On Being Bored

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I love being a full time mom. I really, truly do. And fully understand how lucky I am to be in a position to stay home with my baby. I don't take that for granted. There are a lot of women and men who wish they could be with their littles all day. With all that said...

It's a little slow going sometimes.

10 months is so fun and definitely funner than 6 months or 2 months...you get the point. Even though independence is bittersweet at times, it's fun to see Phoenix figuring out how to play and explore.

While we do leave the house every day and try to do as many different things as I can think of, it does get a bit repetitive. I know, I know...what a boring life in New York City. I can hear you playing that tiny violin for me. But I suppose it's the same as any town, suburb, or big city. You visit the same several playgrounds in heavy rotation, library, pool, sprinklers, and run errands. Over and over and over. I'm sure it's not the place that makes the difference, it's the activities and the structure of your day.

Typically we all wake up together between 6:30 and 7, we play in bed for a few minutes, I nurse P, and Scott takes him out into the living room so I can have a few moments of calm before we begin the day. I then join them and have a cup of tea while Scott has his coffee and P plays. After Scott walks down the hall to begin his work day, P and I sing and chat while I make his breakfast and mine. Sometimes he's hungry, sometimes not. We sit at the table together and have our breakfast while I usually listen to a news podcast. After breakfast we play a little more and then it's morning nap time. During that time I try to get everything and nothing done. Once he wakes up we get changed and pack our bag, have lunch, and off we go.

Most days we hang out around our neighborhood in Brooklyn. We go grocery shopping, meet a friend for coffee, play in the grass, take aimless walks and stop for picnics. At least once a week we take the subway across the river into Manhattan. Sometimes we have errands to run. Most times I just need a change. We walk around our old neighborhood and stop by my favorite coffee shops. We check out new pizza places. We chat with flight attendants on the High Line. Adventures. I've also been scoping out new playgrounds now that we are on the verge of walking. Just swinging no longer interests P. He is ready to move, slide, and climb. Help.

But I digress. If we are out long, P naps in the carrier or stroller. If we get home, he usually goes down sometime around 3. Between the hours of 4 and 6 is when we get creative. Sometimes we head back out to the playground. Usually I summon husband to play with baby while I start on dinner. Scott entertains P with chasing him, singing, making crazy sounds, and whatever else it takes.

Then it's dinner, bath, and bed by 7.

To be honest, this all sounds so silly as I write it out. Wah, wah, my life is so terrible hanging out in my cute neighborhood with my awesome baby every day. I get it.

I guess you have to be a stay at home parent to really understand this but sometimes when I'm out walking around aimlessly with nothing to do, I imagine what my friends are doing at work. I wonder what kind of deadlines they are facing and where they are getting their fancy lunches from that day. Sometimes I remember my life when it was filled with fancy lunches and commuting. Was it more exciting? Hard to say. Maybe on the surface. It definitely was not as fulfilling. And while I do have my own business, which is on hold right now, I am truly happy being at home with my guys. I wouldn't prefer another path.

So what is the point of all this? The point of writing this all out and sharing my real life? I guess mostly it's for me. Just writing this whole silly "worry" out helped put things into perspective. Isn't that what writing is all about, after all? Full disclosure.

My question for all the other stay at home parents is - How do you break up your days? Do you find yourself doing the same thing? If you have a baby, how do you keep things fresh?

I appreciate this open forum and the opportunity for us all to voice our day to day annoyances, triumphs, and stories. Thanks for listening.