HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE. ? ? It’s just two days until Christmas Day. Can you believe it? Everyone is probably getting their last bits and pieces today and the shops will be chocka block. For me Christmas starts tomorrow. The grocery shopping is done. Thank god and I have all the meals planned.
Today I have Chelsea on the blog who blogs at The Johnsons Plus Dog. Over to you Chelsea.
First of all, tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Chelsea and I blog all about our home renovation, share craft and DIY tutorials, and, of course, chat about the realities of parenting. Last year, my husband and I embarked the adventure of home ownership. We decided to buy a home and went looking for fixer upper! Our lives changed forever in May of this year when we welcomed our little man, Cal (now 7 months), into the world. We both agree on a daily basis that parenting is both the hardest thing and the best thing in the world. We’re still figuring it all out and we promise to be real with you on our blog as we do. Beside us through it all is our furry friend, Gannon the Dog.
How many times were you woken last night?
Once, but by my husband, not my little one. Haha. Our little guy has been (mostly) sleeping through the night since he was about four and half months old.
Do you co-sleep?
Nope, Cal sleeps in his crib in his bedroom. When he was smaller, he slept in a pack-n-play in our room. We do have morning cuddle time in our bed every morning when he wakes up though and has his first feeding.
What time do you normally wake up?
My alarm goes off at 7:15am every morning. Sometimes the little guy has already woken me up by then. Sometimes he decides to sleep in until 8am or so… in which case I totally take advantage of the extra shut eye. I’m NOT a morning person and I’m pretty thankful that for now, Cal isn’t much of a morning person either.
How much average sleep do you get a night?
We try to get to bed by 11pm every night, so usually about 8 hours. Sometimes my blogging interferes with my sleep, but I definitely try to make sleep a priority. It’s very important to be refreshed for the world of parenting that awaits in the morning.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Go grab Cal out of his crib and bring him in our bed for his first feed.
Tell me about your typical morning routine.
After we have morning cuddles, it’s always straight to the coffee maker. Coffee really makes the day get started in my book. Next we usually get dressed for the day. When it is nice weather (and there’s not tons of snow outside like there is right now), we go for a walk with my husband before he goes to work and, of course, our dog. Cal loves the baby b’jorn carrier facing out.
When and how often do you prepare the family dinners? Give us a few examples what you would cook.
We try to only eat out of the house once a week to save money (and everyone knows how hard it is to take little ones out to eat!). All other days of the week, we cook dinner or eat leftovers. A few months ago, we started really sticking to a grocery budget. I plan out our entire month full of meals and make a lot of freezer meals that can just be popped in the crockpot. Dinner is all about simplicity for me. A few of our favorites are Soy Sriracha Chicken, Beef Stew and BBQ Pork.
What’s on the menu for lunch?
We usually have either leftovers from dinner or chicken sandwiches.
What activities have you got planned for the day for the kids?
I work for a commercial real estate company from home. I work three full days during the week and our wonderful nanny comes to watch Cal while I work. The other days, I’m sneaking in work and blogging while he naps and after he’s gone down for the night. When I’m with Cal, we do a lot of singing (Christmas songs right now), tummy time (we’re working on crawling), stories (he loves turning the pages of board books), and, of course, giggles. Cal also loves to get out of the house, so we go on walks, to the park and sometimes he tags along while I go grocery shopping. As long as he can look around at things and people, he’s usually a happy camper!
Do you generally eat dinner together as a family or get the kids fed first?
Yes, we try to eat dinner together as a family. Cal is just getting started on the solid foods and usually my husband or I are feeding him a spoonful in between every one of our bites. 🙂
What do you do after dinner?
After dinner, we get cleaned up and have family time together. Sometimes that is just sitting on the rug together in the living room and watching our cool little human play. As soon as he starts crawling around, I know we’ll do a lot more chasing him around.
What is your bedtime routine?
Shortly after dinner, we usually start our bedtime routine. Cal get his last feeding of the day at 6:30pm or so. During that feeding, we turn down the lights and the TV goes to a low volume if it’s on. We call this our “quiet time”. Once he finishes nursing, we go into his room with the lights off and I always sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star while giving him a baby massage, changing his diaper and getting on his jammies. Then we rock and read bedtime bible stories. Once he starts falling asleep, I gently place him in his crib and turn on his “susher” which is a noise machine that runs for 30 minutes. He’s usually asleep by 7pm or 7:30pm every night.
Most importantly, when and where do you normally blog in those 24 hours? Do you have a schedule?
That’s a great question! After typing out these answers, I’m realizing it’s quite the accomplishment to squeeze it all in, but somehow it gets done. I mostly do all of my blogging at night after he goes to sleep. Also about once a month, my hubby gives me a blogging day on the weekend where I leave the house and go work on blog stuff. I definitely keep an editorial calendar for my blog that keeps me on track.
Thanks Chelsea for sharing a day with us. Your little man is so cute and seems like he is such a great sleeper at a young age. Thankfully my boy was like that too but my little girl was the complete opposite. I suppose boys can be lazy.
Blog URL: www.thejohnsonsplusdog.com
Everyone loves a follower more. What social media platforms can we find you on?
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/johnsonsplusdog/
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/johnsonsplusdog/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thejohnsonsplusdog/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/johnsonsplusdog
Photo Credit: Natalie Puls Photography http://www.nataliepuls.com/
If this is something you might be interested in, why not drop me a quick email to be featured as well and I will get back to you. schnurri87@msn.com
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