Read! Nap! Cook! How To Do It All With Twins Part II – Our Morning
I spoke to a mom with a 10-month old who read Read! Nap! Cook! How to do it all with twins. “Can you give me more details?” she asked.
Short of creating a 2-hour video, I decided to keep a log of Brooke and Mackenzie’s morning activities and Mom/Dad’s morning activities so parents can get a sense of what it looks like at our house when the children are occupying themselves and mom is free to do her own thing.
As you’ll see, this morning, I spent 30 minutes in the bathroom, read for 30 minutes, went out to buy breakfast and ate it. Then I napped for 15 minutes until I got woken up by Verizon. Meanwhile, Brooke and Mackenzie were busy most of the morning and didn’t need my attention until 9:14am.
This log is taken on November 21, 2010. Brooke and Mackenzie are 11 ½ months. The log starts at 7am and ends at 9:20 am when my babysitter arrived.
The day starts at 7am when I open their bedroom door. They are already awake. I carry Mackenzie into the living room while Brooke crawls behind us. Daddy helps change diapers while I make milk. They drink milk.
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Mom and Dad’s activities 7:20 Dad goes to meditate. I check on laundry and then go into the bathroom. |
Brooke and Mackenzie’s activities 7:20 They crawl to toy shelf and start playing |
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7:24 I hear them in kitchen, opening and closing cabinets |
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7:32 I hear them in my room, banging on the blocks |
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7:47 I come out of bathroom to see where they are. Do a little tidying up in the room. |
7:47 In their room, Brooke is opening the drawers and taking stuff out and Mackenzie is chewing on a button |
| 7:52 I go to the kitchen to get a glass of water, sit down to read in living room (and take notes for this article you are reading) |
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7:58 I continue reading and writing without looking at them |
7:58 Comes over to me. One plays with my iphone and the other looks at a book next to me |
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8:04 Picks up their morning bottle, drink some more, then drops it and crawls to toy shelf |
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8:05 Plays at toy shelf |
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8:08 Daddy comes back from meditation and goes to bathroom. |
8:08 They crawl to hallway. Plays with musical toy hanging on the gate right outside the bathroom |
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8:12 Daddy comes out of bathroom, we chat, he makes coffee. |
8:12 Back playing at toy shelf |
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8:16 Daddy cooks breakfast (I am still reading and writing) |
8:16 Brooke goes to kitchen to find Daddy. M follows |
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8:22 Daddy is eating. I go out to buy breakfast |
8:22 Pull up on Daddy to get bites of his food |
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8:34 I come home with breakfast. Sit down on couch to eat and continue reading my book. Daddy goes into bathroom |
8:34 B and M playing by my file cabinet. They follow daddy to the bathroom |
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8:40 They come to me. I give them bites of my sandwich |
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8:46 Daddy in closet getting dressed to go to work |
8:46 Mackenzie in closet with daddy. Brooke is on floor under the dining room table |
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8:50 Daddy leaves for work |
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8:55 I get in bed for a nap |
8:55 B and M playing in hallway |
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9:10 Verizon knocks on door looking for our neighbor |
9:10 Playing in their bedroom |
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9:13 I lie back down to continue my nap |
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9:14 Brooke calls to me wanting me to hold her. So I do. And then we all go into their bedroom to play |
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9:20 Nanny arrives |
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Brooke and Mackenzie kept themselves busy from 7:20-9:14am and I had time to take care of everything I needed to. They know they are free to roam about the house. Since the house is baby-proofed, they cannot get into too much trouble even if I can’t see them. Occasionally I’ll find them chewing on a tissue or even a shoe they’ve gotten out of the closet, but I’m pretty relaxed about things like that. My father-in-law says that’s how he was with his kids. He calls it ‘Benign Neglect.’ Seeing how his four kids are all independent and responsible problem solvers, I’m convinced it works!
Hi, I am just wondering what time do they have breakfast. It seems as soon as my son and I wake up he wants to be fed right away. Sometimes I can give him some cheerios and milk to hold him out until I can go to the bathroom, feed dogs ect..