Hi everyone, welcome back to No Manual, A Mom
Cast, where this is a podcast for moms to connect,
hear different stories, and hear a little bit
about motherhood and the... highs and lows, ups
and downs. And we're all just kind of in the
thick of it, of motherhood, whether you're raising
a newborn, whether you're an empty nester, motherhood
is a journey. So welcome back to No Manual. And
today we get to, Erica and I are just chatting
about what's saving our lives right now in motherhood.
So we did get this idea from Kendra Adachi over
at the Lazy Genius podcast, and we did get permission
to use her idea. But it's just kind of a fun
practice that she does of noting things in your
life that are going well and are helping you
get through each day. And so we thought we'd
do that specifically for momming and motherhood.
Yes. Well, let's start with our mom moments of
the week. Do you want to go first? Sure. So every
week we FaceTime my sister. She lives out of
state. So we FaceTime her so she can see. quote
-unquote talk to lloyd as much as he wants to
talk and see the kids and we chat for a little
bit and lloyd knows how to hang up facetime oh
yeah so that's how he tells us that he's he's
done he's over it which is nice that he's able
to communicate that much usually he can't press
the button on his own totally so he like I can
figure it out. And then we're like, okay, let's
wrap up. But this week he figured out how to
do it on his own for the first time. So I'm like
mid -sentence talking to my sister about whatever.
And he presses it. He says, I'm done. Right.
So I was like, oh, buddy, like we have to say
bye before we hang up on people. So we call her
back so that we can finish our conversation and
say bye. And the entire time we're like calling
her back. And I'm finishing talking about whatever.
He's going, bye, bye, and waving at the screen.
I'm all done. But he was over it. He communicated
that. So hopefully now he knows and he can just
say bye. That's amazing. But it was really cute
and really funny. And at least he's communicating
when he's done. Yes. See, I love that he's like.
He communicates when he's done because Colt has
figured out how to hang up, and he just thinks
it's the funniest thing to hang up. So he just
does it any time we call somebody. He hangs up
the phone. It's the joke. The phone, FaceTime,
Google Meet, whatever. He sees the red button.
He's done. It's his bit. Yeah, and he laughs.
He loves it. Okay, my mom moment. Erica was present
for this mom moment. This was a good one. So
I think it was last. It was two weeks ago. Yeah,
two weeks ago. Erica and the kids came over,
and both of our husbands were at a men's event
at our church. And so we were like, you know,
let's get together, and we can do this parenting
thing together with four kids. And so Erica came
over. We had a great night for the most part,
ate some pizza, the kids played outside. And
then it was getting close -ish to bedtime, and
Colt was... digging in the soil of Michael's
new garden and so I like I told him like hey
buddy you can't like we can't dig in the soil
and he did not like that so this whole big tantrum
started and Lloyd Erica's son is just like playing
so nicely in the water table and Colt is literally
on the concrete having just the biggest tantrum
of his life like trying to hit his head on the
concrete, which is like a fairly normal thing,
sadly, that he likes to do. And so I like grab
Colt, go inside. I think at this point, like
maybe he had pooped or no, that was a different
tantrum that he had that he had pooped and didn't
want his diaper changed. But at this point he's
just like, I was like, I just need to get him
inside to like a safe surface. Not concrete.
Yeah. I'd appreciate it not to be concrete. So
I like. Carried him inside. I think I put him
on the couch and he like moved down to the ground.
And he's just, I swear this is probably one of
the biggest tantrums that he's had. Because this
whole thing was going on. Erica ends up like
getting Lloyd changed. Because he was also soaked
from the water table. Yeah, soaked from the water
table. also colt and lloyd were pouring water
on each other yes yeah yeah and so erica like
changes lloyd gets zeta like in her car seat
packs up like they end up leaving colt is still
having this terrible tantrum poor lloyd is just
like staring at colt like wow like what is happening
right now he's just like perfect little angel
kid lloyd is just like i would never throw a
tantrum in front of people yeah i saved that
for at home yes right i know i was surprised
because colt usually does not do that like in
front of people but i'm like okay he must feel
comfortable enough yeah i'll take that as a compliment
yeah yeah that he's comfortable with us so then
they proceed to leave and this it's like 7 30
at this point and i'm like okay it is bedtime
and i'm like trying to get Colt in his pajamas
as he's, like, flailing. I'm, like, Cruz is starting
to get fussy and wants to eat. And this tantrum
lasted well over an hour. Yeah, I texted you.
And that was a long time, yeah. And you were,
like... It's still happening. You had gotten
home, and you were starting to put the kids to
bed. The kids to bed, yeah. And Colt was still,
like, losing his mind, and I'm, like, forcing
him into his pajamas. We usually do like the
two piece like long sleeve jammies and I like
ended up putting him in like zip up jammies because
it was just easier to like get him in. And finally,
finally, I got Colt down. Honestly, I was impressed
that he was just. had that energy oh yeah well
when he did fall when i finally did get him in
to bed and he fell asleep so quickly like usually
he'll like yeah he'll like chat in his bed for
a little bit he'll roll around and um but he
was conked out so quick that would i mean it
had to have taken every ounce of energy he had
because that was a serious tantrum yeah and it
lasted a long time but finally then i ended up
getting cruised down to bed and i like sat on
the couch and just like enjoyed some ice cream
and I was like I did it survive yeah gosh it
was at that and that was my first night putting
the kids to bed on my own oh yeah and so it was
just a doozy and I was like I do not know how
people do this although is it better or worse
to have your first night go terribly honestly
probably better because I'm like because now
maybe it can only go up from here and I'm like
we survived that now everything else is gonna
It's going to be better. Yeah, for reals. So
there's my mom moment. But yeah. All right. Should
we hop into? Yeah. Okay. So what's saving my
life right now? I have some more like more important
ones down the line. But the first thing that
popped into my mind was my morning coffee and
my afternoon diet Coke. I feel that for sure.
So pretty much every morning. We'll go and get
coffee somewhere or I'll make coffee at home.
But a Dutch Bros just opened up like less than
a mile from our house. And we've been waiting
like we've seen it being built. And it finally
opened up like a week ago. And you have a new
Starbucks right there too. Yep. And so every
single morning I've pretty much gone to Dutch
Bros. And then my afternoon Diet Coke is like.
If I could just crack open a cold Diet Coke at
like 1 p .m., that is like, oh my gosh, that's
gold. So satisfying. If it's cold and crispy,
it just, yeah. Yep. Okay. How about you? What's
your first one? My first one, so a little backstory.
I know I've told you some of this. I don't know
how much I've said on mic, but. Zeta of course
was small when I was pregnant and then she was
born small and then they've had like some concerns
about her growth because it's kind of fluctuated
where it's like one week she'll be growing fine
and then the next week she'll grow like one ounce
and it's been all over the place um but I've
I have a lactation consultant who's been just
amazing and it's been so nice of like It like
very much feels like she's on my team and every
appointment it's like, okay, here's our plan
going forward. This is what we're going to try
this week. See if it works. See if she gains
the amount that she needs to or like make sure
she's eating enough, all of that. So that's just
been huge to like have someone who. knows way
more than me and can like give me the information
I need to know when, like when I actually need
to panic. And when it's like, ah, that's a little
bit of a concern, keep an eye on it, but not
like panic yet and all of that. And just to like
get on track and feel supported. Yeah. It gives
you reassurance that everything's okay. So that's
been super good. Yeah. If you're in the area
and need a lactation consultant, I would definitely
recommend her. So you can message me if you need
one. That's awesome. But she's been super great
and just supportive. And Zeta's growing, so that's
what we need. Yep. That's been it. So that's
the first thing. That's awesome. Okay, my next
one, honestly, probably the most important, if
not the second most important one, is my husband.
He is saving my life right now. All power to
all the single moms out there, but I do not know
how. I could not do this. I don't know how they
do it. No, no. My husband is so patient and so
gentle and just so fun with, especially with
our toddler. And he knows and knows exactly what
I need, especially in those times of stress.
And with him, he went back to work this week.
And when he gets home from work, he like. takes
colt to the park or on an errand or like just
to give me a moment to breathe after and that
in itself like has helped me survive each day
and yeah and he like helps in the night and i
don't know how i could do it i i couldn't do
it without him Yeah. Every night that Stuart
is like gone for something, like evening that
Stuart's gone and I do like bedtime by myself
or something like that. I'm like, I, again, I
literally don't know how a single mom does it.
I couldn't do it by myself because the one night
a week that I do have to do bedtime and everything
by myself is rough and it's exhausting. Yeah.
you'll have sure all right my next one is nice
weather it's been really nice lately gosh that's
one of mine too even the days like because we've
had some rainy days but even on those days it's
nice enough to like open the windows in the house
so you get fresh air and it's not like freezing
rain yeah but then the last few days have been
like nice enough to go to the park or go on a
walk and just how big a difference it makes to
A, even just have fresh air in the house. I don't
know what that is. That puts everyone in such
a better mood. But to be able to get to the park
and go on walks and be out of the house is huge,
especially when everyone's losing their mind.
It's like, okay, we're all just going to go outside
and then you can run, you know, Lloyd can run
around in an appropriate space and not break
everything in our house. And I'm happier because
I'm getting sunshine. Yeah. all of that. Yeah.
That's, that's actually one of mine too. And
I don't know if you feel this way. I mean, we
have, so we have like a fenced in backyard and
I don't know what it is about being outside.
I feel like I don't have to supervise Colt as
much being outside as compared to inside. And
I don't know if it's like, cause we have stairs
in our house and like, who knows? He like likes
to climb under or go under our bed and just like,
I don't know. He's just a, he can be like a terror
in the house. But when he's outside, he like
does his fun, like he'll play at the water table.
Then he'll play with his like little bubble lawnmower.
It almost just feels like there's an energy that
can only be gotten out outside. That when you're
in the house, it just like turns into havoc.
Yeah. Cause yeah, I kind of feel the same way.
Even just like going to the playground where
I'm like, I know you can get hurt climbing on
things. Like obviously I don't want him to get
hurt. but it feels less dangerous than him climbing
on certain things in our house or going up and
down the stairs by himself. Maybe it's because
there's a level of I know that he's aware it's
more dangerous. I know I heard something a while
ago about how we need to let kids do dangerous
things safely so that they learn to handle climbing
up things and doing stuff like that. And a playground
is more of that energy or just being outside
is like, okay. you're aware that you can get
hurt more yeah i don't know if that's what it
is but yeah i definitely feel you on that one
yeah okay what's your next one since i also had
nice weather so my next one is it's a chat gbt
so you recommended this for meal planning which
as mom has made a huge difference and then stewart
had this idea the other day and it's game -changing
because it was a rainy day we were both tired
we're like we can't really get out you know it's
way too rainy and muddy to like really go to
a park it's also i think it was a sunday so it's
like everything's closed like you can't go to
the you know the museum or anything like that
so we just looked up like educational activities
for an 18 to 24 month old and then chat gpt's
like here are my recommend recommendations do
you want like more this way more that way and
so then i was like What are things that I have
in my, you know, using household items. And it
gave me like four different options. That's awesome.
Of just activities to do for Lloyd. And all of
them were, or at least the ones that we did,
kept him entertained for a while. And it was
way easier than just like trying to survive.
You know, it's different than stuff we normally
do, so he's excited about it. That's cool. Yeah,
so, like, one of the ones we did is we got the
muffin tin out and put, like, different things
in the different spots for him to move around.
He didn't quite understand, like, categorizing
it. Yeah. But he, like, was definitely interested.
Yeah. Yeah, so that is my recommendation right
now. Okay, that's cool. I'm going to use that.
That's awesome because I feel like we do, like,
the same thing every day, especially when it's,
like, we're at home for the day. Yeah. And I'm
like, I don't feel like I'm one of those moms
that's like, I have a nice sensory activity ready
for you after each nap. Right. Yeah. But if it's
easy, then I'm great. I have a balance of like,
I want him to be bored to a certain extent because
there's a certain amount of healthy boredom.
But then there comes a point where like, you
need an activity because also you're making me
crazy because you're causing chaos in the house
for whatever reason. Yeah. So yeah, so Stuart
came up with that idea the other day and I was
like, I will be using this all the time now.
Yes, that's cool. What's your next one? Okay,
my next one is Target pickup orders and Amazon
Prime. And I feel like I'm just not in my days
of like going and wandering around Target anymore.
Yeah. But the convenience of Target pickup order
and Amazon Prime obviously has always been convenient,
but... I feel like Target pickup order, especially
for like groceries. I mean, most grocery stores
do like you could do pickup and, you know, they
bring it out to your car. But the other day I
was home alone with the kids and we needed some
groceries. So I put in my Target pickup order,
loaded up the kids and we were home like we were
gone for 20 minutes total. And I just felt like
such a like a such a bad mom, actually. I was
like, you know, my kids survived and I went grocery
shopping. That's huge. I was like, this is great.
And with Amazon Prime, we live close to a fulfillment
center, so you can blink and you're like, how
did this get here this quickly? Yep. If you need
it. Yep. exactly i've definitely i think i've
done that with cold medicine specifically for
lloyd i'm like the groceries i either don't want
to go to the grocery store or they're out of
it amazon's actually quicker than amazon's quicker
they're gonna get it here by 5 p .m yep exactly
yep so yeah all right my next one is it goes
hand in hand with the nice weather actually is
i try to get outside almost every day some days
obviously it doesn't happen but Whether it's
going to a park, going on a walk, or just, like,
sitting on our patio. Lloyd has a little basketball
that he's obsessed with right now, so we'll just,
like, bounce out on the patio sometimes or blow
bubbles. You know, it's never, like, a really
exciting, fun event. You know, the park is probably
as exciting as we get. But just getting outside
every day or most days, again, it does wonders
for my mood. Lloyd has energy that he can get
out. He likes getting outside. You know, I think
it's good for all of us. So that's been really
good. That's great. My next one is Tuesday childcare.
So Colt goes to childcare at, we call her Mimi,
at Mimi's house on Tuesdays for, he goes for
like six hours. And I, it's actually been so
good for Colt. So good for me to feel like I
can reset for the week. Not only mentally, but
I like I try to reset my house in that time and
maybe even try to get a nap in or a shower and
like make the bed and some laundry folded and
put away. But Tuesday child care has been like
a saving almost. Yeah, it's been a saving grace
for me and something to look forward to. All
that to say, like, I love my time with Colt,
but it is healthy for me to have a little bit
of time separate from him, too, just for me to
mentally reset and then for us to, like, go into
the rest of the week with a more positive attitude.
Yeah. I know I had, like, a couple weeks ago,
I just had, like, an event to go to with my mom.
I was gone for like five hours or something like
that and came back and I was like, oh, I want
to play with you. Yeah. This is crazy. Like,
I mean, not that I don't want to play with him
on a daily basis, but the energy is just different.
Yeah. It's kind of the absence makes the heart
grow fonder kind of thing. Yeah. But yeah, I
got back and I was like, I'm excited to like
be silly with you and have fun. Yeah. Exactly.
It does make such a huge difference. Yeah. Okay.
So my next one is baking. So. Nice. I have only
done this like a couple times regularly and I
want to make it like a weekly thing where we
just bake something together. Obviously, it's
nothing like super exciting. The thing we did
last week, we had M &M's leftover from an event.
So we made M &M cookies. Nice. This week, my
sister -in -law gave us a bunch of rhubarb from
their garden. So we made like rhubarb oat bars.
So it's all like super easy. Lloyd can just like
pour the flour in. you know we're not doing like
actually pour it in the bowl or is he trying
to um most of the time yes uh this week we also
he just like grabbed because we made it was something
with oats in it so he just grabbed the oats and
threw it across the kitchen and then i had to
like breathe and you'd be like he is 22 months
old of course he's gonna throw oats across the
kitchen and i need to be in control of my emotions
you know it's one of those moments yeah That
was Colt with an egg the other day. It was actually
two eggs. And usually he, like, will help us
make scrambled eggs in the morning and we'll
let him, like, carefully carry the eggs over
to the stove. Yep. And there was, like, something
that, like, I think I said that, like, startled
him. And then he literally chucked the eggs.
Perfect. And then I, yeah, I was like. And you're
like, oh, yes, he doesn't have impulse control.
No. I forgot. Gosh. Yeah. I will say I probably
won't give anyone outside of our family any of
these baked goods without full warning that the
dough probably has been in Lloyd's mouth. Yeah.
It's fine. Enter at your own risk. If you want
it, that's fine. I'm not going to stop you, but
I at least need to give you fair warning that
he probably, like, put his hand in the bowl,
took a bite of something, and then put it back.
Yeah. That's fine. It cooks off. Yeah, it's fine.
But, yeah, it's been a lot of fun to just, like,
that's. That's a fun little thing, yeah. He gets
to learn some stuff, and then we have, like,
a treat throughout the week that we get to munch
on. That's fun. Okay, my next one is my nighttime
TV. Pretty much every single night I'll usually
watch, like, one episode of a show. And I feel
like if I watch any more or anything that's,
like, I can't watch movies right now because
I feel too overstimulated and that's too long.
for my brain to like yeah at one point I think
this is when I was pregnant but it took us like
a week and a half to get through walk the line
yeah I watched it in like 30 minute increments
yeah you get I just feel like I can't focus but
right now I'm like a big like trashy reality
tv person so secret lives of mormon wives on
hulu is our show right now and we've been watching
one episode a night and that has just like given
me so much life and then i maybe we'll have to
start watching it honestly oh my gosh it's so
like i'm so glad my life is not that dramatic
but that i also love that their lives are so
that i can i can sit there and enjoy it yeah
so yeah my night tv is something i look forward
to every single day that's awesome yeah uh my
next one is Diaper change books. So Lloyd is,
of course, he's 22 months old, so changing his
diaper is, you know, a competition sport, and
there should be awards for it. Yes. But if I
give him a book nine times out of ten, he's totally,
he'll let me change his diaper with zero fight.
We get it done in record time. That's amazing.
And we go on with our day. So, and it's gotten
to the point where he'll ask for it sometimes.
Where, like, I lay him down to change his diaper
and he goes, and he points to his books and I
hand him a book and he'll just, like, read it.
Yeah. Which is, it's super cute, but then it
also makes my life so much easier because there's
just one less fight to be had. Yes. And then
I can have a diaper change done in, like, 30
seconds instead of a five minute plus. Well,
it's the worst when it's a poopy diaper. Yes.
You're like, please don't throw this. Yeah. I
really need you to lay here still. Yep. Yeah.
Okay, my next one, what's saving my life is having
a hobby. I don't know if you feel this way, but,
like, when you're an adult, especially with kids,
like, having a hobby or when someone asks you,
like, what do you like to do for fun? I never
have an answer to that question. Yeah, I'm like,
I could have answered this easily when I was
in high school. Um, when I played sports and
I don't know, like hanging out with my friends
and, but as an adult with kids, it's like, I
do not know how to answer that question. But
now, honestly, my hobby is this podcast. It has
been. Yeah. And it's been so fun. And it's like
a little treat away, like out of reality in a
sense, like, yes, we're talking about motherhood,
but like, it's been such a fun. a fun thing to
look forward to when we record and a fun thing
to like, I don't know, like every week I get
to mentally prepare and, and prep for like recording
the next episode and, and what the prep looks
like for that. And yeah, now I feel like I know
how to answer that question. What do I like to
do for fun in this season? Yeah. That's great.
Yeah. So my next one is watching Pixar movies
in release order. So we don't do a whole lot
of screen time. But usually when we do, it's
because it's like the last resort of like everyone's
exhausted. We just need something. And at that
point, you really don't even want another decision.
Yeah. Even, you know, and even just should I
put on Bluey or VeggieTales or a movie? That
much can sometimes even be too much when you're
just at the end of your rope. I made the decision
that if we watch a movie, we're watching a Pixar
movie, and we might not finish it, but we're
watching a Pixar movie, and we started watching
them in release order. So we started with Toy
Story 1, and the most recent one we watched was
Cars. And so that way, the decision is off my
plate. It's already been decided. The next one,
I think, is... Yeah, how far are you guys into
it? So Cars was released in 2006. Okay. So Ratatouille
is next. Ooh, that's a good one. Yeah. So it's
just made my life so much easier to have that
decision already made. And. That's one of the
hardest decisions I feel like is whenever you're
so like, you're so exhausted, you're overstimulated.
And then it's like, let me sit down and decide
what to watch. Yeah. I'm like half the time I
end up not watching anything. Cause the decision
is too much. Yeah. Yeah. That's like same with
picking out meals. I feel like. Yes. Thank God
for chat GPT. Yeah. Yeah. So, but yeah, so that's
been a big one. It's just already having the
decision made. And then also I like Pixar movies
because I feel like they make movies for adults
that are kid appropriate. Yes. So I'm like, you
know, it's not something that I don't enjoy.
And yeah. Yeah, that's cool. That's really a
fun little thing. Okay, my next one is, it's
for sure the most important one. What's saving
my life right now is Jesus. Honestly, I couldn't
do anything without Jesus and just in my everyday
life. And I have been relying on him more than
ever right now. And yeah, especially in the middle
of the night. But yeah, I think that I'm just
so grateful to to know Jesus and to be a believer.
So, yeah, reality is like to be. The most real
is, like, I couldn't do this without Jesus. Yeah,
that's another one where I'm, like, absolutely
no shade to anyone. I just don't know how you
do it without Jesus. Like, this is hard enough
with him. Yes, yeah, for reals. All right, my
next one is not nearly that serious. But Costco
has these meat and cheese roll -ups. Oh, yes,
I know those. Yeah, it's like prosciutto and
salami and stuff like that wrapped in provolone.
And they just make great snacks for Lloyd or
easy lunches. He loves them. I'm sure they would
be cheaper if I made them. But it's so convenient.
I just have them ready to go for the days that
I can't think about lunch or he's hungry and
I want him to have a little bit of a healthier
snack. That's how I feel about Uncrustables.
Obviously not very healthy, but convenience.
You know, sometimes just the convenience and
not having to think about something is what you
need. Yeah. Oh, yeah. And I also like them. Yep.
They're delicious. They are. Um, okay. My next
one, um, I think we have, yeah, two left. Yeah.
So, um, is trying to close my eyes during nap
time. Um, I am not well if I do not sleep. So
it's a better thing for all people around me
if I get a little bit of sleep. And so thankfully
right now with a two month old, like he pretty
much is like sleeping. pretty often and so when
I get Colt down for his nap and if I get Cruz
to sleep like I really try to close my eyes too
during that time and so we can all get some some
good shut eye and that I can have like a good
rest of the day like a better half of the day
if I mine is pretty much the same thing really
I just said nap time because I haven't So this
week in particular, I haven't slept during nap
time because I was trying to get a project done.
But then that was also nice to be like, okay,
there's a period of time throughout the day when
both kids are asleep. Sometimes it doesn't, Zeta
still loves a contact nap. So sometimes I get
less done than I want to. But yeah, so some days
nap time is me cleaning so that I feel better
about the house. But frequently it is, I need
to also take a nap while you're both sleeping.
So that way. I'm a better mom for both of you.
I'm in a better mood. Yeah. All of that. Yeah,
I know. You reminded me because I was like, Cruz
only wants to sleep on me. You're like, you know,
one day we're going to look back and miss those
contact naps. So we got to take them in now.
And it's so true. And again, I still am like,
I would like five minutes a day when someone's
not touching me. Yes. Being touched out is like
such a real thing. It is. I feel it 100%. Yeah.
I feel so bad for Stuart because I'm like, the
kids touch me all day. And I'm like, please don't
come near me. Yes. Or the cats too. Yeah. They're
like, we want affection. We haven't gotten affection
all day. You're like, I cannot. Please leave
me alone. If you try to lay on my lap, I will
throw you. Yes. Okay. My last one is something
to look forward to is what's saving my life.
And it doesn't necessarily have to be something,
like, I don't know, the next day. But, like,
right now I'm really looking forward to, like,
we have a family vacation planned at the end
of June. And so I'm really looking forward to
that. And, like, we're trying to plan and get
logistics all put together for that. So I feel
like, like, in the midst of, like, the weeks
can be really similar. And, like, you know, work.
I don't know, every day kind of looks the same.
But when there's something like out of the ordinary
to look forward to, I feel like that helps me
get through like the mundane weeks. I think having
things to look forward to is super underrated
and underappreciated. Because I found that for
myself too. I'm like, oh, I'm so much happier
when, or at least I can have a different attitude
when. I have something to look forward to, again,
whether it's a vacation or even just like we're
going to this event or, you know, we know we're
going to a ball game with our family, you know,
something like that. Then you're like, oh, okay,
today sucked, but at least we're doing that next
weekend or at least we have this coming up in
a couple months. Yeah, that's huge. I feel like
now more than ever as a mom, like those types
of things are what get me, can help get me through
like the mundane. Yeah. The days that are really
rough. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. All right. My last one
is what I call 10 minute tidies. We're just at
the end of the day. Once Lloyd is down, uh, you
know, Zeta isn't really, we don't really like
get her down for bed in the same way as Lloyd
right now, but we'll get Lloyd down for bed.
I usually put her in her swing for a few minutes
and then I just take five to 10 minutes to like
tidy up the house. I don't get it like pristine
or anything. I don't do any actual cleaning.
Yeah. It's just like toys get thrown into, I
have a couple of baskets, books get put away,
you know, dishes get put in the dishwasher, that
kind of stuff. And it makes such a big difference
for me, both like in the evening, once I'm like
trying to unwind and then also like getting up
for the day when I come downstairs, I'm like,
oh, the house isn't a complete disaster. Yeah.
It just makes such a big difference. I did hear
something at one point, I don't know if this
is true, that your brain just spends a significant
amount of time or a significant amount of energy
blocking out clutter and that can cause stress,
which I'm like, that makes sense. That's why
I'm stressed when the house is cluttered. So,
and obviously I can't keep it pristine all the
time with a toddler running around. That's just
not realistic at all. But even being able to
like go to bed knowing it's like kind of tidy
and wake up. to a not disastrous house yes makes
a huge difference that way you can especially
in the morning like you're not starting your
day like oh my gosh this place is a disaster
yep yeah i feel that 100 if if we can get like
we try to run the dishwasher every single night
so if we can at least do that and i can like
start a load of laundry and just kind of pick
up the toys i feel like a totally different person
and that i can actually relax at night yeah compared
to when the nights like that doesn't happen yeah
yeah then you just are like even if it's not
consciously i feel like you're noticing all the
different things that are you know yeah the toys
that are out and the books that are thrown everywhere
and yeah i feel like the laundry that needs to
be done at least for the next day like you don't
feel like you're starting the day already behind
yes too yeah like you feel like yeah like i feel
like when there's dishes in the morning already
i'm like There's too much. There's too much.
Yeah. Anytime I don't run the dishwasher at night,
we do the same thing. We run it at night and
then I empty it in the morning. It's like my
entire week is thrown off. Yeah. So I'm like,
now we have dishes stacking up because I have
to run the dishwasher even though it's full.
Yes. So my project has been I'm painting one
of our bathrooms. And so things have been like
kind of disrupted because of that. That has made
it feel like so much messier just because there's,
I mean, A, because it is, but it does, it feels
like the things that are not connected to like
the mess of this project are also messier. Like
dishes aren't getting done and toys aren't getting
put away and all of that. Yep. It gets worse
before it gets better. Yep. Promise. It's fine.
Well, that was, I feel like that's fun. We should
do that more often. I like that one, yeah. Yeah.
What's saving our lives? What's saving your lives,
guys? Yeah. Let us know. We'll have like a post
and you guys can all comment. Yeah. What's saving
your life right now in motherhood? It could be
as simple as, yeah, target pick of orders or,
you know, as deep as Jesus. Yeah. Yeah. Like
I said, we got this idea from... the lazy genius
podcast. And I really liked the, this idea of
looking at the little things, you know, obviously
there are the big things that are super important
too, but even just remembering that like, Oh,
having my Dr. Pepper diet Coke every day does
make a difference in like me being in a good
mood or just getting through the day. Yeah, really
does. Um, okay. Well, what, uh, what was your
win of the week? So my win is I think it was
yesterday. Lloyd like came up to me and he was
like kind of whining and I'm trying to teach
him like you don't whine to get what you want.
And he doesn't have a lot of words, but he uses
a few that he has. So if he was whining, I'm
like, what, you know, what do you want? And he
said up and he like actually wanted me to pick
him up. And so I was like, okay. So I picked
him up and he just like gave me the biggest hug
and that's all he wanted. And it was so sweet.
That's so sweet. Yeah. I don't know, it was just,
like, so sweet, and I loved it. Like, all you
need is a hug? It's your mama right now. Yeah,
especially, I mean, not that I am ever super
annoyed with what he wants. Sometimes it's bad
timing. But usually it's, like, he wants a snack
or he wants me to read him a book or, you know,
he just wants my attention. But for him to just,
like, need a hug was so sweet. I loved it. You're
like, anytime, buddy. Anytime. Exactly. That's
so sweet. Okay, my win of the week is Colt has
just started. He like would sign, please. But
he started to say it more often, like vocalize
it. And he'll say it like after what he wants.
So like snack, he'll say like, I don't know,
he wants a bar. So he'll say bar. peas bar bar
peas and then he'll just like keep saying it
over and over again but i'm like it's so cool
to see him connect the two together like something
he wants and then saying please yeah um and i'm
like yes i feel like we've modeled that for him
but now it's like actually registering it's connecting
and it's just like the cutest thing especially
when he's like it could be something like we
can't give him right now like he'll he'll want
to watch tv right and he'll be like watch he
says a little a little different but like watch
please please and i'm like i love that you're
saying please buddy we're not gonna do that right
now but i love i love you saying please good
job trying to encourage that yeah yeah and it's
just so cute like that's so sweet as he's learning
like seeing the things that he's learning and
seeing them come to life i love it it's so fun
this age it's hard with like the tantrums and
all the things but it is super fun to see the
yeah the dots connecting and then Just learning
so much. Yeah. I feel like they're at like that
age, both Lloyd and Colt are at that age where
like just so many things developmentally are
happening. And like there's just so many things
connecting. And it's just, yeah, I feel like
it's just such a fun age. Yeah. It's a lot of
fun. Yeah. But anyways, thanks for tuning in
today to this fun little episode of what's saving
our lives right now in motherhood. Yeah. Like
we mentioned before, we'd love to hear what's
saving your life and we'll, yeah, we'll leave
a little question box on Instagram and yeah,
let us know what's saving your life in this season.
Yeah. But, yeah, let us know what else you want
to hear from us. Please follow us on Instagram
at nomanualpodcast. Please rate, review, and
subscribe. And Cruz would like to sign off with
you guys today. Both the babies are trying to
do our closing for us. Yes. We love you guys,
and we'll see you next week. See you next week.