I am sitting on the floor of my hallway right now. The baby just fell asleep in her crib and if I step on the wrong floorboard she will wake back up. I have a cold cup of tea next to me and a plastic dinosaur pressing into my knee. This is usually when I get my writing done.
The Myth of the Schedule People always say kids thrive on a strict routine. I tried that for my first two. I made charts with colorful stickers and set alarms for exact nap times. It just made everyone miserable. Somebody always woke up early or refused to eat when the schedule dictated. Now we just have a loose rhythm instead of a clock. We eat when we get hungry and we sleep when we are tired. It is a lot messier but we argue a lot less.
What Actually Gets Done I gave up on complicated sensory bins and matching outfits a long time ago. Most of our art projects involve torn up cardboard shipping boxes and washable markers. I wash the same load of towels three times because I forget to put them in the dryer. I write down the small things that work for us so I do not forget them by next week. You will find ideas here for getting through a rainy Tuesday afternoon without turning the television on for five straight hours.
I am not a child development expert. I am just a mother trying to figure out how to cut a waffle into the exact right shape so a toddler will actually eat it. I still get it wrong half the time.