How to RV with a Baby

Q: How does one camp with a baby?
A: Like most things, you just kind of do.

We took Casey camping in Morro Bay California. Having never done this before, we decided RV life would be better than “real camping”. It was a great call, albeit challenging for my 6’3″ husband who bonked his head one two many times. Getting there was also challenging for my 9 month old son. What I thought would be a 4 hour car ride ended up taking 7 hours, thanks to the stops necessary for diaper changes and melt-downs. My son ran out of patience and wouldn’t stop crying for the last hour. However, once there, he was happy as a clam! I loved watching him experience it all. At the end of the weekend we had learned a lot about how to camp with a baby. I would do it again in a heartbeat, with a few changes.

Where to Rent an RV

You can rent an RV on multiple sites. We used Outdoorsy which many Californians use. I rented an RV that I was already familiar with and rented before. It was a Sprinter van designed by Texino which is no longer in business. Driving it wasn’t that much different from driving a truck. We placed a seat in the back for Casey’s carseat. If I had a do-over, I would have requested two back seats so that one of us could sit with him and entertain him. It was difficult to have him separated from us, and I think the melt-downs could have been avoided if we were playing with him.

I would recommend booking add-ons that will make camping an EASIER experience for you as a parent. We chose to do early pick up time and early drop off time for an extra $100 so that we could travel according to baby’s needs. We also chose to pay for the clean-up fee and gas-up fee, so we didn’t have to worry about either upon return. It was well worth it!

What to Pack

As a minimalist, I believe we packed too much. Luckily, our RV had a lot of storage room. However, maneuvering around the bigger items was a pain. Casey was 9 months old. We were there for two days, and here is what I would recommend bringing. (Please take into consideration that every stage of infanthood has slightly different requirements.)

Doona Liki Trike or Umbrella Stroller. Do not bring your big, fancy stroller. You will be hiking trails and such. It will get ruined. Also, the nice strollers are way to bulky even when folding up. You need as much floor space in the RV as possible.
Bottles and Travel Bottle Cleaner. We got this travel bottle cleaner when we went to Japan so we could wash water bottles in hotel sinks. It comes with a soap dispenser. The RV had a sink with limited water. We used up the entire tank washing dishes and bottles. Which is to say, use sparingly and plan accordingly.
Formula and Extra Water. You want to make sure your baby has access to clean water.
Baby Clothes. He only used one outfit per day and one jammy per night. I packed two extra outfits because I knew accidents can happen but to be honest, when you are out in nature, you get dirty anyway. One tip I have is to bring fuzzy PJs, so you don’t have to use up all the power running heat all night. I also wouldn’t worry too much about layers. It would be a different story if we were camping in a tent.
Diaper and Wipes.
Travel Diaper Changing Mat.
Pack and Play with Warm Blanket. Since we had the heat at 68 degrees all night, we didn’t need to put the warm blanket on him. Instead it provided a soft surface for him to lay on, making his pack and play feel more like a bed. This pack-and-play fit nicely within the RV.
Comforting items for baby. We brought the stuffie he sleeps with every night. And too many toys for the car ride! We also brought books which I definitely won’t do again.
A portable sound machine.
Sun Screen. Casey uses this Korean product from Green Finger. The compact makes it very easy to apply.

If your baby is much younger, check out this road trip packing list for newborns.

How to Make Camping Easier

Camping can be a bit over-whelming, logistically speaking. The best advice I can give other than bringing less stuff, is have less expectations. Just plan to get outside. Do not stay cooped up in a camper. It is way too small. Only one adult should handle the tasks in the camper van. The other one should be outside with the baby, and enjoying the scenery. To be honest, we were both too stressed out trying to “work” in the van at the same time. If we simply relaxed and took turns spending quality time with our son, it would have gone more smoothly.

Another recommendation is to bring food that is easy to cook. I would not recommend leaving the campsite once the RV is docked. We tried that on the first night and Casey had none of it. He was already exhausted from the drive up. Foods I recommend bringing include soup and bread, pasta and pre-made sauce, cup of noodles which could be made with hot water, hot dogs, and smores.

Lastly, if I had a do-over, it would be to pick a campsite close to home. Or to pick a few campsites on the way up to our final destination. Honestly, the drive was the hardest part. Making Casey sit in a van for 7 hours just wasn’t kind. He’s just a boy who wants to be outdoors! We took plenty of breaks, stopping for lunch or simply letting him “drive”.

Minimalist Disneyland Packing List

We have taken Casey to Disneyland on two occasions now. It has been 12+ years since either of us went but we are OBSESSED! Especially after realizing that bringing a baby to Disneyland is not difficult at all. I was mostly scared of logistics, like timing naps and carrying a lot of baby stuff all day long. See also: running out of said baby stuff. Luckily, it helps to be a minimalist when deciding to trek a theme park. Today I will be sharing my minimalist packing tips if you want to spend a stress-free day at Disneyland. Bring only what you need, and leave the rest at home.

Minimalist Disneyland Packing Tips

Stroller. The stroller is key! It helps to lug all of his stuff, as well as our reusable water bottles and our own jackets if the weather changes. We own the Uppababy Cruz V2 Stroller and it is so easy to navigate around crowds. Casey was comfortable being pushed around in it all day long. I was at first hesitant to bring our expensive stroller to the park, but there are Disneyland crew members manning the areas and everyone is on the honor system. We have not had any problems. Everyone brings their own strollers!
Diaper Backpack. The diaper bag we chose is a Product of the North Elkin Diaper Bag so that either parent can carry it. It also works well with the carrier, as a single person can wear the backpack in the back and the carrier in the front. This diaper bag is on the smaller side, which we like! It comes with a travel changing pad and the top handles allow it to hang from our stroller or be carried as a handbag. Minimalist me wanted to only have ONE bag for baby stuff from the get go. It was essential that we choose a bag that can stand wear and is usable on multiple occasions. We have taken this backpack EVERYWHERE Casey goes since the day we took him home. We even went on our Japan trip with our 6 month old infant just carrying this while trekking Tokyo and Kyoto from 8am to 8pm! I love this diaper backpack.
Diapers (7)
Wipes
Formula Dispensers with Formula inside. Every traveling parent NEEDS this life-hack (and I don’t say this lightly). Tommee Tippee formula dispensers can be premeasured with up to 6oz. of formula powder. The spout pours the powder directly into the bottle with ZERO-mess. And if you have the Tommee Tippee bottles, they actually store inside them quite nicely. We have the Dr. Bronner bottles for Casey and I prefill our bottles with water to make my life easy. Milk is ever-ready.
Sound Machine. Our travel sound machine is like the backpack. It goes with Casey everywhere. It signals him when sleep-time is, but more importantly, drowns out the noise of rides, laughing kids, and theme-park music during his nap. Casey was able to nap in the stroller and carrier for an hour thanks to this machine.
Carrier. A carrier is useful for when you stand in lines. Strollers have to be dropped off at the parking area, and depending on the day, wait times of some of the rides can be north of an hour. One tip that I would consider a non-negotiable is to sign up for a Genie Pass. It reduced all our wait times to 25 minutes or less. Either way, unless your baby is big enough to carry on the hip (mine is!), you will still want the carrier even with a Genie pass. This last go around, we didn’t really use it. The Tush Baby is another great option for older infants and toddlers, but to be honest, its quite bulky. Minimalist moms probably don’t need it.
Extra clothes for Baby and You. For Casey, I pack two tops and two bottoms, in case he has a blow-out, and because he loves to play in the water park at Toon-Town. I would also recommend parents bring extra T-shirts in case of spit-ups and/or baby messes. For example, last time, Casey squirted his fruit pouch contents all over my shirt.
Portable fan on a hot day.

Now you may be shocked to hear this, but everything I just mentioned fits inside our backpack. We simply walk up to Disneyland with a stroller and a backpack in the stroller under-carriage. If we hop on a ride or go into a restaurant, we park our stroller and bring the backpack with us. Half the time, I leave the backpack under the stroller so I don’t carry anything. As for my belongings, I only carry a cell phone in my back pocket, lip balm and a wallet. My spare jacket and refillable water bottle, as well as snacks if I bring them, go in Casey’s backpack or in the stroller under-carriage.

I like this minimalist Disneyland packing list because it allows me to actually enjoy the day. I am not over-tired carrying stuff as the stroller pretty much pushes all our belongings around for us. Plus, leaving all our belongings at the stroller parking makes it easier to maneuver tight lines. I actually feel like I am carrying less than non-moms who lug their jackets, extra clothes, and refillable water bottles in a purse or bag!! They have to carry their belongings with them all day long. That must get heavy! Trust me. Disneyland is easy to navigate as a mom. And I think it will get easier as he gets older.

Next time, I plan not to bring a carrier. And to bring less milk now that he can start eating solids and sharing our food.

Case of the Mondaze 05

Better late than never. It is Friday but I am referring to earlier this week. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we had a great time. Except for the fact that the HOA decided to, without warning, tear up the street and repave the sewer holes… at his exact nap times. This was extremely frustrating for me, who relies on nap-times to get rest for myself. I decided this is what I’ll log today, because it was a tough moment that I had to deal with. And I think it’s just as important to share the hard moments with the nice, light, fluffy ones!

It was 8:30am and just as I finished feeding him a bottle and shut the blinds, the incessant noise of them digging up cement began. Incredibly loud, fast and repetitive – like a finger on a trigger of a firearm. I remember peeking through the blinds like a person in the movies, eyes glaring left and right. I was fuming with anger. Then I told myself I had to let it go. But nope! Ten minutes later, I found myself at the front door with Casey on my hip, staring at the end of the courtyard where two men were unknowingly disrupting the peace.

I wanted to walk right up to them and yell. But instead, I shut the door and quietly walked the steps back up to his room shaking my head. He fell asleep in my arms but when I set him down, his arms and legs twitched with each start of the machine. I went downstairs to drink coffee, knowing it won’t be long. And that he would be grumpy. His ninety minute nap ended up being forty-five. Thankfully, my little sport was a champ about it.

So I decided, let’s get away. Off to Target we went! He had fun bouncing in the cart. We went down the baby aisle and perused fun things for him. I did some grocery shopping. He pushed buttons in the toy aisle and his eyes grew big when they made sounds or lit up. I know understand why Target is a mom’s dream.

Back home, it was finally peaceful. We had lunch and then settled down for a 1pm nap….when they decided to dig up the sewer hole in front of my neighbor’s garage! I had mistaken their lunch break for the end of drama. I was pretty upset. Casey fell asleep in my arms again, and for a second, so did I. But when I awoke and tried to transfer him, he kept springing up like a sprout. I couldn’t get him to actually nap in his crib! Of course, the noise was still blaring below his window.

At some point, he was crying because I had kept trying to get him to sleep when he was energetic enough to crawl and play. I calmly set him down in his crib with a toy and actually walked away! My frustration at the crew was not meant for my son, and I definitely did not want to direct it at him. At the same time, my anger was draining my energy. So I removed myself from the situation in order to get my bearings. Sometimes in life, that is what you have to do in order to get a clear picture. Just walk away.

I set a 5 minute timer. Then I let my son cry it out in the crib while I recollected myself. I closed both our bedroom doors and crawled under the covers. It was the best thing I could do. I did not direct any anger towards my son. At the same time, I needed the space to process the anger in order to let it melt away. I left him alone to play, but unfortunately he wanted to be nearby. I did not run to save him. In order to help others, you need to help yourself first.

The five minutes of drowning out noise gave my mind the reset that it needed. At the end of the day, it was the pounding of pavement that was fraying my nerves. And the timer gave me a boundary to regain my composure, and then return to my job – momhood. I came back calmer and happier. Somehow, I had let it go. I picked him up from the crib and consoled him, then we went downstairs to play!

I write all this because motherhood isn’t perfect or easy. But there are ways to make it easier on ourselves. I was proud with the way I dealt with the situation because I did what was right FOR ME. Everybody handles stress and situations differently. Finding a way to handle it without transferring it to your child is important. Casey hardly sees my anger or stress. Most of the time, I separate myself from him when it comes to the surface. This was very different from how I was raised with my Boomer parents. Anger was normal. Yelling was a form of communication. Blaming and guilt were accepted ways to relate to others. Ever seen Home Alone? Young people would look at that and think, “Dysfunctional!”. But back in the day, that was a normal, big family.

I write this because, sometimes, people feel like they don’t have the right or ability to walk away from responsibilities. But you definitely do. In order to recenter and eventually be able to return to your life in a way that allows you to show up 100%. Moms, I am looking at you! To be honest, I wanted to jot this down in case I forget too.

Happy Case of the Mondaze!

Opening a HYSA for my Infant Baby

Yes, I opened a High Yield Savings Account with Marcus for my 9 month old baby. I am a big proponent of HYSAs, as they are a great way to save money that you don’t want to risk losing. HYSA’s have a high interest rate (with my referral to Marcus you can get 5.5% APY at this time!), earning you 550X more than what you would get at a traditional bank’s savings account. Our HYSA account makes us decent passive income. Unlike stocks, the HYSA has a guaranteed rate of return every month. And we don’t feel any risk with losing our savings. If you want to learn more about High Yield Savings Accounts, check out this post I wrote.

Why did I open a HYSA for my Infant Baby?

My son is 9 months old. So why did I open a HYSA for my Infant Baby? Recently, my son received two monetary gifts. The first was from his aunt, who wanted to start a tradition of gifting him $50 for Christmas so that he could save money for a Euro Trip when he turned 18 years old. The second gift was from two friends of ours, who gave him small cash for Chinese New Year. Which got me to thinking, how should I best guard his money?

I’ve decided that I wanted to keep his gifts separate from our accounts, because keeping track of that can be a nightmare. I also figured, even though investing his gifts in stocks will give a higher rate of return in the long-run, I did not want to risk losing money in his portfolio. With stock volatility, it would be unfortunate if, at the time he turned 18 years old, the market should choose to plummet. Because my sister-in-law’s wish was to fund a Euro trip before college, I knew that it was time-dependent. Lastly, I knew that a regular savings account at a bank would yield 1/500 of what a Marcus HYSA would. So that is why I chose to store his monetary gifts in a HYSA account.

How to open a HYSA Account for an Infant Baby?

So, you can’t really open an account for an infant baby alone. However, you can open a separate account under your name and make your infant the beneficiary. At 18 years old, you can also switch your account to a joint account so your child can access the funds. It was easy to open an account. I just did it online, and if you want to take advantage of the extra 1% APY for the first three months, you can sign up using my referral link here. Now that it’s all set up, it’s a matter of depositing his monetary gifts into my Chase Personal Checking Account and then sending it to his Marcus account.

(PS: It is imperative that you name your child and husband the beneficiary to ALL your accounts if that is what you wish in the event that you pass. In some states, your assets do not always transfer to your spouse or child automatically. Some states will deem your parents next of kin, so make sure your assets have the correct beneficiaries tied to them.)

To summarize, a HYSA is a great tool for your infant baby’s savings because:

There is no risk of losing the money.
It earns 500X the interest of a traditional bank’s savings account.
The money will automatically go to the beneficiary you named shall something happen to you.
At 18 years old, he can have access to his money.
It is easy to use.
I can keep track of his gifted money without confusing it with our own money.

If you are a new mom or have kids but are not sure how to help them financially, check out my post Essential Finance Moves Parents Can Make For A Newborn Baby. Set them up for future success today!

Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

Minimalism Makes Motherhood Easier

People ask how I am incorporating calm into motherhood. May I be the first to say, it isn’t easy. But I find that curation cures all, parenting included. Or at least, it facilitates a calm enough environment for thriving. The best thing I did pre-Casey was to become a minimalist. I didn’t know that my decision to declutter in my twenties and thirties would impact life when I finally had a kid. However, I now see that Marie Kondo still remains, to this day, the most influential personal development writer I have ever read. There is no denying that minimalism makes motherhood easier.

Choosing to live an intentional life means choosing what to spend life energy on. Sometimes, it requires me to make cuts that normal people would feel bad cutting out. It starts with decluttering things, sure. Some people have trouble with that alone. But eventually, it leads to cutting out social expectations, events, personal ego, and yes, even people. That’s where others draw the line at minimalism. But I go to the extreme. When it comes to the trade-off (my limited time and life energy), minimalism is the one thing I don’t compromise on. And it is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Minimalism Makes Motherhood Easier

There is no clutter in the house.

Less toys, less noise. Less noise, less stress. Many moms express that unfinished chores and tidying is a burden on their subconscious mind. It’s nice not to have that extra burden. It is also nice when the house feels like a sanctuary. I can actually relax when the baby sleeps. I like that it looks and feels like a spa waiting room. I think all moms deserve a beautiful and calm space to decompress.

There is less stuff to clean up.

Have you ever walked into a home with children and there are toys scattered everywhere? I have! I can’t imagine what those parents have to go through when it comes to tidying the space. How do they prepare for guests to arrive? Or clean the house? I am sure it takes time. That will never be us. Having only a handful of child-centric toys for Casey means we don’t have to clean things up all the time. They are gathered in specific locations rather than scattered around the entire house.

There are less things to organize.

I have seen videos of moms sorting through mountains of clothes. They have to figure out which ones are too big, too small, dirty, and clean. Laundry day means constantly sorting through which jammies to declutter, and which ones to save for the younger siblings. The same goes for toys and baby products. We only have the bare essentials when it comes to baby products. I even felt like my 10 newborn onesies were too much! As a newborn mom, I was saved from sorting through stuff. I was busy learning new things. Figuring out what to do with baby items should not be on the to-do list.

The calendar was clear of social obligations.

We did not acquiesce to ALL visitor requests. Saying no to loved ones is hard for some people to do. However, we made time for ourselves to enjoy our maternity and paternity leave. Mike and I went out for coffee dates, lunches, and walks almost every day. This was OUR time. So we made sure it was spent as a new family unit, doing things we wanted to do for ourselves. I felt no pressure to entertain more people than I wanted to. I will continue to be selective when it comes to social events that we say “yes” to.

There was no financial burden or stress.

Mike and I believe that hard-earned dollars should be spent on things that bring value. We trade our personal time and life energy to make money. It should never be wasted. We did not spend a lot of money on Casey. Part of that is because we did not acquire a lot of stuff. Minimalism naturally means you don’t need to spend as much money in general. But we also found most of our baby products, clothes and toys for FREE. This post lists all the items we DID NOT BUY for our baby. It baffles me when people say babies are expensive. They really are not. People just spend too much money on them.

There was time for myself.

The best thing about minimalism is that I have time for myself. This week alone, I attended four workout classes. Last month, I read seven books. I go on coffee dates with my sister and take baths in the evening. I paint my nails when I feel fancy. Simple things that I used to do before Casey, I can still do because minimalism frees up time in motherhood. I don’t have to do as much tidying, cleaning, organizing, or socializing. I don’t have to work as many days since we don’t spend as much money as other parents. I have more patience with my son because I am not burned out or exhausted while being a mom. I am in a positive place and have the energy during down-time or in the evenings to give to myself. And that is the most beautiful part of minimalism in motherhood.

Photo by Ellie Ellien on Unsplash

The Art of Time-Blocking for New Parents

Time-blocking the schedule is a strategy I learned before Casey was born. By adding blocks of time to the schedule for specific tasks to get done, you are setting boundaries in your day that allow for focus and efficiency. Pre-motherhood, I engaged in the practice of time-blocking in order to increase output. I used it to increase work-efficiency, as outlined in Cal Newport’s latest book “Slow Productivity”. Post-motherhood, I am time-blocking for my mental health. The art of time-blocking is an under-utilized strategy for new parents. But I think they can benefit greatly. Here is why every new parent should consider the art of time-blocking.

How My Schedule Changed When I Became a Mom

When Casey was born, I did not expect to accomplish all the things I used to. Rightly so, as I managed two side-hustles on top of a day job. But despite reducing my work load significantly and clearing my calendar, I still had trouble caring for Casey and getting stuff done. I quickly realized that babies need intermittent but immediate attention. While he took frequent naps, there was zero predictability as to when he would wake up and my free time would end. And once a baby was awake, they needed immediate attention.

In early motherhood, I found myself multi-tasking with frequent task interruption. This led to massive frustration. As a high-performer, I greatly dislike unfinished business. Unfinished tasks are like clutter, for the mind. Also, because my attention was being pulled in all directions, things were getting missed or forgotten. I struggled to get anything done!

Why Multitasking is Stressful

Our brains aren’t made to process more than one thing at a time. Studies have shown that the neurons in our brains are actually switching from task to task when we think we are multi-tasking. This constant switching of attention is costly in terms of energy.
Distractions slow down progress. It is better to work for five minutes straight with undivided attention than it is to stop half-way for a 30 second interruption.
Confusion is frustrating. Our brains will get over-whelmed when there are too many inputs to process. This can lead to confusion, which can lead to frustration.
Juggling tasks with childcare is dangerous. Babies need undivided attention. Something can go wrong in the blink of an eye. Since our brains aren’t REALLY multi-tasking, juggling tasks means we aren’t focusing on our babies when we are doing anything else.
Mistakes can be costly. We have an increased chance of making mistakes when we try to do too many things at once. In motherhood, the stakes are higher. A mistake can lead to a lot of stress and guilt!

Why Time-Blocking Works

Time-blocking avoids misdirected frustration and anger.

Sometimes, when we are trying to complete a task and the baby takes up too much of our attention, we can have misdirected feelings towards the baby. It isn’t the baby’s fault that you feel the need to complete the task. It isn’t their fault that they still need a lot of help at this age. Unfortunately, that misdirected anger really should be targeted at the limited time or resource that you have, rather than the task or the baby itself. It is up to you to time-block every task to have your focused attention. Not enough time in the day? Delegate tasks to other people. Declutter unnecessary tasks. Simplify what you need to accomplish. Ask for help.

Focused attention is more efficient than divided attention.

It can take me ten minutes of undivided attention to accomplish a task. With distractions, it will probably take me at least double the amount of time. Why? Our brains require time to switch from one task to another. It isn’t immediate. Sometimes, our brains need to reorient itself and pick back up a few steps back from where it left off. This results in re-doing what we have already spent time doing.

Children are taught healthy boundaries early on.

Another great thing about time-blocking is that you are modeling to your child how to set healthy boundaries around your time. A child may feel ignored if you are distracted all day. They will see you doing other things and will process that as not spending time with them. Practicing the art of time-blocking as a new parent means you get to explain to your child that for the next hour, it is just you and them. You are making room in your calendar to spend quality time with them. Then it will be time for you to do XYZ, and your child will have play-time. Setting these types of boundaries around the schedule teaches the child that they are important, but they are not the only thing in the world. It also teaches them to focus when they are doing tasks. And it helps them communicate with others how they want to spend their time when they are older.

We are in the present moment.

When we set aside dedicated time to be with our child, we are being fully present. My phone is on “Do Not Disturb” and in its docking station in the living room or my bedroom. I am enjoying every moment I have with him rather than thinking about what to do next. I am not upset about all the things I have to do later, or the things I didn’t finish. Why would I be? This time was already planned for and it is not getting “in the way” of anything else. I saved this time for my son.

Flow is more easily unlocked.

As a creative, accessing flow is super important in my work. Both in dentistry and writing, distractions lead to creative death. Time-blocking things such as writing is crucial to productivity. I have to set aside focused time when Casey is either asleep or with someone else.

A stronger parent-child relationship is accomplished.

There is no greater gift than undivided attention. Since time is the most limited resource we have, it is the most special thing we can give. We have the opportunity of forming stronger bonds with our kids when we spend quality time with them. For me, the moments when my parents gave us their undivided attention form my core memories.

What to Time-Block

Of course, there are many tricks to time-blocking. I highly recommend checking out my post on how to optimize timing in a day before you get started. This is because order matters. You want to align tasks with energy level, depending on your chronotype. Prioritize your tasks and put the hardest ones during the time of day when you have most energy. Then, I would recommend blocking out time for the following:

Visualization.
Planning the calendar.
Quality time with your child.
Household chores.
Creative work or WFH.
Administrative tasks like checking emails or making phone calls and appointments.
Breaks or rest.

Now I know some of you are thinking, “Time-blocking is impossible!” Maybe you are a stay-at-home mom, single parent, or have an extremely needy child. I get it. It takes resources to have your hands free-enough to time block. And sometimes we are limited on resources. But I believe time is the most limited resource of all. Yes, more than money! They say you spend 90% of all the time you will ever spend with your child in the first five years of their life. Then they will be off to school, sports, activities, college, work, and their own lives. So I say, find the resources!

Finding The Resources to Time-Block

Hire a nanny. In order to make sure you find the right one for your family, I made a list of interview questions for a great nanny you may want to consider.
Gather relatives. Ask grandparents to watch them for an hour a week. Ask siblings to take them out on outings.
Ask a neighbor. See if they can watch your kid for an hour, and then maybe you can trade off and watch their kid for another hour. Lean in on community. It would be great if you could befriend parents with kids similar in age to your child.
Unplug. Stop wasting what precious time you DO have on social media or online. In fact, go to your phone right now and look at your screen time. You may be surprised to realize that the “time you don’t have” has actually been there all along.
Have some fun activities that can engage your child’s focus for a certain amount of time. If you have an older kid, talk to them about the importance of concentration. Ask them kindly to read or play in their room so that you can make them a yummy dinner, or fold their clothes so they have something to wear. Better yet, try to engage them in the chores themselves. If you need to fold laundry and you have an older child, have them help you with the task. This way the task will be done sooner and this will leave you with more dedicated time for your child. Just make sure the help isn’t counter-productive.

Case of the Mondaze 03

Rainy Mondays are hard. Hard for a teething child, hard for a mother needing fresh air. I tried my best. It was, after all, his 9 month birthday. We spent the morning playing with his toys but by the first nap, he was already bored. So I tried to go on a park adventure! But the steering wheel was dripping wet. His socks got soggy. I’m pretty sure he caught a cold.

When I saw the neighbors walking their dogs, I thought, “GREAT! Let’s make use of the pause in rain.” By the time I packed him in his stroller, it was sprinkling again. He was covered in the plastic stroller cover, dry as a bone, as I walked briskly, my hands gripping the handlebars so tight so they wouldn’t shiver. I thought, “I definitely wore the wrong pair of shoes.” We stopped to take a picture at the bridge. He was grinning from ear to ear. At least I made his day by going outside. We’ll worry about the snot later.

Back at home, I pulled out a “birthday toy” which was really something I saved from Christmas. Now I know where the saying “save for a rainy day” came from (I think/prolly not). We had to do three naps because his fuse was short, as was mine. The snuggles were nice, until I set him down. He popped back up screaming every time. I succumbed to sitting on the rocking chair holding him while he snored, and I read a book in his dark room. When I get glasses in a few years, I will think of this moment. I couldn’t really see what I was highlighting and my other arm was numb. I was holding on ’til I could be relieved by my husband, who walked in the door with, “I think I’m getting sick.”

“Cool, but yoga starts in an hour so do you want dinner now or after?” I whipped up dinner, happy to be doing ANYTHING ELSE, then ducked to yoga. After refreshing my mind, I rushed home to make it back in time for his bedtime routine. No way I was gonna miss that!

The rainy day tested my patience and presence. It was very difficult; some days are. But I’ll look back on these little snippets of mediocre motherhood and think, “Oh, right. That’s the moment I lost my eyesight.”

I got the idea of writing about my days with Casey from another mum. You see, Mondays are OUR days. I get to spend all day with my son as I stay home from work. It is the only day I fully dedicate to him. As sad as it is to say, when I was dedicating my every day off to Casey, I couldn’t help but feel burned out and resentful. I had no days to recharge or reset. Eventually, Mike and I hired a nanny to buy ourselves personal time. But on Mondays, Casey has my full attention. I don’t get any chores done and I don’t make a to-do list. I’ll flutter around the house tidying up or take a shower during the occasional nap, but other than those slim (and getting slimmer) moments of silence, there is nothing else in my world. So it would be a shame to not remember these days that are honestly so special to Casey and I. Hence, this series. The Case of the Mondaze.

Case of the Mondaze 01

New Year’s Day! Mike and I returned from a weekend getaway trip – our first trip without our son. How was it being away? AMAZING! It helped that we had nothing to worry about. He was in the happy hands of my parents who were excited to have their first of potentially many sleepovers. We had a wonderful time alone celebrating our 7 year anniversary. Too wonderful in fact, that as we turned into the driveway of our home, I realized that I forgot one thing – Yupp! That we were supposed to pick up our son from grandma and grandpa! To be honest, there were moments when I forgot I had a son during the weekend. I kinda hope for more of these trips with Mikey.

Today was a simple day with Casey and Mike. A good start to the New Year which I hope contains many more adventures with my boys. Casey was in a great mood when we picked him up, having spent the weekend with the most attentive people ever who probably served him everything he wanted on a golden platter. He took a fat nap which allowed Mike and I to meal prep and eat lunch. In the afternoon, we went to the park at Esencia Green, Casey’s favorite. He pretend-drove on the steering wheel, we flung him around on the swing, spun his brains out on the merry-go-round, and played with the activity table underneath the slide. He picked his first orange on the groves today, too. The orange wasn’t ripe, but it was there for the taking anyway – at the perfect height for his Doona trike, our favorite gift from the holidays!

We went home thinking he would nap, but instead he whiled away on the activity walker, and resisted sleep. Mike made him banana pancakes and mashed sweet potato. We thought it’d be fun to also try raspberries and a trunk of a banana. Casey didn’t think it was fun, as he threw up all over my rug in protest. Too chunky! So we cleansed his palette with applesauce, which he gulped so fast.

Our day ended with the usual bath routine, and the continual attempt at climbing the crib and dresser. I should probably commemorate that my 8 month-old is wearing 18-month clothes now. Which makes me wonder, WHO decides what constitutes as 18-month clothes? As well as, Where did my giant son come from? Surely not from me.