How to Mominate on a Saturday

As I write this, my youngest is struggling to stay asleep after only 45 minutes of nap time. I say that so that you know that I know that perfection on a Saturday is not even possible with kids. Oh, how we've tried and failed at that, making lofty plans for our day that would resemble the image of Disneyland commercial perfection if everyone would just cooperate. I'm coming at you from a place of total realness when I tell you, though, that we've learned one of the most important keys to success on the weekend is lowering your expectations. However, that doesn't mean don't try to do fun things! It just means making some adjustments. I'm going to share my tips on what works for us... what it actually takes to have a great Saturday with littles. Because these are things that need to be intentionally thought about, discussed, and planned in advance.

*Charlie cries out in the background*

Our Saturday morning looked something like this.

5:50am Wake up to our alarm, which is set that early so that we can enjoy at least 10 minutes of coffee and conversation before our kids wake up.

Tip #1: WAKE UP EARLIER!

You can't be a night owl anymore. You have kids. If you allow them to be your alarm, you're just starting out the day in a reactionary way. Instead, be proactive about trying to wake up a full 30 minutes or so before you know your kids will, so you can squeeze in a little time for yourselves. This doesn't happen for us every morning -- in fact, Charlie has woken up before 6am at least three days this week. But we keep trying and some days it works out, and whenever it actually does work out, the positive start to our morning makes every attempt (even the failed attempts) worth it.

6:05am Julep wakes up.

6:15am Charlie wakes up. Our day has officially started.

We get everyone dressed (Ryan takes a picture of me for my Street to Studio post), we peel bananas and make toast for the kids to hold them over, and are headed out by 7:50. Then, Charlie poops and starts screaming so we turn around to change a diaper. Luckily we were still on our street.

Tip #3: GET OUT BY 8 AM.

This is so important! Find SOMETHING to do at 8, if you can. We've found that if we stick around the house for even an hour more, the kids start to go stir crazy, we get frustrated, and then there's really only enough time to do one thing before coming home to eat lunch and put them down for naps. I am talking specifically about the days where you want to go out and do things. There's nothing wrong with spending a Saturday in, intentionally. But on days that you have errands or fun plans, starting at 8 gives you plenty of time to do a few different things. There's less of a chance that you'll end up frustrated because you've ended up staying out too late while your kids begin their overtired melt-downs in the antique store that you just stepped foot in (speaking from experience).

8:05am We discuss quick breakfast options in the car and settle on The Fresh Market because it's the best place in town to get healthy food where we don't have to sit down and order.

Tip #2: THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

The Fresh Market is a grocery store! For what we would have paid sitting at a restaurant with unruly toddlers and likely an unfortunate attempt at coffee, we bought coconut waters for the kids and ourselves, a container of watermelon, four grass-fed yogurt cups, prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella sticks, an apple for Julep, a muffin for the kids to share, hard boiled eggs and a fresh young coconut for smoothies this week.

By going to the fancy, atmospherically lit grocery store with classical music in the background, we felt like we were treating ourselves. Really, though, it was the best of both worlds because we got there so early the place was practically empty that the girls could wander the aisles without making an awkward scene and we also ended up with a healthy breakfast that cost the same or less than what we would have spent on something much less satisfying.

8:50am We give the kids their muffin in the car and head to the coffee shop with our grocery store breakfast in-tow. We ask the barista if it's OK for us to bring food in (she said yes!) and we stand at a table where we enjoy our lattes and eat.

9:45am We leave the coffee shop and head to the YMCA to work out together (free child watch!)

11:00 We abandon our plans to go to Aldi because the girls are visibly tired and ready to rest at home. We go home for lunch and in a series of fortunate events catch Frozen on Disney Junior which had just started!

Tip #4: BE FLEXIBLE

We really do need groceries. We could have pushed the kids and dealt with them in the store but we know that it would have ended up being a crappy end to a great morning. Instead, we decided that we could scrounge enough to eat and feed them for lunch at home, and made plans to go back out to the store later. This kind of flexibility and attentiveness to what your kids need (even if it means you don't get everything out of the morning that you wanted) will make your whole day smoother in the long run. Sure you might miss out on something you were excited about or really needed to get done. But if you quit while you're ahead, you avoid tantrums and frustration that just wouldn't be worth it.

12:30 Both kids are down for naps. Ryan and I clean the house together, and then I sit down to write this post. Ryan just went into her room and they're sitting on the couch together, so I'm going to end this here to hang out with them! Happy Saturday!