I will start off by quickly introducing myself. My name is Rebecca and I am a mom to two little girls, Violet (4) and Penelope (2). My husband and I have been married for 12 years and he is a retired army veteran. I work full time at an investment firm but recently decided to work a four day work week which I love because it gives me way more of a work life balance. Tuesday to Thursday I am sitting at a desk for the better part of the day so I will highlight a typical Sunday in my life as I think that is probably our favorite day.
We then make our way downstairs and the girls immediately get to playing and imagining while I start making something for breakfast. Since we aren’t rushed for time on the weekends I enjoy making a big breakfast like eggs and bacon or pancakes with fruit topping. A lot of the time the girls like to help in the kitchen. Cracking eggs, stirring, adding ingredients, playing in the sink and washing the dishes. With any luck after breakfast my sister and my nephew Charlie (1) will pop by for a coffee…they live right next-door so coffee for my sister and entertainment for Charlie is always a stones throw away. This is the time where the girls drop everything they are doing to play with their baby cousin. They love running around with him and our dog gizmo. The chase around the kitchen table, island, and couches is always on. Our home has really high ceilings so the echo of their laughter is truly incredible…and sometimes quite ear piercing lol.
When the girls…or I need some quiet time we often put on a Disney movie, play hairdresser or read books. Hairdresser is especially my favourite because I loooove having my hair played with. I also love trying to hone my braiding skills on them too. Violet usually chooses the Disney movie over doing my hair, much to my dismay :) …Can’t blame a girl for trying.
Lunch is usually somewhere between 12 and 1. The girls have always been grazers and don’t love sitting for long to eat. They eat way more when they are allowed to eat on the go. Breakfast and Dinner are always at the table so sometimes lunch is in hand while playing and they snack a ton. We are usually entertained by Penelope’s dancing and skipping around the room while we eat. Violet occasionally joins her sister in the fun but for the most part stays to enjoy the food at the table. The dinner theatre around here is next to none.
If we don’t have afternoon plans with anyone we might head to the beach to collect rocks, to the grocery store or to run errands. We live out in the farming communities of Victoria so sometimes we head to one of the local fields or You-Pick’s to do some berry picking. And now that fall is here, the pumpkin patch and apple orchards will be on our list.
On Sundays we all head to my mom’s house or “granny” as the girls call her for a big family dinner. This is something that we do every Sunday and it’s a way for us to all get together and connect about our week. My mom’s parents live with her (“gee gee and gramps”) so it’s a great chance for the girls and Charlie to get to know their great-grandparents. My mom chooses a different country’s cuisine to make every week which adds an element of fun and its always exciting to try the dishes she chooses to make. We usually bring Gizmo and my Mom has a few pets of her own. It makes for a fun, family, pet filled house!
During the weekday, the girls are so tired they rarely make it past 6:15pm but on Sunday’s bedtime is a little hard to stick to since we have dinner at my Mom’s. We usually have to sing as loud as we can with the radio on full blast and the windows down to try and keep the girls awake for the 10 minute drive home.
Once we get home the girls usually get a second wind for bath time. Sometimes with bubbles, sometimes with flowers and oils, and sometimes with a fizzy bath bomb to make things a little more enticing. Hair wash nights add an extra 15 minutes onto our bedtime routine as my husband and I take turns detangling and blow-drying…these girls have some hair!!!
Thank you so much, Rebecca!
I have never been a morning person but to my little ones Sunday is just as good a day as any to wake up somewhere between 5:30 to 6:30 am. Yikes. And really I kind of think the day starts even earlier…basically the moment they crawl out of their big girl beds, wander the halls to my bed, crawl in and battle for position until I am dangling off the edge of a King size bed because both of them want to be beside me…ya that’s where it begins. By 5:30am I can barely open my eyes, which feel more like sandpaper than actual eyes! I know a lot of you can relate. Once the sun is completely up we roll out of bed and I usually hop in the shower while the girls play “wolfy” on the shower floor. This involves them lapping water and crawling around on all fours in circles around me. Long after I have gotten out and into some comfy clothes (weekends are ALL about comfort for me since during the week I have to wear office attire) they are still playing in the shower. And at this point they are usually spreading shampoo, conditioner, or body soap all over the glass shower walls and drawing faces in the steam. Penelope saying “wook mommy, wook at me” and Violet saying “Do you like my drawing?...What does this say?” over and over and over again. :)
Then I get the girls dressed, which I find particularly fun. I have a major love for children’s fashion. Luckily for me, my girls love anything fancy. Violet, who just started kindergarten, wears a uniform to school so while I am enjoying the weekend loungewear, the girls enjoy getting dolled up. After we are finished playing dress-up we all take turns making our beds…growing up my Dad always had a rule about making our beds in the morning so this is one tradition I am more than happy to pass on down! Violet is almost a pro at it already.
We then make our way downstairs and the girls immediately get to playing and imagining while I start making something for breakfast. Since we aren’t rushed for time on the weekends I enjoy making a big breakfast like eggs and bacon or pancakes with fruit topping. A lot of the time the girls like to help in the kitchen. Cracking eggs, stirring, adding ingredients, playing in the sink and washing the dishes. With any luck after breakfast my sister and my nephew Charlie (1) will pop by for a coffee…they live right next-door so coffee for my sister and entertainment for Charlie is always a stones throw away. This is the time where the girls drop everything they are doing to play with their baby cousin. They love running around with him and our dog gizmo. The chase around the kitchen table, island, and couches is always on. Our home has really high ceilings so the echo of their laughter is truly incredible…and sometimes quite ear piercing lol.
When the girls…or I need some quiet time we often put on a Disney movie, play hairdresser or read books. Hairdresser is especially my favourite because I loooove having my hair played with. I also love trying to hone my braiding skills on them too. Violet usually chooses the Disney movie over doing my hair, much to my dismay :) …Can’t blame a girl for trying.
Lunch is usually somewhere between 12 and 1. The girls have always been grazers and don’t love sitting for long to eat. They eat way more when they are allowed to eat on the go. Breakfast and Dinner are always at the table so sometimes lunch is in hand while playing and they snack a ton. We are usually entertained by Penelope’s dancing and skipping around the room while we eat. Violet occasionally joins her sister in the fun but for the most part stays to enjoy the food at the table. The dinner theatre around here is next to none.
If we don’t have afternoon plans with anyone we might head to the beach to collect rocks, to the grocery store or to run errands. We live out in the farming communities of Victoria so sometimes we head to one of the local fields or You-Pick’s to do some berry picking. And now that fall is here, the pumpkin patch and apple orchards will be on our list.
On Sundays we all head to my mom’s house or “granny” as the girls call her for a big family dinner. This is something that we do every Sunday and it’s a way for us to all get together and connect about our week. My mom’s parents live with her (“gee gee and gramps”) so it’s a great chance for the girls and Charlie to get to know their great-grandparents. My mom chooses a different country’s cuisine to make every week which adds an element of fun and its always exciting to try the dishes she chooses to make. We usually bring Gizmo and my Mom has a few pets of her own. It makes for a fun, family, pet filled house!
During the weekday, the girls are so tired they rarely make it past 6:15pm but on Sunday’s bedtime is a little hard to stick to since we have dinner at my Mom’s. We usually have to sing as loud as we can with the radio on full blast and the windows down to try and keep the girls awake for the 10 minute drive home.
Once we get home the girls usually get a second wind for bath time. Sometimes with bubbles, sometimes with flowers and oils, and sometimes with a fizzy bath bomb to make things a little more enticing. Hair wash nights add an extra 15 minutes onto our bedtime routine as my husband and I take turns detangling and blow-drying…these girls have some hair!!!
After bath we get the girls in their jammies. We take a rollerball of thieves or lavender essential oils and draw hearts on their tummies and secret love notes, which they love to guess about. Sometimes we choose a book or two and sometimes I sing to them. We have a usual line up of songs but somewhere in the mix I always fit in a little “Que Sera Sera”. Kisses, cuddles, and off to dream land.
Thank you so much, Rebecca!
Instagram: @house_of_douglas
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