Morning everyone. We finally reached the end of the week. I honestly thought it was never going to end, even though we all had an extra day off on Monday. I have absolutely nothing planned this weekend. We are just going to chill out while hubby is off to a stag later on.
In this weeks “A day in a parenting blogger’s life” I have Laura joining me who blogs at Autumn’s mummy. She is a first time mummy. Please welcome her and take a look what a day in her life is like with a seven months old baby.
First of all, tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m Laura, a first time mummy of a beautiful girl called Autumn who was born in September 2016. We live in Kent with our wonderful husband/daddy and cat. We got off to a rocky start initially, when Autumn suddenly became critically ill when she was two weeks old. My mental health took a serious hit and I’m still battling anxiety. As well as blogging and being a mummy, I’m also studying for a degree in Social Sciences, trying to keep up with housework and laundry and being a taxi service for Autumn. Seriously, she has a better social life than I do!
How many times were you woken last night?
Not at all. Autumn generally sleeps very well at night, but I’m not smug about it at all. I know how awful sleep deprivation can be and I’m only too aware that our luck could change at any time.
Do you co-sleep?
No. I’m a deep sleeper and roll around a lot in my sleep, so it’d be dangerous! I have a Chicco Next-to-me crib, though, which is the next best thing as Autumn sleeps right next to me.
What time do you normally wake up?
Usually whenever Autumn wakes me up, which can be anywhere between 7.30am and 11.30am. Okay, if it’s that late that she wakes up I’ve normally woken up a couple of hours earlier. I know, I’ve got it good.
How much average sleep do you get a night?
About 9 hours.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Look at Autumn and if she’s awake I smile, talk to her and give her a hug. If my husband’s there, I roll over and give him a hug after that. If not, I check my phone.
Tell me about your typical morning routine.
1. Wake up
2. Talk to Autumn
3. Try to catch up with all the notifications on my phone
4. Go to the loo
5. Go downstairs with Autumn and change her nappy
6. Give Autumn her breakfast (either porridge, mango or banana)
7. Play with Autumn/tell her a story
8. Change Autumn’s nappy
9. Have breakfast
10. Put on Cbeebies, pop Autumn on her playmat and try to get some blogging stuff done
11. Either try to convince Autumn to sleep or put her in a safe place
12. Have a shower and get ready
When and how often do you prepare the family dinners? Give us a few examples what you would cook.
My husband is the main cook in our house. A typical dinner would consist of chicken (in one of many forms e.g. kiev, Hunter’s chicken, etc.), runner beans and new potatoes in herbs.
What’s on the menu for lunch?
I’m so busy that I don’t normally have much time to make myself some lunch or eat it. I often have a microwave meal.
What activities have you got planned for the day for the kids?
It depends on the day of the week. Some days we go to mother and baby groups, another day we go to a group where we sing nursery rhymes. We go swimming on Mondays. Everyday activities include reading stories, playing with toys and singing/dancing.
Do you generally eat dinner together as a family or get the kids fed first?
We try to get Autumn fed first, but if it hasn’t worked out that way then we try to take turns who looks after her and who gets a hot meal. Sometimes if I didn’t get to have a proper lunch or had to eat lunch cold, my husband takes pity on me and lets me have a hot meal.
What do you do after dinner?
Watch TV/faff around on the laptop for a while, writing blog posts, talking to friends or taking part in blogger chats on twitter. I also share looking after Autumn with my husband.
What is your bedtime routine?
Around 11.30pm, we start getting Autumn ready to go to bed. We change her nappy and make a fresh bottle of milk. Then we go upstairs and feed her in semi-darkness with womb noises in the background. Once she’s finished having her milk and is in her crib, we switch the light off and get cuddled up.
Most importantly, when and where do you normally blog in those 24 hours? Do you have a schedule?
Nope! It all depends whether the little lady feels like napping and when, whether she’s in a mood where she wants constant attention or doesn’t mind being playing independently and whether my husband takes over looking after her in the evening.
Thanks Laura for sharing a day with us. I remember those days well, up late making bottles. It feels like it was only yesterday. Check out Lauras’ blog and her social media.
