SAHMs - what do you do all day?

[Shetlands]

I've never been a SAHM but as a grandmother I'm doing the school run at the moment and staying at their house. This morning I walked the dog and picked up some shopping. This afternoon I watched a bit of iplayer and had a nap. Now it's time to go back to school again. Where did 6 hours go? I'd never get anything done if I were a SAHM - too much temptation to chill, potter and nap! What do you productive types do all day?

Lots of SAHMs have young children or babies at home with them.

Washing, cooking, cleaning, shopping, school runs and 3/4 days child care for my 2 year old grand daughter.

You're right and I did do that bit of SAHM life but once they started nursery I was back at work. I'm thinking of SAHMs with nursery/school age children I suppose.

I'm a sahm with pre-schoolers so my days are hectic, but I could definitely fill the time if I had school aged kids and wasn't working.

The house would be cleaner.
The garden would actually be attended to.
I would build decking.
I would bake bread every couple of days.
I would knit the kids Christmas stockings.
I would litter pick in the local area.
I'd paint the outside of the house.
I'd redecorate the shabby bits inside.
I'd do a LOT more exercise at a decent pace (without toddlers in tow).
I'd do health/relaxation type stuff like swimming pool and yoga.

I’m not a SAHM but I have a few months of unpaid leave at the moment before I start a new role at the same organisation in a few months.

I have my 2 year old with me 3 out of 5 days so it’s toddler group, walks, playing, park. Making lunch. I may get one or two housework things done if he’s feeling compliant. The other 2 days it’s washing, cleaning, ironing, admin, batch cooking, food shop, errands, catching up with phone calls etc

Imagine having to do all of that and much, much more while also having a full time job.

Mine are all at school or work.
Today I went for an hour long walk.
I started into writing up self employed dh’s vat return. So boring!
Wrapped up some Vinted parcels and took them to the post office.
Got a few bits in the shop.
Put a wash on.
Now I’m having 5 minutes on here before ds12 arrives in from school.
Sometimes I do more, sometimes less. When I had small kids at home it was impossible to do anything.

I was a SAHM for five years. DD was with me all the time until she went to playgroup.

I'd usually spend an hour or two in the morning doing any housework, washing, ironing. DH worked away a lot so I didn't have the car, so the week involved a few trips to the supermarket on foot. Each week I did a music group, met up with a Mums group and went to a couple of Mother and Toddler groups with DD, on top of which I'd meet up with my Mum or friends as and when (usually a couple of times a week). On days when there wasn't anything planned, we'd go to a local playground, country walk or cafe. DD was an only child, so I spent a lot of time with her doing jigsaws, playing games, playing, reading etc. I did all the gardening and of course cooked all our meals. When DD was around a year she slept for a couple of hours, so I admit to reading while having coffee - she dropped her sleeps at 18 months so that soon went.

I've been a SAHM for quite a few years. What do my days look like when I'm alone? Browsing the internet, watching documentaries, TV series, and films, enjoying videos on YouTube, listening to music, learning new things, researching, gaming, heading out whenever the mood strikes, tackling house chores, and managing my sources of passive income.

Not a SAHM but the ones at DSs school who don’t have babies/toddlers are incredibly involved in the school and local community ventures - I’m on the PTA but the heavy lifting is carried by SAHMs to make school events magical for everyone. They also always seem busy homemaking, trying new recipes, nipping to the butchers/bakers instead of my catchall weekly Ocado - obviously not ‘necessary’ but a much more wholesome way of life I’m sure, and if they can afford to do that props to them.

I’d make a terrible SAHM of a school aged child. I reckon I’d keep all my FT single mum ‘hacks’ to keep the house running on the minimum possible and would just binge Netflix all day 😂

I'm not sure what you mean - I had a full-time job when my children were young.

I am a SAHM but not by choice. I want to return back to work but in the meantime I usually work out first thing, shower, get the kids ready for school. Do the school run, come back , hoover and mop. Do laundry. Prep an after school snack, pick up.
I do deep cleans too so wiping the units , cleaning the airfryer / toilets.

I may watch something or read.
I do the shopping whilst they’re at school so we don’t have to do it over the weekend. Do admin (mainly just job applications atm).
There’s always lots to do but sometimes it just needs spreading out especially as the kids get older.

I’m a sahm to school age kids.
Today I’ve got the older ones out the door to school/bus.
Taken youngest to school.
Been to school mass.
Been to the supermarket.
Taken one of the dogs to the vets.
Dropped off a forgotten pe kit at school.
Tidied up, made beds, two loads of laundry, sorted everyone’s underwear and put away.
Made a roast for dinner.
picked up Ds from school.

Tonight I need to
take and pick up from boxing
take and pick up from Thai boxing
take and pick up from football training
do an hour of ironing (if I can be bothered)

pretty standard day for me.

That’s a discussion for a different thread. It’s not what OP asked about.

It’s Parkinson’s law innit- tasks expand to fill the time available. I imagine if I was a SAHM I would walk the dog, clean, cook, wash, iron, admin, watch tv. All the things I do as a full time mum but I would take a bit longer to do them and probably to a better standard.

Watch netflix & sit on my arse.

Jokes, I do all the cleaning, cooking, laundry, life admin (both dc are disabled & its a lot of appointments & paperwork), school PTA, ordering medications, shopping, gardening, etc etc.

I used to be a SAHM and god I miss it so much. I went back to work when the youngest started school. The house was far more organised, we ate better and healthier and cheaper as I had the time and inclination, I saved money on household bills as I had time to shop around, I felt on top of things and never missed anything school/achievement related. Now it’s all to shit for not much over £1k a month.

Voluntary work takes up a lot of my time tbh. I also play tennis once a week and pilates once a week. Cook homecooked meals from scratch for most lunches and dinners (DH wfh so I make lunch for both of us). Life is much easier and more relaxed though than when I was working.

I’m a SAHM to 2 teen DCs only for the last 18 months though.
On a daily basis in up earlier that everyone else make sure breakfast is had and kids have everything they need for school, then I usually drop them and DH off for school/work.
I then have a quick swim and do a class at the gym.
Home do whatever housework needs doing and feed animals.
Sort out what we’re having for our evening meal, often this is eaten at different times as the DCs have after school activities, so I needs to be either something I can put in front of them quickly or some sort of pasta with salad or something in the slow cooker so we can eat as and when.

We’ve also been having quite a lot of renovations so I’ve been project managing those.

Once the DCs finish school sometimes I collect them and then it’s on to evening activities so I’m on the go giving lifts till around 9pm.

I do watch some tv around 1-2 when I then seem to be planning bits such as holidays, any appointments, pets etc.

I do sometimes wonder how I did it all when I worked and the answer is I didn’t to this standard and we are very lucky that we have the option for me not to work.

I am a part-time student, so I study at the moment, I which fills most of my time.

However, my course only started again for the academic year at the start of this month, so September was a bit more varied. Bearing in mind I had the children all summer, I treated it a bit like my annual leave, only in bulk! I did indeed do some pottering and chilling, and I napped sometimes. I read a fair bit. I did some decorating and so e bits in the garden. I baked a few things. I cleared out some cupboards and reorganised the utility room. I took time to go out for the day - shopping or lunch with friends.

today i cleaned whole house, put on 3 loads of washing, ironed and put away washing, had a cup of tea with my sister, made a chicken pie, dealt with email admin for family. That's it between school pick ups! Apart from the cup of tea I haven't sat down and done nothing.

all my kids are at school.

I was a SAHM for years, I’d spend one hour tidying/cleaning the house then the rest of the day at the gym/spa, meeting friends, watching TV, lunch out, booking holidays/admin stuff. After school it was a lot of different clubs and then cook dinner. All chores would be done during the week so weekends were just for fun.

I have children with SEN and I have 15/20 min a day after dropping one off and needing to collect the youngest. So most of my day is trying to engage with my burn out child, reading about things to help them, filling in a million forms, doing a few things for my elderly Dad and fitting the cooking and cleaning around that.

Gym every morning after drop off. Get home at 10:30am.

Walk the dog, shower, go to the shop, prep supper, clean, tidy, laundry iron. Have lunch. Play on my phone, gardening, Xmas shopping and wrapping, go to town to buy gifts for kids parties, meet friends for lunch or coffee, clear out the wardrobes….

Charity shop runs, clean out daughter’s guinea pigs, pack bags for after school sports lessons, change the beds, tidy the bookshelves, pay bills, answer emails, research and book our holidays, take the car to be serviced, have my hair cut, bake snacks for the children, visit the library, volunteer at the primary school.

clear all the leaves from the front of the house, swap out the summer coats and flip flops for winter ones, nail appointments, mow the lawn.

not everything every day but of course ‘work expands to fill the time available’ as the saying goes

Yoga and gym classes, swimming, redecorating, lunches out, flatpack furniture building, OU study, visiting gallery and museum exhibitions, matinee films, holidays research, event booking, medical appointments, beauty appointments, financial trading, plus the usual errands and chores. No pets and no garden maintenance.