Welcome back to my blog series. We are just over a week away from Christmas. Can you believe it? This year has gone way too fast. Nevertheless my series will continue throughout.
Today I have Hayley from Devon Mama. She is new to the blogging world so check out her lovely blog. Over to you Hayley.
First of all, tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m Hayley and I live with my husband, Dave, our five month old, , and our dog, Bella, in Devon. We got married, moved house and had a baby all within 18 months so life has been pretty hectic but I wouldn’t have it any other way! We’re just settling into life as parents which takes up most of our time but in between that I like to write, attempt to cook and watch bad American tv shows. My ‘real’ job is to look after buying and product marketing for a local tool company, I was ridiculously nervous of stepping back from work and into motherhood but now I’m dreading going back!
How many times were you woken last night?
Normally Monkey is up every two hours (you could set a watch by our child) so I’m usually up three or four times. Monkey is still breastfed and gets hungry a lot during the night, thankfully he settles really quickly afterwards. Last night was our Best. Night. EVER. He woke up twice the entire night and went three hours each time so I’m feeling like a new woman today!
Do you co-sleep?
We have a Chicco Next-to-me crib and he starts the night in there every night. I’d rather he slept in there all night but around the second wake-up he usually ends up coming in with us so that we can all get some sleep. I was really opposed to co-sleeping before I had Monkey but I genuinely believe it’s saved our sanity as a family. He sleeps better, I get to feed him half asleep and there really is no nicer feeling than waking up snuggled up. That said, he’s getting a bit wriggly now so often I’m woken up being kicked in the stomach… charming!
What time do you normally wake up?
We usually wake up around 6am and then laze in bed for an hour or so. In the week, Dave will take Monkey and Bella for a walk so that I can frantically race around tidying, washing and generally having a bit of time to myself before the day begins.
How much average sleep do you get a night?
I get about six hours a night on average depending on how much Monkey wakes up and how well he settles. Dave and I actually went through a phase of both wearing Fitbits and tracking our sleep. It showed on average we got 3.5-4 hours a night of proper sleep, no wonder I’m always exhausted! It got a bit competitive though so they’ve been consigned to the drawer at nighttime.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Check where Monkey is and that he’s still okay then race off to the bathroom for a wee!
Tell me about your typical morning routine.
As I said, we wake up about 6, laze in bed as a family until about 7 and then the boys go for a walk with the dog. I get as many jobs as possible done whilst they’re gone. When they get back it’s normally time for Dave to leave for work and it all gets a bit frantic. He heads off just before 8 and Monkey and I usually go back to bed for a feed and a play. Monkey has a nap about 9am and I get the chance to have some breakfast and get ready for the day. We try and go for a walk or to an activity/baby group around 10-10.30 for the rest of the morning. I’m very lucky to have a close friend with a baby two weeks younger than Monkey so we often meet them for a walk and a natter or we meet some of the ladies from our first baby group – there’s a lot of babies around these days.
When and how often do you prepare the family dinners? Give us a few examples what you would cook.
Our food in the evening is a little hit and miss. At the moment, I’m trying to get back to being a bit healthier so we’re eating a lot of leaner meals in the evening with plenty of veggies. We eat a lot of chicken and fish; most weeks we’ll have fajitas, a roast chicken and often a curry or two (if you haven’t tried them I really recommend the Hairy Dieters books for good curry recipes!). We eat around 8pm as I don’t get a chance to sort the food until Dave gets home from work, he’ll take Monkey and play with him or give him a bath whilst I get the food sorted.
What’s on the menu for lunch?
Lunch is normally salad in some format or an omelette. We’re really lucky, Dave is able to come home at lunchtime so one of us cooks and one of us is on Monkey watch in the kitchen while we catch up on the mornings activities.
What activities have you got planned for the day for the kids?
Most days I take Monkey for a walk in the baby carrier up into the woods or around the lanes. Then we either meet friends with babies of a similar age for cake and a play or we go to a class. Monkey’s still tiny so play is pretty much me playing with the toys, singing and pulling silly faces at him or holding him up so that he can bounce around on his feet! We go to swimming lessons once a week which he loves and also baby massage classes which just leave us both an oily mess. After Christmas I’m hoping to start some Sing and Sign classes with him which look like they should be good fun.
Do you generally eat dinner together as a family or get the kids fed first?
We’re not weaning yet so dinner is just us adults although Monkey has a great ability for knowing when food is being served and waking up! I’m a big fan of family mealtimes, that’s what I was brought up with so as soon as we can do, we’ll start family meals whenever possible.
What do you do after dinner?
After dinner we normally collapse into a heap on the sofa! I use it as a chance to catch up on emails, texts and social media and usually have some rubbish TV on in the background much to Dave’s horror. He’s a website developer by trade so he’ll spend most evenings on his computer also either doing work or doing research – we’re a chatty household!
What is your bedtime routine?
Monkey’s bedtime routine is pretty non-existant. Some days he’ll have a bath. Some days he won’t! He usually goes down about 8pm, he’ll have a nappy change, get his PJ’s on and I’ll give him a big feed. He’ll then go down with some white noise on. We then go to bed about 10-10.30 which consists of creeping into our own room in the dark and trying to get into bed as quietly as possible as we’re all in the same room. I’m usually half asleep by the time Dave comes up, or sat on my phone on Instagram!
Most importantly, when and where do you normally blog in those 24 hours? Do you have a schedule?
I’m just getting started in blogging so don’t have a set schedule as yet althought I try to get something up atleast once a week. Most of my work I do either in the morning nap time or at the weekends when I leave the boys in bed and sneak off downstairs, nice and early!
Blog URL: www.devonmama.com
Everyone loves a follower more. What social media platforms can we find you on?
Twitter: @devon_mama
Instagram: www.instagram.com/devonmamaonline
If you would like to feature in my new blog series, you can do so by sending me an email to schnurri87@msn.com. I’d love to have you on board.
