Fun with baby (now that big sisters are back to school)

This was our first official week back-to-school. I’m not going to lie — it wasn’t quite the sunshine and roses I had envisioned all those final (read, long) weeks of summer break. In fact, it was kind of crazy and chaotic. However, I am hopeful that perhaps we will get our act together by mid-October. Hey, a girl can dream. Have you ever tried to get three girls under the age of four out of the house for school on time? Somehow we managed. And I even showered and wore “real clothes.” For like three whole days. By Thursday I had reached my max. Wink. The yoga clothes were out of the drawer and on my body. But at least I showered! Small victories. Am I right?

My oldest (Savannah) is attending preschool four days a week. My middle child (Emma Kate) is attending Mother’s Day Out two days a week. Which means that I have become a human taxi service. But I am okay with this — I knew what I signed up for when I became a work-from-home mom. And despite the madness that is our daily life, I will miss them. But I am looking forward to a little “quiet time” at home with our newest addition, baby Brooklyn. Because with a preschooler AND a toddler in the house, these moments tend to be few and far between.

Here are a few (fun) ways I plan to take advantage of this “stolen time”

I realize I probably won’t be able to do this every day — I do have to get some writing done occasionally — but I am looking forward to laying on the couch with my baby in one arm, and a giant gallon of ice cream in the other, watching something besides Disney Junior and Bubble Guppies for a few hours. Sometimes mama needs a break!

Once the Texas heat finally begins to dissipate, I see blissful strolls around the neighborhood in our future. You know, because the gym won’t let me bring my baby to the Kid’s Club until she is at least six months old — and mama needs to exercise! Especially if she’s going to be eating all that ice cream. (See above.) And when Emma Kate is home with us, we will have to hit up the neighborhood playground.

Don’t worry, I also plan to spend some of this time actually bonding with my baby. We will read books, listen to music, play Peek-a-Boo, and work on our tummy time. Some of this tummy time may look a little more like her snoozing on my tummy while we doze on a chair in the playroom, but that’s perfectly acceptable. Wink.

Once we get over the initial shock of our new back-to-school schedule, we will start attending Story Time at our local library (or Barnes and Noble), and planning Play Dates with our neighborhood friends. We may even try to get out for lunch (or more ice cream)! I am hopeful that this might mean less mess in the house to clean up on the daily. I will keep you posted on the outcome of this hypothesis…

How are you planning to spend your new-found freedom? We’d love to hear! Feel free to share in the comments section below. Happy back-to-school season, mommies!

About the author…After three blissful years in the Treasure State, Jessica recently moved back to Houston, Texas with her hunky husband and her three precious little girls, Savannah Leigh, Emma Kate, and Brooklyn Olivia. Jessica is a small business owner with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and a nerd-like love for political science. She is passionate about writing, marketing, social media management, and this wonderfully beautiful mess we call parenthood.