When school was cancelled for a snow day this spring (argh!), the first thing I did was jump to the list of Rookie mommy challenges and see if there were any I could complete while home with the kid all day long. There was a best one: Challenge# 29, freshen your bedroom.
I took Weston to our bedroom (to picture this challenge appropriately, you need to realize that we all share one room) and fashioned a playpen on the bed for him, using pillows, his Boppy pillow, and many, lots of toys. He sat there for around five seconds. In those five seconds I evaluated the situation. I tend to pile clothing on my jewelry box, my dresser, and the floor. I needed to find a way to make these hot-spots less hot and a lot more clean.
Weston swiftly made a decision he would have none of this “playing on his own” thing, so I moved him to the crib with his little piano and mirror, and I sang out loud to him while cleaning. just as I got a lot of of the clothing put away, he made a decision he was officially done and wanted to be held. While holding him with my ideal arm, I used my left to haul things all over the house. books to the living room, towels to the linen closet, baby gear to his room.
Mama needs a Break!
By the time that was done I was sure my arm was going to fall off. I made a decision a break was due (and I was starving), so we went to make lunch. He was beyond worn out at this point, so we sat, enjoyed some Kardashians, and had a bottle (him, not me). finally he fell asleep, I transferred him to the crib…and I got a lot more done in the twenty minutes that he napped than the two hours of previous cleaning! I moved my feet faster than I knew they could go (but quietly!), and managed to get all of the clothes away, the floor swept, moved my jewelry box to the corner of the room (no a lot more piles on that!). The room was looking really good! He awoke just as I was about to make the bed, but like the sweetheart he is, just lay in his crib viewing his mobile. As I propped the last pillow on the bed he started to fuss, so I picked him up, and like all the baby dolls I’ve ever owned, propped him on the middle of the bed, like a little king.
The verdict (I think I Can, I think I Can!)
I realized a few things while embarking on the challenge. first off, it is possible to clean a room (and well!) with a baby in the house. However, it takes you about ten times as long to do it, and a lot a lot more mental energy. Furthermore, I realized that while I think I am efficient with my morning routine, there’s no way I can be as efficient as I want to be with a messy room. However, the best part of the challenge didn’t come until late that night. Weston was getting sleepy, so I took him up to our bed to enjoy some television and have a bottle; when I walked into the room, it felt like a hotel! I couldn’t believe how hard I had worked, or how much I accomplished. It was such a great feeling to see all my hard work paid off; mostly, it was crucial for me to see that I could still do it all. At least for that snow day, I did it all.
Find a lot more baby activities with the 52 weekly rookie mommy challenges.
If you’re already participating, use hashtag #rookiemoms on instagram or twitter so we can cheer each other on.