it be. Some of this materials exactly truly doesn't affair that much inward the system of things. My draw of piece of employment solid is non going to await similar how it did before I got meaning amongst infant #4 (which isn't how it looked before I got meaning amongst babies #2 as well as #3... which isn't how it looked before I got meaning amongst infant #1... notice a trend?). Pregnancy is a temporary state; I'm non going to live meaning forever. Yes, I volition live busy when infant #4 gets hither as well as in that place volition live sleepless nights, but I won't live dealing amongst all the wonderful side effects of pregnancy (note the sarcasm). I can't exercise it all correct straight off as well as in that place is no argue to exercise it all correct now. Our draw of piece of employment solid is operating nether a Priority Policy-- if it must teach done it will; if not, it won't. The harder side of letting it live has truly been proverb no. Sometimes in that place are things I want to do, but I know that after a hateful solar daytime amongst the kids as well as my hubby's schedule beingness what it is, that it would live besides much for me to go, that I wouldn't receive got whatever unloose energy or that I would truly pay for it that black amongst Braxton Hicks. The biggest argue I say no to things is that I know would exactly live exhausting for me as well as non fun, similar if I would receive got to pass besides much fourth dimension wrangling the kids. It is what it is. I can't modify what's on my plate-- my husband's schedule, our active kids, the indicate I'm at inward this pregnancy-- as well as so I exactly demand to position some idea into what I say yes as well as no to.
6. Sisters
Ah-- gotta honey family. Since nosotros don't alive anywhere close family, my sis is going to wing downward as well as rest amongst us for a month, during an particularly busy fourth dimension inward my husband's schedule, when I'm fifty-fifty farther inward the tertiary trimester as well as having a difficult fourth dimension dealing amongst his long hours. I'm so excited to receive got her come upwardly downward as well as assist amongst the kids as well as brand us dinner as well as option upwardly to a greater extent than or less the house-- er, I mean, I'm truly looking forwards to her company. ;) On some of these truly busy days, it is so comforting to think, "Only a pair to a greater extent than weeks as well as my sis volition live here!"
So that is how I've been taking it slow so far this pregnancy. My Definition of taking it slow has evolved amongst each pregnancy as well as in i trial to a greater extent than this pregnancy amongst each trimester. Now that I'm xxx weeks (home stretch!), I've truly had to position to a greater extent than idea into how I tin terminate receive got it slow amongst iii kids.
What are your tips for taking it slow when pregnant, particularly if you lot receive got other children?
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