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.
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 |
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 |
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 |
8:12 Daddy comes out of bathroom, we chat, he makes coffee. |
8:12 Back playing at toy shelf |
8:16 Daddy cooks breakfast (I am still reading and writing) |
8:16 Brooke goes to kitchen to find Daddy. M follows |
8:22 Daddy is eating. I go out to buy breakfast |
8:22 Pull up on Daddy to get bites of his food |
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 |
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 |
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 |
9:10 Verizon knocks on door looking for our neighbor |
9:10 Playing in their bedroom |
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 |
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!