Like everyone else, our life has changed dramatically in the past month. We were supposed to be wrapping up Spring Training and slowly transitioning to Kansas City for Derrick’s job but instead are back in Gainesville to ride out the quarantine in the comforts of our own home. I had plans to launch this blog which would document our lifestyle as a family of four on the road. However, things changed and we’ve had to adapt like everyone else in the world. Quarantining in Gainesville is now what we’re doing. Launching a new venture in the best of times is scary but in the midst of a Worldwide Pandemic, even scarier. Anyway… here I am ready to take it on, put my fears aside and embrace it.
Safe at home is our thing. Sheltering in place with two toddlers? We got this. It’s taken me a few weeks to get here but slowly I am beginning to enjoy our new normal. The first few weeks of March the kids and I spent our days exploring AZ and enjoying big-city attractions. We settled in so well to the time change and I was able to navigate stay-at-home life pretty well. Once MLB canceled spring training we felt that it was best to come home, so we made the trek with all of our bags back home!
After half a month with the kids alone, I realize how challenging it is to be a full-time SAHM. I am extremely grateful for this time the kids get to spend with both parents catering to their needs! Praise God for an attentive partner who hasn’t missed a beat!
Our new normal isn’t much different than our old normal and luckily I have two toddlers that I don’t have to homeschool! However, we have had to make a few changes to our daily routine to keep the days busy. Here’s what our current schedule looks like:
7:00-7:45 – Wake-Up
7:45-9:30 – Breakfast, Open Play, Kitchen Clean Up
9:30 – 10:00 Outside Time/Walk/Bike Ride
10:00 – 12:00pm – Dash Naps || Dylan Plays
12:00pm – 1:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm-2:30- Dylan Naps || Free Play for Dash
2:30-3pm – Snack
3pm-4:30pm – Dash Naps|| Dylan Plays
4:30-6 pm – Family Activity
6 pm-7 pm – Dinner and Bath Time
7 pm – Dash to Bed
8 pm- Dylan to Bed
This is a loose schedule for our day. Derrick and I alternate handling different tasks during naps when it’s easier to wrangle one kid. Playtime/free play looks like many things all of which I have outlined here. We take turns doing any of those activities or if we’re not up to it we watch Frozen/Frozen II for the 900th time. In this season I’m walking in grace not perfection and giving The Robinson’s permission to watch Frozen as much as we want. In general I don’t spend much time outside because of the insane amount of bugs andin the sun but I walk no less than 2 miles daily with the stroller which takes up a big chunk of our day.
It took me about a week to adjust to this schedule and we’re still not strict about it. We take it day by day! The only thing I am strict about is bedtime! Wrangling two under two is exhausting and I need the few hours at night to myself to decompress. So I make sure they are in bed by 8 pm at the latest. That few extra minutes to binge-watch Netflix with Derrick or delete the 100’s of emails in my inbox keeps me sane. Finding small doses of sanity are keeping me from panicking so I can stay calm for my family!
A few things that this new normal has allowed for is me to workout! For years I’ve paid for a gym membership and never used it. Who would have thought a world-wide pandemic would be the thing to get me back on track and back into fitness! I didn’t think I liked home workouts but it turns out I do. In my free time, I’ve been trying new fitness videos. I didn’t want to spend any more money so I made a quick list of the free ones that I rotate between below:
Amazon Prime Fitness
Pop-Sugar Fitness
7 Minute Work Out App
Also, some of my favorite fitness influencers and trainers have posted their easy to do home workouts. I included links to their pages below too! My all-time favorite is Hip Hop Fitness with E’lyse! She does 6 classes via zoom weekly! It’s the perfect way to sweat and party.
How are you navigating your new normal? Feel free to leave some tips below!
The Robinson Way Blog 