Becoming a Stay At Home Mom: Part 1

For Part 2, click here.
For Part 3, click here.

It is a great blessing for me to be able to announce that I will become a Stay At Home Mom for a whole year once Baby Girl #2 is born in July!  And with that dream coming to fruition, I came to realize that I know nothing about being a SAHM!  As silly as that sounds, (since I have been a Mom for 3 years) I didn't get more than 2 months off when Kinsey was born and we never had to establish a staying at home routine.  And so began my quest to glean as much information from my friends and other Super Star SAHM's to aid me in my transition from Full- time Preschool teacher to a SAHM of my two girls. 

And here's where I got really lucky; Kilee at One little Momma announced a new series with other mom bloggers called "Must Ask Mama" where the panel of moms answer emails of reader questions and mine got featured!  An answered prayer, y'all!  Here was their expert advice:

TWO: "I am expecting my second daughter in July and will be taking a year off work to care for my babies. This is a dream come true but what has me worried is how to transition my 3 year old from a 3 days a week preschool (my current place of employment) to a routine at home with a newborn. How do you fit in everything when caring for two kids under 3 and still be able to shower and have a clean house? Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, lovely ladies."

Emily: "boy I could go on way too long in answering this one, because having four kiddies in four years has definitely forced me to get organized.haha The best way to condense it would be to stress the importance of lists and schedules! I wake up before any of my kids, or when I'm nursing my youngest in the morning I'll write out a timeline starting with the things that have to happen like meals and nap times, then fill in the spaces things that should happen like chores and errands, and whatever time's left over can go to the things that you'd like to happen, like showering and pinterest time.haha"

Erica: "Unfortunately I'm in the same boat as you at the moment so I'm not sure how to answer your question! I have a daughter who just turned two and a son that will be arriving any day now. I can tell you how I've been trying to prepare, though. I've created a room in my house that is childproof and has different Montessori-type activities for my two-year-old as well as a place for me to sit and nurse, set the baby down, check my e-mail, etc. This room will be my safe haven when things get chaotic. Other than that, I haven't quite figured out when I'll be cleaning the house, making dinner, taking showers, etc. I guess I'm just going to have to find my rhythm as it comes. My biggest hope is that I can figure out a way to get the two to nap at the same time so that I can have a break! Hah. Sorry I couldn't be more help."

Brittany: "Hi, congratulations on being able to stay home with your children! I don't have any expertise with having two children, but I have a lot of friends with two under age 2 and 3. For me (with just one baby), I take advantage of nap time on days when I need things done around the house or a shower. If I am in need of a shower and it isn't nap time, I usually put her in the exersaucer and give her a few puffs and turn on Daniel Tiger or Angelina Ballerina for 10 minutes while I take a quick shower. Most of the time I just shower at night when she is asleep. As far as getting things done around the house. I usually try to occupy my daughter in the room I am trying to clean with toys or other objects she is interested in. I typically just clean the room she is in while she is playing. Another thing I do is have a dry erase board on my fridge with a few tasks to do each day. This is helpful for my husband for when he is trying to be helpful around the house. My husband is a medical student, so he's not always to help out, but this is the way we communicate what needs to be done without having to ask, and it works for us. Good luck and enjoy every moment! I just know most mama's say the laundry can wait, so try not to stress over it :) "

Kilee: "I could write a few posts about how I run our home, but my best advice would be to feel confident, work out a loose schedule, and be patient. The best way I have found to get things done, keep our house together and be a good mom is to adopt an "I can do it" attitude. I have definitely had my overwhelmed days, but I am confident in myself and my ability to do it all. I am motivated and optimistic when I wake up everyday because I want to have a good day, I have things to do and I can't let myself get bogged down by a messy house or unhappy kids. We just work together and my kids have learned to expect how things go. My kids expect that I will get ready everyday in the morning and usually that is when they are eating breakfast. Because you have one little one and a baby, I'd recommend doing as much as you can while the baby sleeps but don't stop doing what you need to do just because the kids are up. I get ready with my kids in the bathroom- I shower while the baby lays outside the shower on the floor. I clean while my kids play or they clean with me. I try to follow a simple cleaning schedule where I pick up in the morning and at night and then clean certain areas of the home on each day of the week. Also when my kids were younger we would do the library on Mondays, play group on Wednesdays and a music group on Fridays. Its hard to have a set schedule because you have to be flexible with little ones, but a basic schedule is essential. And last I'd say be patient. With the first year of a new baby, as you know, things change all the time.  You are always in a new phase so you'll have to be really flexible and just keep working at it. Also I guess the last thing is that you need a hobby. You need a hobby to work on after the kids are in bed or before they are up or during naps. A hobby will make you happier and give your brain a break from being a SAHM. You will love it!"

{This is an on-going series, so if you need advice, email Lynzy at sparklingfootsteps@gmail.com}

Thank you so much, Ladies!  I'm a lover of information and I know this will help me transition to my new role, confidently! And as far as my quest for knowledge about becoming a SAHM?  It is still a work in progress that I will gladly be sharing with you along the way!  Thankfully I still have a couple more months to get a game plan together :)