My Pre-Baby Maternity Leave Bucket List

I’ve been making a bit of a maternity leave bucket list in my head and knowing what my memory is like in pregnancy I thought I’d jot it down to give myself something to refer back to.

1. Rest and relax
I think this is my number one priority.  When you have your first baby you basically walk around in a naive bubble and don’t realise how tired you’re about to become. I won’t be making that mistake again so lots of feet up time for me.

2. Read
Whilst my feet are up I intend to read, I love reading but I just don’t make the time for it.  I’m aiming for a book a week up until the baby is born and here is the line up so far:

3. Wash tiny clothes
As I mentioned in my 30 week pregnancy update, I have started to wash some of the newborn bits for baby but I do intend to wash everything up to around the three month mark just to soften it all up a bit.

4. Pack my hospital bag
I’ve had my bag packed for some time, just in case, but all the items were unwashed and stiff from the packaging.  Once everything is washed I’ll repack the bag and show you all what I plan to take to hospital for me and the wee one.

5. Batch cooking
We don’t have a huge freezer but I do intend on making a few meals ahead of the baby’s arrival.  Meals like pasta bolognese, chilli con carne or cottage pie that I can whip out of the freezer during those early days and have on the table in minutes rather than spending an hour prepping and cooking.  I still want us all to eat well and for the kids to have a warm dinner in their bellies before bed.

6. Write
I’m hoping maternity leave gives me the time I’d like to write more blog posts but I’m concerned it’s going to be so relaxing I can’t even be bothered! Hopefully the latter won’t be true and I’ll be writing more consistently.  I do have to be careful about how much time I spend on the laptop as I don’t think it helps my migraines.

7. Have fun with the kids
This will no doubt get progressively harder the larger I become, however, I intend to do some fun stuff with the kids before baby number three arrives.  First up is an overnight stay at Alton Towers over Easter. People look at me like I’m made when I tell them and I probably am.  I’ll be 32 weeks pregnant and will need to sit down often but as long as the kids are smiling I’m happy.

8. Clear out
One of the books I have been meaning to read for a while is the Marie Kondo book linked above.  I really want to have a declutter in my bedroom and make it more minimal.  Mostly this applies to my wardrobe.  I’m usually not a hoarder but I have this obsession with holding on to clothing which either doesn’t fit or I don’t particularly love. I’d much prefer to have five tops that I love then ten that make me feel awful!

9. Clean
It’s a bit of a cliche but I intend to clean the house throughout the next nine weeks to within an inch of its life.  We clean on a regular basis as it is but I mean those parts that don’t get cleaned as often as they should. Everyday I am planning to make an hour for each of the items I’ve noted on this list; so an hours cleaning, an hours reading and so on.

10. Decorate Logan and Florence’s bedrooms
Ok, so my input here will be minimal but it’s something that needs doing before baby comes. Both rooms need painting, storage and general organisation. I’m hoping the nesting instinct will kick in before I get to this task!