Two and a half weeks – three simple rules

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...last night was a very loooooong night…and I should know since baby boy had me up for most of it. Good thing I wrote this post yesterday.

Darling daughter is home with me for the next two and a half weeks before she starts kindergarten. Hubby came up with the idea to pull her out of daycare early to try to save some money before we had to pay double daycare costs with baby boy. He figured since I was already going to be home on maternity leave why not have daughter stay home as well.

I agreed to his plan even though I was a little concerned about the length of time I was going to have her at home. Those who know me well know I would much rather be a stay-at-home mom than caught up in the corporate rat race of the working mom. But I have to admit I am concerned about how I will be able to juggle a rambunctious five year old and a newborn at the same time.

Two and a half weeks may not seem like a long time for the iron clad stay-at-home moms who do this year round but for the uninitiated it is a wee daunting.

In addition to her normally high-spirited personality, Darling Daughter is also adjusting to the new family dynamics. She is very excited about having a baby brother and is very gentle and attentive but I’ve already had to create three easy rules for her to follow when she is around baby boy.

1. No prancy-dancy antics (horseplay) around baby brother.
2. When mommy is nursing baby, she needs to give us some quiet time and space. I got tired of the constant attention and her head blocking my view while I was trying to breastfeed.
3. When mommy tells her to stop doing something she needs to stop immediately.

I created a calendar and have started scheduling some fun activities and play dates to help the days go faster. I know Daughter will be happier if she has activities to look forward too.

Any advice from those iron clad stay-at-home moms?

1. How do you keep older siblings occupied and happy while you tend to babies?
2. How do you handle older siblings who want to play/help with baby, especially when their “help” becomes more of a hindrance?