Hours in the day

They say when your baby is sleeping, you should sleep to.  And this is fantastic advice.  Because, let's face it: with a baby as your alarm clock, chances are good that you are not getting enough sleep at night, and there is no way you are going to get a nap while your baby is awake without recruiting some one else to watch your offspring.

And off course when your baby is awake, you need to feed, diaper, play with and teach your little bundle of joy.  Failing to keep your child actively engaged in an activity can lead to your child finding any manner of trouble to get into.

So if you are sleeping when your baby sleeps, and doing baby activities while your baby is awake, when are you supposed to find the time to do any of the other things you might expect to get done in a day at home?

Well high chairs come in handy when it's time to cook.  I set up my son's high chair in the kitchen and proceed to give him the "Mommy Cooking Show" where we go over such culinary secrets as the names of utensils and why you shouldn't touch things that are hot.  Basically it's cooking like you normally would, with the addition of a running commentary on all your actions, and an explanation of each item that you put in your hands.  Think of it as kitchen show and tell.  At the end of which your child gets a chance to sample the food that has been featured in today's show.

Fantastic! We got food preparation and consumption covered.  What about cleaning?  Are you serious?  Speaking from experience, it is not humanly possible to put toys away faster than my son will pull them back onto the floor.  Attempts at making a room tidy while my son is awake tends to end in a bigger mess than we started with.

So when are you going to get things like laundry and house cleaning done?  Well if you're clever and lucky you will have given your child an earlier bed time than the one you your self observe.  Once your child is down for the night, it's time to do the mad dash of household chores that you couldn't get around to during the day.

And like most things with baby, this tends to work, except for when it doesn't.  Don't beat yourself up over it.  If a clean house is really that big a priority to your baby-including life, and you have the means, hire help.  I personally don't hire help, but I know families that started having kids later in life than myself who are established enough that this is a viable option.