Calling all SAHMs! What is your typical schedule like during the day?

[QueSeraSera]

The title says most of it. I am going to be a SAHM as of April 8th because our daycare provider is quitting and we cant find a replacement that is financially feasible (daycare in Hawaii is crazy...to the tune of $1500/mo before taxes and fees!) Anyway, at this point in time we have decided that it will be better for me to stay home and so I have just handed in my 2 week notice at the architecture firm I work at. I am a bit sad to put my career on hold, but am very happy that I will be spending time with my DD. The thing is that I am the type of person that is very easily bored if I dont have loads of tasks to accomplish (now dont get me wrong, I know that caring for a child and a home is a full time job, so don't think that I am saying that being a SAHM is by any means easy) Anyway, I am wondering how you SAHMs fill in any empty time you may have in your days!

 

[aliss]

I also quit a well-paid career yesterday due to childcare costs and practicalities! So I totally understand

Here's my typical day.

530-6am: wakeup, feed baby/change/put him down to play while I have coffee with OH before he leaves for work
7am: baby in sling, take dog for 30 min walk
7:30am: feed baby breakfast solids
8:30am: 1st nap
8:30-10am: ME TIME!!! <- I read a book (I'm a nerd, got a 600 page thick novel on post WWII allied-axis relations lol)
10:30am-noon: workout @ gym (daycare for 1 hour is $3 at my gym)
noon-1:30pm: home, play on floor, 30 min dog walk in sling
1:30/2pm: 2nd nap
3:30pm: dog walk in sling
4:30pm: plays in jumper or kitchen floor while I cook
5pm: OH comes home, everyone has dinner
7pm-ish: bedtime for him
7pm-9pm: ... yeah right. More likely,

 

[Parkep]

The title says most of it. I am going to be a SAHM as of April 8th because our daycare provider is quitting and we cant find a replacement that is financially feasible (daycare in Hawaii is crazy...to the tune of $1500/mo before taxes and fees!) Anyway, at this point in time we have decided that it will be better for me to stay home and so I have just handed in my 2 week notice at the architecture firm I work at. I am a bit sad to put my career on hold, but am very happy that I will be spending time with my DD. The thing is that I am the type of person that is very easily bored if I dont have loads of tasks to accomplish (now dont get me wrong, I know that caring for a child and a home is a full time job, so don't think that I am saying that being a SAHM is by any means easy) Anyway, I am wondering how you SAHMs fill in any empty time you may have in your days!

wow!! thats a lot of money for daycare! You should start one hehe

 

[RinnaRoo]

8:30-9am Wake up
9 Eats
10-11 We play
12 Eats
12-2 We play
2-3 or 4 Nap
Wakes up and Eats
We play till 6, then we all have dinner
Before bed bottle at like 9, 930pm
In bed at 10
Sometimes sleeps through, sometimes he doesnt. If he wakes its at 3am, or even 6am. He does either or. He eats and goes back down till wake up time.
In between, I cook, or we go to the store, work out, go outside, diaper changes, and whatever else I do during the day.
It can be pretty productive if I want it to.

 

[Waiting2bMommy]

Lets see..

We wake up around 8:30
We have breakfast and I do laundry if needed
Around 10:00 we go for a walk around the lake.
About 11:30 we get home and take a shower and get ready for the day.
Around 1:00 we go out to meet with other moms
Get home about 4:30 spend time with hubby
Dinner at 6:30
8:30 shower time
9:15 feed and sleep time

The day changes up sometime we see friends in the morning, sometimes LO will stay with mom for an hour so I can go to the gym. We meet friends often for coffee, lunch, walks, or outings at the mall. Days go to slow if we stay home so 4 days out of a work week we go out of the house even if its just an hour or two.

 

[Waiting2bMommy]

7pm-9pm: ... yeah right. More likely,

 

[cleckner04]

My LO is a bit older so I may not qualify to answer this but...

8:30-9 am: Wake up, go downstairs and make breakfast.
9:30-12 pm: We play together, I do any household chores that need done. Dishes, laundry, vacuuming, etc. And I start making lunch around 11 am depending on what I'm cooking.
12 pm: I serve lunch.
12:30 pm: We get around after lunch and take a 30 minute walk and Emma plays at the park in between.
2-3 pm: Naptime. During Emma's nap I either work out for an hour or I nap with her. It depends on how much she's worn me out during the morning.
6 pm: Dinnertime.
6:30 pm: Get around for our 2nd walk of the day. This one is 45 minutes and I walk all the loops in my neighborhood.
-After that we chill out for the night. Play with toys, have a snack, and watch tv. And I do any last minute cleaning that needs done.
10:00 pm: Bedtime for Emma and I work out for an hour on the recumbent bike or elliptical if I didn't do my workout during her nap in the day.


This is just a typical day if we don't decide to go anywhere else in the day. Occasionally we go shopping or to the beach, etc.

 

[QueSeraSera]

thanks ladies! it seems like the key is getting out of the house...even if its just for a walk. there is a 4-5 mile loop around the harbour here that is very pretty, maybe ill try to build that into my day. its awesome that some gyms offer daycare...maybe ill have to look for something like that. i have a trainer for my road bike in the house, but the noise kind of scares DD and usually wakes her if shes sleeping, so i dont think that will work out for exercise. overall it really seems like its not very difficult to fill up the time! i really need to meet some other ladies with babies to hang out with though...i bet that could help fill up a lot of it.

thank you all so much for your answers. i am feeling much better about staying at home now that i know that the days can be just as busy as they are at work!

 

[QueSeraSera]

wow!! thats a lot of money for daycare! You should start one hehe

i agree! i actually looked into it but the certification process basically would require us to get rid of our dogs. and since my DH is military and we will be moving at the end of the year, likely to somewhere where childcare is more affordable, it doesnt seem worth it to get rid of our family pets for a few months of a job. but trust me, with that sort of pay, it definitely seems lucrative!!

 

[marilou]

7am-8am Wake up, breakfast
8.30-10am Play time
10am-12ish Nap (I clean and do washing)
12.30-1 Bottle and Lunch
1-2pm Free Nappy time and book time (I clean in between)
2-4pm Nap (Me time, Bath, lunch)
4.30-5pm Daddy time (I prepare Hollys Dinner
5-6pm Dinner and "Quiet time"
6-6.30pm Bath (Me or Daddy will do this, whilst the other preps our dinner)
7pm Holly Bed
7.15-11ish Dinner and "Adult" Time

The play time hour slots change with Walks, depending on the weather, but a typical day is this!

 

[Mummy2Asher]

I like activities, ds2 does sing and sign and swimming class. Ds1 does rugby, music class and horse riding plus he goes to nursery 4 days a week. And we go to a baby group on a Wednesday and cinema. So we always seem very busy!! When were not out we just play at home, we kind of go through rooms in the house, so a DVD in the lounge, painting in the dining room, cooking in the kitchen, and getting all the toys out in there bedrooms, so at the end of the day our house is a mess lol

 

[Nats21]

7.30am, Callum wakes, he has his bottle and some breakfast, gets changed, teeth brushed etc
9.30am, We play together, have stories
11.00am, Has bottle and then some more play
12.00pm, Has dinner and pudding
12.25pm, Has a sleep til 2pm, while he's sleeping I have dinner, wash up, do any other household jobs that need doing
2.00pm, Usually if the weathers nice we'll play in the garden, go to the park or go for a walk, if the weathers horrible then we'll play inside
4.00pm, Has bottle and play
4.30pm, He'll sleep til 5pm, I usually read during this time
5.00pm, He'll play in his jumperoo or walker
6.00pm, He'll have tea and pudding
7.00pm, He'll play with OH usually, while I wash up, clean etc
7.30pm, He'll have bath time with OH and a bottle
8.00pm, He'll go to bed
8.00pm - 10.00pm, We'll relax or OH will do work and I'll get on with some jobs or go on computer to go on BandB!
1000pm - 10.30pm, usually bedtime for us
Thats what its usually like when we're home all day, although during the week I do go to some baby groups or swimming or out to my moms to see her etc xxx

 

[QueSeraSera]

thanks everyone! it really looks like you all have great schedules down. it seems like i need to get audrey on more of a schedule with her feeds and naps...right now we are very much "baby led" on those things. but a better schedule will probably help us organize our day better.

thanks for all the replies! im writing down all these idea of what we can do during the day

 

[babyjiva]

8ish wake
8-9 cuddles in bed with me, diaper change, then i put pocoyo on for her on my laptop while she's still sleepy and in good spirits. she'll watch for 20 minutes or so while i brush my teeth, get dressed have a coffee
9-10, combination of playmat with toys, jumperoo and just being carried around by me. since it's still early i usually just hold her while i try to get a bit done.
10-11 nap
11-12 playmat, jumperoo, classical baby dvd, snack, tummy time
12 walk outside
1:230- playmat while i eat lunch and settle and then i try to put her down
1 nap
2 get up, dress her go out (friend's house, temple, mil, uni campus)
5 put her down for nap
5:30-6 put her in playmat or jumperoo in kitchen so i can cook
6:30 hubby home, he takes her on an hour walk (i eat, shower, straighten the house)
7:30 she goes down, i play on computer and hang out with OH

it's a full day, not busy. i mean lets be honest, that's a whole lotta nothing. my daily 3 hour outting keeps me sane and on fridays we have different couples over for dinner. sat and sun hubby and i clean house and have at least one family outting

 

[Kalah]

As far as free time goes I get between 1-3 hours of free time, that's during the day time nap. I don't actually have much of a schedule, I'm in the process of setting one up now by going off the natural things she wants to do at certain times anyway. It consists mainly of playing and just keeping her occupied at the moment!

 

[QueSeraSera]

sometimes full is just good enough and better than being "busy." all your responses have made me feel much more comfortable, like i am going to be able to fill up the day with havinf fun with audrey. she doesnt take very long naps, so its not like i will even have that much time to myself...just enough to straighten the house and do some dishes probably. thanks ladies!

 

[bubbles123]

7-7.30am I get up and shower
7.30ish - Lo wakes up, I get him dressed.
7.45 - give Lo his morning bottle, eat my breakfast.
8ish get myself dressed and give LO his breakfast and brush his teeth
9-12 - Either go out to toddler groups or go to park or shopping.
12pm Home for both our lunches.
12.30-5 - Either out to toddler groups or stay at home. Lo sometimes naps after his milk at 2ih but not always.
5ish - Lo's tea
6pm -Bath for Lo every other night
7pm - Lo milk and then to bed
7.30pm OH and I have tea then enjoy the evening! Also we sometimes do a bit of house work in the evenings but we mainly do that at the weekends.
Getting out of the house is key, go out even if it's just to walk around the park. I go to two toddler groups on Mondays, one on Tuesdays, one on Wednesdays, take him swimming on Thursday and to a dance/movement class on Fridays. Key is to keep busy!!!

 

[surprisemummy]

i play with my Lo all day, i go out for lunch with my friends ALOT lol. i leave housework etc untill hes in bed. its exhausting being a mummy lol x