With our move to Mississippi came my transition from working mom to stay-at-home mom! I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a preschool teacher and treasure the memories I made and the lessons I learned about life and about education, but my heart has been aching to spend more time with my son since my first day back from maternity leave. I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to spend my days with him. People often wonder how stay-at-home moms spend their days. I have created a nice little routine for James and myself, so I thought I would share!
Little Dude usually wakes up around 6:30. I bring him into bed with me and nurse him, then we snuggle and play for a bit while I get woken up. I get up and get his diaper changed, then put him on my back in the Tula or Ergo carrier to take the dog for a walk. Sometimes we go around the pond to say good morning to the ducks, sometimes we walk some trash to the dumpster and I see people marveling at the lady with the baby AND the dog AND the trash bag!
We get back and I feed the animals and water the plants outside, then get breakfast ready for James (and coffee for myself!). While he eats I am in and out of the bedroom getting my face washed, makeup on, hair brushed, and clothes on. Then I make the bed, unload the dishwasher, grab a quick bite, and get him dressed. If there's enough laundry for a load, I will throw some in the wash while he plays, then I read with him and we watch Sesame Street before heading out around 9:30.
I try to have something for us to do outside the house every day. The first few weeks we lived here, we were stuck at home all day since we only had one working vehicle, and I almost lost my mind! Now we go to the Children's Museum, the library for storytime followed by the playground behind it, the dog park, the grocery store followed by the playground by the beach, etc. We come home around 11:00 and up to this point, Dustin has been getting long enough lunch breaks to come home and see us or meet us at a restaurant. We eat an early lunch and clean up James' toys from the morning, then he gets changed and I nurse him down for a nap between 12 and 12:30.
Once he's asleep, I finish getting toys and breakfast/lunch prep items put away, finish laundry, clean the litterbox, and do my weekly chore for the day. Mondays I dust, Tuesdays I vacuum and Swiffer the floors, Wednesdays I clean the bathrooms, Thursdays I clean out the fridge and make my meal plan and grocery list for the following week, and Fridays we go grocery shopping. On the weekends I try to get the car cleaned out, but so far that hasn't been happening.... I also have monthly and seasonal chores that I space out for myself using a notecard filing system I learned from the book Sidetracked Home Executives (highly recommend for anyone who needs a little help getting organized and staying on top of housework). This sounds like a lot, but it actually doesn't take long at all. I usually have time to take a short nap myself, or spend some time painting (a hobby I have recently picked back up) or watching TV.
James is usually up between 2:30 and 3:00. I nurse him, get him a clean diaper, and we take the dog for another walk. Sometimes we'll come back out just the two of us and feed the ducks, go to the little playground right by our building, or I let him just wander around the apartment complex and explore while I follow close behind. Then back inside to play and read books until Dustin gets home between 4 and 4:30.
Once I have that extra set of eyes and hands, I get dinner started. We eat as a family, usually between 5:30 and 6:00. Then Dustin gives James a bath while I clean up from dinner. Depending on my mood, I might whip up some cookies (from scratch, of course!) or some other treat, then get the dishwasher loaded up and running.
After he's had his teeth brushed and his jammies put on, James plays and reads with us, annoys the animals, or snuggles on our laps while we watch some TV. We try to find some time to Skype friends and family at some point in the day, as well.
A little before 8:00, I have James help me clean up his room, then I nurse him to sleep. I have the rest of the evening to relax with Dustin. We catch up on our shows, I work on my blog, he studies for his Air Force training, then we head to bed to rest up before another busy day!
This is just a typical day. There are times we go out to dinner and/or shopping, visit friends, or check out events on base. On the weekends we explore our new town and the surrounding area, or work on special projects at home. We are by no means in a rut; on the contrary, I am the happiest I have ever been with our life together! I no longer feel like I'm missing out on watching my kid grow and experience the world, and I don't get sad at bedtime or on Sundays because I know the next day will be another one I get to spend with him! No more am I feeling buried by a never-ending pile of housework I'm too exhausted to tackle, because now I'm able to keep up with it throughout the day. I am so thankful for my husband and his career allowing me the option to take this time away from working outside the home to focus on caring for our family.
Little Dude usually wakes up around 6:30. I bring him into bed with me and nurse him, then we snuggle and play for a bit while I get woken up. I get up and get his diaper changed, then put him on my back in the Tula or Ergo carrier to take the dog for a walk. Sometimes we go around the pond to say good morning to the ducks, sometimes we walk some trash to the dumpster and I see people marveling at the lady with the baby AND the dog AND the trash bag!
We get back and I feed the animals and water the plants outside, then get breakfast ready for James (and coffee for myself!). While he eats I am in and out of the bedroom getting my face washed, makeup on, hair brushed, and clothes on. Then I make the bed, unload the dishwasher, grab a quick bite, and get him dressed. If there's enough laundry for a load, I will throw some in the wash while he plays, then I read with him and we watch Sesame Street before heading out around 9:30.
I try to have something for us to do outside the house every day. The first few weeks we lived here, we were stuck at home all day since we only had one working vehicle, and I almost lost my mind! Now we go to the Children's Museum, the library for storytime followed by the playground behind it, the dog park, the grocery store followed by the playground by the beach, etc. We come home around 11:00 and up to this point, Dustin has been getting long enough lunch breaks to come home and see us or meet us at a restaurant. We eat an early lunch and clean up James' toys from the morning, then he gets changed and I nurse him down for a nap between 12 and 12:30.
Once he's asleep, I finish getting toys and breakfast/lunch prep items put away, finish laundry, clean the litterbox, and do my weekly chore for the day. Mondays I dust, Tuesdays I vacuum and Swiffer the floors, Wednesdays I clean the bathrooms, Thursdays I clean out the fridge and make my meal plan and grocery list for the following week, and Fridays we go grocery shopping. On the weekends I try to get the car cleaned out, but so far that hasn't been happening.... I also have monthly and seasonal chores that I space out for myself using a notecard filing system I learned from the book Sidetracked Home Executives (highly recommend for anyone who needs a little help getting organized and staying on top of housework). This sounds like a lot, but it actually doesn't take long at all. I usually have time to take a short nap myself, or spend some time painting (a hobby I have recently picked back up) or watching TV.
James is usually up between 2:30 and 3:00. I nurse him, get him a clean diaper, and we take the dog for another walk. Sometimes we'll come back out just the two of us and feed the ducks, go to the little playground right by our building, or I let him just wander around the apartment complex and explore while I follow close behind. Then back inside to play and read books until Dustin gets home between 4 and 4:30.
Once I have that extra set of eyes and hands, I get dinner started. We eat as a family, usually between 5:30 and 6:00. Then Dustin gives James a bath while I clean up from dinner. Depending on my mood, I might whip up some cookies (from scratch, of course!) or some other treat, then get the dishwasher loaded up and running.
After he's had his teeth brushed and his jammies put on, James plays and reads with us, annoys the animals, or snuggles on our laps while we watch some TV. We try to find some time to Skype friends and family at some point in the day, as well.
A little before 8:00, I have James help me clean up his room, then I nurse him to sleep. I have the rest of the evening to relax with Dustin. We catch up on our shows, I work on my blog, he studies for his Air Force training, then we head to bed to rest up before another busy day!
This is just a typical day. There are times we go out to dinner and/or shopping, visit friends, or check out events on base. On the weekends we explore our new town and the surrounding area, or work on special projects at home. We are by no means in a rut; on the contrary, I am the happiest I have ever been with our life together! I no longer feel like I'm missing out on watching my kid grow and experience the world, and I don't get sad at bedtime or on Sundays because I know the next day will be another one I get to spend with him! No more am I feeling buried by a never-ending pile of housework I'm too exhausted to tackle, because now I'm able to keep up with it throughout the day. I am so thankful for my husband and his career allowing me the option to take this time away from working outside the home to focus on caring for our family.
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