How To: 5 Simple Ways to Maximizing Your Time with Baby!

Ever since our baby Elizabeth has come into the world, I noticed for the first little while, that all I did was sit and play with her, sleep when she slept, ate and took showers. About a month and a half ago, while Lizzy was sleeping, that I was bored. I looked around my room and wondered what I could do to pass the time. It showed me how lazy I had become. There were mine and my husbands clothes on the floor, books, journals, toys, blankets, and DVDs on the floor. Disgusted with myself, I complained to my mother, and told her how long my room had been dirty. She gave me this challenge to start out with: "Every day spend at least twenty minutes cleaning or doing laundry while Lizzy is sleeping." She said. "I want you to do that for a week and then check back in with me on how things go." Then as time progressed my mother kept adding on challenge after challenge until I started getting into a routine that became second nature to me.

The steps I take to keep my life organized and clean:

1.) Have a Daily Check List. What I did before I came up with a check list I thought about what NEEDED to be done daily (going for a walk, working out, putting Lizzy down for her naps, do dishes…etc.) To things I WANTED to do daily (write for my blog, work on my novel, or do something to keep my mind active). I wrote it all down in list format.
2.) Study Your's and Your Baby's Daily Routine. I spent some time thinking about whether I wanted to do the fun things first or to do the work first. My dad used to always tell me "Clean your room first then you can play." So I applied this simple logic to my routine. I don't know about you but I have a HORRIBLE habit of procrastinating on things that need to be done. Not anymore. I remembered I bought a self help book on time management for my job at Amazon to better improve my skills for work. I read back through the highlighted parts and my notes to give myself a refreshers course. It helped me put things into perspective and prioritize the tasks from most important to least important.
3.) Include Personal Goals and Solidify Your Routine. I play with my baby while she is awake and when she takes her naps I do the important things first in the morning then chip away at my goals when she takes her afternoon nap. I'm working on a novel so I run around with an headset and talk into it with my dragon software. It is a lifesaver. My words appear on my laptop. I will admit that there are days where she doesn't want to sleep so I either put her in her swing with toys or I put her in her kangaroo pouch while I move around, clean or pace back and forth as I read my novel onto my laptop. I tend to use the kangaroo pouch more often because as of late she loves to be able to move while I move.
4.) Don't Forget to Have Fun. Sometimes I get lost in my focus while she is in my kangaroo pouch and I forget to play with her or hold her hand while I work around the house. I make an effort to talk with her. I tell her what I am doing and she laughs at mommy while I clean. It is also beneficial to your baby when you do this with them. They hear your voice and more importantly they start learning words too. If I am dealing with shapes or colors I show her what I am holding and I say the name of the shape and color. It has been so much fun seeing her learn and I'm still bonding with my baby.
5. Have a Back Up Plan. There are days where she doesn't want to be in her swing, or kangaroo pouch or on the bed. So I put her on her tummy in her play pen with some of her favorite toys and a binkie and she falls asleep within twenty to thirty minutes. It is a great fall back plan and, nine times out of ten, very effective.

It has been so much fun figuring this out with her. Don't forget one important resource to finding that happy medium in balancing your life and baby harmoniously. That would be your family. Call your mom, a sister, or aunt and pick their brains. I utilized my mother, mother-in-law, my older sister and my sister-in-law. Together we came up with TONS of ways to feel like I am achieving something and working toward my goals.

Thank you for visiting my blog. If you have comments, questions or want me to write on a subject write in the box below this post or email me at ferguson.sabrina15@gmail.com and I'll be more than happy to respond.

Until Tomorrow Then!