Shannon Phillips

So, I’ve been trying to establish something of a schedule to organize our weekdays around. It can’t be very strict, of course, because Davy needs what he needs when he needs it, but I think Robin and I would both benefit from having a clear and predictable order to our days: and really it should be something other than All Pingu All the Time. (Pingu is an adorable little show that my friend Wendy introduced me to: I put it on a few weeks ago in order to get a break from Thomas, and Robin immediately became obsessed.) He’s been watching really a lot of television for the past couple months, while I was struggling to deal with the last stage of pregnancy and then the new baby, and now I want to set better limits on that.

Here’s what the schedule looks like right now, leaving out “nursing the baby,” “changing the baby,” and “walking around bouncing the baby,” all of which happen of course at frequent intervals.

7:30: Robin wakes up. He climbs into bed next to me (if I’m not already up with the baby, and if he didn’t move into our bed in the middle of the night). We cuddle for a bit, until he gets too rambunctious and/or Davy gets fussy. Then we get up for real.

After Robin gets out of bed I sit him on the potty; we read a couple of books together in the bathroom, during which time Robin will do absolutely nothing related to the function of the room. Oh well. I want to at least keep him used to the idea of sitting on the potty frequently.

Then I get him and myself dressed and I fix breakfast for us both. After breakfast it’s “free play” time for Robin (I make sure his train layouts are in working order) while I pick up around the house and check my e-mail.

At about 10 o’clock I load the baby into the sling and we all head to the park. If I time it right we can catch the nursery school kids there; otherwise, there’s usually another child or two there for Robin to interact with. The walk to the park is just as interesting to him anyway. He points out all the landmarks on the way: the friendly cat, the barking dog, the house with a big “S” in front…

We get home around noon, and I make lunch. After lunch we do another round of “potty time.”

And then, ideally, it would be naptime. Unfortunately, Robin really doesn’t nap on cue: the best I’ve been able to do is get him to lie in his bed for fifteen minutes. I consider this a good-faith effort; if he’s not asleep at the end of fifteen minutes, I let him go on his way, no matter how much he’s yawning and rubbing his eyes. Sometimes he crashes out later and sometimes he doesn’t.

Anyway, after naptime quiet time, it’s arts-and-crafts time. Today I cooked up some playdough:

Recipe for playdough:

Put a cup of water in a pot and add enough food coloring to get the color you want. Turn the heat up medium-high and stir in a cup of flour, half a cup of salt, a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and a tablespoon of cream of tartar. Stir constantly as the mixture thickens: this will be kind of a trip as the texture changes drastically in a short period of time. I imagine older kids would get a real kick out of stirring it up. Anyway, when it’s formed a stiff ball, turn it out and let it cool. When it’s cool enough to handle, knead it a bit and Bob’s your uncle.

When Robin gets bored of the day’s art project he can wander off and look at his books or play with his other toys—it’s “free play” again until about 4 o’clock, which is when I finally give in to the insistent cries of “Pingu! Pingu! Pingu!” Actually I try and put him on the ClickStart first, because at least that’s interactive. But the electronics will keep him happily occupied until Sam gets home, and it gives me a chance to prep dinner (and blog!)

So, that’s the schedule: it sounds pretty good the way I’ve written it out, although I assure you that no day so far has gone exactly according to plan. And probably none ever will.