here was our looooose daily schedule when KK was 5-14 months old.
before then, we just followed the Taking Cara Babies nap schedule. kk’s nap schedule and me making dinner were the only consistent things about our days. other than that, I was still healing and figuring out both our needs and rhythms as a family of three. it was such a serene, peaceful time.
but I just wanted to say it took us some time before we learned what routines we would find beneficial, and what we needed in a daily schedule. those first few months we just took care of ourselves, gave lots of grace, and smelled KK’s intoxicating scent.
here’s my blogpost on our postpartum favorites that made those first months so sweet, if you need.
and when we felt ready for some consistency, we sketched out a daily rhythm. because I needed it just as much as KK.
5:30
my alarm goes off. and I choose if I want to get up. usually i do, since I like starting my day with an hour and a half of quiet - aka time to do whatever tf I want to do.
when it’s colder, I get up, brush my teeth, and put on my favorite robe. I let the dogs out to potty, I pour a cup of coffee, and 99% of the time I sit on the couch, snuggling my dogs, drinking coffee, and doing computer stuff.
when it’s warmer, I usually take the dogs on a longgg walk - I love the time of day at sunrise when the world is just waking up. I love how it clears my mind - I come up with the best ideas this way. this habit actually came to be as a result of me healing from our pregnancy loss, and I found such joy in this morning ritual. we go on a long walk, I come home as my programmable coffeemaker is brewing coffee, and usually after I’ve enjoyed a cup of coffee, it’s time to wake KK up. it’s the most delightful way to start a day, I swear.
I add fiber powder, collagen powder, and half and half to my coffee. if I’m feeling saucy, I’ll use my frother and/or add chocolate sauce or vanilla syrup.
see my coffee station here
and, i really feel like i only got a handle on my skin when I started this water routine. adequate hydration helps a ton for me. (around the same time, I also started taking this prenatal and adding collagen to my coffee, so it’s hard to say how much those contribute, too).
7:00 am
brett gets KK up. (if he cannot do it because he worked late, he leaves a post-it note on my coffee maker.) he gets her up, changes her, and brings her into the den.
when I was five-ish months pregnant, my neighbor put the ugliest, fanciest, comfiest electric recliner/rocker on their curb. and you bet your bottom I dragged it inside. it is THE best thing to have, for pregnant mommas, nursing mommas, feeding babies, and rocking babies alike. my decor cringes, but I just put a blanket over the top, a garden stool next to it, and call it a day. i dont think I moved from this thing (or my donut) for a hot minute postpartum.
sometimes KK starts singing around 6:30, but we don’t get her until 7.
7:00-9:00
KK eats. KK independently plays. I work on morning routines. I enjoy KK.
For more on our favorite things (like what KK eats, her favorite toys, my favorite products), check out these posts:
I have Good Morning America playing on the TV. I love starting my day with this show and the perspective it offers me.
Brett works completely from home, and he goes into the home office sometime between 7:00 and 9:00, depending on the day.
In no particular order and by no specific time, I work through my morning routines. By starting each and every day with these same things, I prioritize things that are suuuuper important to me (tidy house, adequate hydration, etc), but I also find it super grounding. My anxiety is at a minimum when I start and end my days the same way.
unload/reload dishwasher
fill four twenty-five ounce spill-proof, baby-proof water bottles for the day, set them around the house in convenient spots
see this instagram post for more on my water routine
make bed
tidy up house
start a load of laundry, if needed
fill diffusers with orange essential oil, simply because I like the citrus smell
yes, yes, I know. I use cheap orange essential oil. I’m literally just here for the pleasant smell.
check budget
see this instagram post for budget faqs
put away dog food bowl
make smoothie - the “smoothie” highlight on my instagram answers 99% of questions, but I’m working on a full post soon.
when we don’t have a housecleaner, we follow this super easy cleaning schedule.
And usually at some point, KK and I go back to my bathroom so that I can wash my face, do my skincare, put in my contacts, put on mascara, brush my hair, and get dressed for the day. (Although some of these things I may have already done if I walked that morning.)
my daytime makeup routine involves tinted moisturizer, eye cream, drugstore mascara, and chapstick. and i’ll add this over my cheeks. if I’m feeling dry that day, I’ll mix the tinted spf with one of my thick, plain moisturizers (this or this).
my summer essentials blogpost talks about allllll my favorite skincare + clothes - and since we live in Texas, this list covers what I wear 80% of the year
9:00 - 11:00am
KK naps. Even if she doesn’t sleep the whole time, I leave her in her crib to rest until 11. During this time I:
finish getting dressed-ish, if needed
finish any morning routines, if needed (or save them for KK’s awake time)
do something in our home gym. this post talks about my favorite videos + my exercise philosophy + my simple home gym set-up + what helps me be consistent
drink smoothie + work on HWD stuff
whether that be flowers or computer stuff (website, instagram, blogging, tax prep, invoicing software, emails, whatever)
i also only answer emails during this time. this was the biggest help for me as a business owner, as I no longer felt “behind” on emails - I knew they’d get answered in the mornings. it made me more efficient to do batch work like this, and it also gave me permission to think about how I want to respond.
11:00-1:30 or 2:00
I get KK up. At this point I like for us to get out of the house. Whether that be an errand, a car wash, going to see my family, getting lunch with my mom, running to Costco, getting gas, going to my parents’ house to get some adult interaction, going to an appointment, going to the pool, driving to get flowers, going for a long walk, driving to pick up takeout fajitas for Fajita Friday, whatever.
It helps break up the day, but it also makes sure KK’s naptime remains unaffected. Because not only do I want her sleep schedule super prioritized, but also because her naptime is MY time, and I don’t want to waste MY time driving. (That said, I try to schedule any and all appointments during this time. Because either KK comes with me, or my mom watches KK.)
This also provides me the structure she and I need - that if there’s anything we need to do outside the home, it gets saved for this time. (This also helps me from feeling overwhelmed or drained - there’s only so much I can schedule for this time, so I love that it reminds me to space things out.)
I may also work on our cleaning schedule or monthly routines while KK’s awake. I want her to see we take care of ourselves and our home.
And usually I make a point to finish whatever laundry I had started earlier. Because I don’t want to waste naptime doing laundry - naptime is my time.. And I want KK (and future siblings) to see the things we do to help our family.
Lots of playing + moving (when she became mobile) + wearing KK out occurs during this time. Even if its just her following me around while I take care of household stuff. Sometimes she goes down for a nap earlier as a result. (Hence the “1:30 or 2:00” end time.)
For more on our favorite things (like what KK eats, her favorite toys, my favorite products), check out these posts:
1:30 or 2:00 - 4:00
KK’s second nap. Usually she sleeps the entire time. (The only time she didn’t was when she was right on the brink of learning to crawl. Or when a tooth was just about to pop through. But even then, I’d keep her in her room to rest the entire time.)
I work on HWD stuff, I finish anything that didn’t get finished that first nap, I work out if I didn’t get to do that before, I work on HWD, I work on our cleaning schedule, I see if there’s anything I can prep for dinner, I work on monthly routines, I rest, I read. Whatever I’m needing that day.
4:00-5:00
I wake KK up. She plays. She explores, similar to that awake time earlier. I do dinner stuff. We hang out. Usually I turn something on TV or listen to a podcast/audiobook just to have something else going on. Because otherwise the time before Brett gets off work seems to STAND COMPLETELY STILL.
Edited to add: I have no strong opinions about screen time. It’s just not my hill to die upon. However, I personally don’t watch that much TV because I’ve realized over the years too much TV can reallyyyy make me feel anxious/restless. So some days I’ll have the TV on, some days I won’t - we just go with whatever we’re feeling.
(Having a childfriendly home we love is my hill to die upon.)
5:00-7:00
Brett gets off work sometime in this time frame. If weather and time allow, we’ll go on a long walk together. At some point we’ll eat dinner.
See walking FAQs + walking favorites here.
See my weekly menu plan of every dinner we’ve eaten wince 2015 here.
We don’t bathe KK every night.
Around 6:55, Brett changes her, puts her in her sleep sack, turns on her white noise machine, and puts her to bed. She sleeps 7-7.
(From Day 1 we used a combo of white noise, the Taking Cara Babies Newborn class, and the Snoo and I will swear by that combo until the day I die. Or until my next baby proves me wrong. See more postpartum favorites here.)
7:00 - ?
I work through a series of evening routines - it’s a simple list, but it works 1000% for me and my needs. Because that’s the thing: create routines that take care of you, your family, and your home. Routines help us prioritize what’s important for us. And for me, it’s important for me to rest - and I best rest when I have a tidy home, and when I have time to myself.
So when KK goes to bed (or I may start when she’s awake - just depends on what organically works that day) I:
clean up the kitchen, put away dinner, package up leftovers (for Brett’s lunches or Leftover Night), load the dishwasher, run the dishwasher overnight, clean the sink, wipe down counters.
tidy up the house. take the 5-10 minutes to put everything back in its place. because I do this every day, tidying takes no time at all.
set my coffee maker for the next morning
try to finish my water for the day. more on this water routine here.
rest. this may mean I’m reading, I’m attending swim team, I’m doing a yoga video, I’m working, I’m looking at recipes, or I’m taking a bath. just depends on what I need that day.
here’s a full blogpost on how I prioritize reading + all my reading FAQs
here’s a full blogpost on my swimming FAQs + my exercise philosophy
And, I go to bed the minute I get tired. This could be 8:30, this could be 9:30. I can’t remember the last time I stayed up past 10:00. Sleep is very important to me. When I’m rested and recharged, I am a better person and my anxious mindset is at an absolute minimum.
Whenever I get tired, here’s my bedtime routine:
shower (wash face in shower, but I list my skincare/haircare favorites here)
take out contacts
I take a prenatal (even while not pregnant) and my magnesium (a google search explains the benefits better than I ever could)
apply my lash serum (when not pregnant or nursing)
brush teeth + floss
i got in trouble at the dentist and had to have a pricey procedure, so I really try to floss :)
turn on our two white noise machines - we have one on Brett’s side of the bed, and one on my side. we got these when we got married, had the best sleep of our lives, and i will never be without ever again. that’s why KK uses one, too.
i also swear by our pillows + our weighted blankets
I don’t have a link for our weighted blankets - ours are just from Target from one of our Christmas Eve Boxes a few years back
plug in phone, plug in apple watch (i do not scroll at night. i’m ready to go to SLEEP.)
night, night!
Curious of our daily schedule once KK became older? See this post!
For more on how we fed KK the first year of her life and our BLW journey, see this post.
