Two Under 2 + Works for Me Wednesday
I’m coming out on the other side of “two under 2.” Christian’s birthday is in a couple of weeks, and Eliza’s almost 4 months old. We’re definitely done with the newborn stage, and Christian has matured a lot too since Eliza was born.
Big, Fat Disclaimer to start this post: I have very little figured out. And getting through each day is really about relying on the Lord and His grace, not having some sort of perfect routine.
However… I do love reading other moms’ practical tips (try these and these), so I thought I would link up with Works for Me Wednesday for the first time, in order to share a few hints that have helped me manage.
1) Cook way ahead of time. Waiting until the “witching hour” (which is basically the last two hours before Daddy comes home) when everyone is tired and cranky is pretty much the worst thing you can do. I usually do as much as I can during Eliza’s morning nap while Christian plays independently (or hangs on my leg whining). I also try to cook in batches, so if I’m browning turkey I’ll do the whole package and then divide it up. Crockpot meals are great too of course. This enables us to go outside during the witching hour instead.
2) Make those tandem naps happen. It can be really hard some days, but I think it’s worth it. This has been the biggest challenge for me to trust the Lord in when it doesn’t happen, so I’m not saying force it obviously, but I do try. Lindsey had some great advice on how to do it in the post I linked above. Now that Eliza takes a consistent morning and afternoon nap, I just make sure she’s awake by 11 at the latest so she can go down around 12:30 or 1:00 with Christian. And I don’t mind changing his naptime up a little so they can sleep at the same time.
3) Use snack time strategically. My biggest challenge has been the fact that Christian can’t be trusted near Eliza without direct (as in six inches away) supervision. This obviously makes it difficult to do… well, anything, since she doesn’t take long naps. So since I have to guard her the rest of the time, whenever he’s confined in his chair for a snack, I put her on a quilt on the floor and wash dishes. That’s the only thing that keeps those dishes from piling up to the ceiling.
4) The best cleaning tips I found. I read this post on Biblical Homemaking a few weeks ago: Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule. A guest author shared her top three routines for keeping control of the chaos. In a less busy season, these things wouldn’t be a problem, but they’ve helped me immensely since I read them because I can’t keep the whole house easily picked up like I used to.
Anyone relate to these ideas, or have some of your own to share? 
There is truly something to that first one! It make so much sense, and I wish I did it more often. I can’t wait for the days to turn a bit longer, that seems to help with the dreaded witching hour. We need sunshine in our day for as LONG as possible!! 
Your kids are adorable! I appreciate how you are honest in writing about the joys AND challenges of mothering. Thinking towards the future (if the Lord blesses us with children), these thoughts help me in developing realistic expectations about motherhood!
I understand exactly where you are at. I cannot trust Cora with Elinor either. She’s not violent just curious which can be a little frightening. I try to get things done when Cora naps.
I love these posts! I will have “two under two” in June. My mom told me that when she had two toddlers and a baby, she would put my baby brother in the pack-n-play in the living room, while we(the toddlers) were also playing in the living room, so she could leave the room if she needed to.
Anna. You are so wise. I seriously wish that your blog came up on my reader, because I am SO bad at finding non-blogger blogs that I love reading. I worry often about managing my home when I have two babies, but it takes 1) total reliance and Jesus and 2) proper planning! Thanks for providing insight. Us less-seasoned mommies really appreciate it.
And I never thanked you for the lunch ideas! I am getting better at lunch, thankfully. I’m going food shopping today, and might incorporate some of your brilliance into my lunch shopping. Do you find it hard to eat with two babies? Or do you cook for all three of you simultaneously during the day?
And I’ll confess my sin: I am envious. Haha, I so wish my husband was Tim Tebow’s friend! That is really awesome though. Your husband became that much cooler in my book – making you cooler by association. 
I always just tell myself if I never meet him this side of heaven, there’s always the other side! In all seriousness, I am grateful for people like him whom our children can look up to for their faith. I struggle being that firm in my faith and I don’t have near the pressure he does. Such a cool witness to the world.
Aw, thanks, Chloe! I love your blog so that’s encouraging!
I do find it hard to eat during the day sometimes but with a little advance planning I can get my meals and snacks in. I sometimes eat lunch with Christian or during naptime.
Oh, and the Tim Tebow thing – they’re definitely not best buds or anything, haha. They grew up 10 minutes apart and knew each other, and my husband hung out with his brother a few times. The funniest story is that he (my husband) actually offered to throw a football with Tim once, so he got his phone number, but they never actually did it (A.J. was in college and Tim was like 14 at the time). Anyhow, just wanted to clarify my claim! 
Love this post, and trust me it’s going to get better and better and better every day