What does your daily routine look like if you have young kids and work

[doorhinges]

I'm having a bit of a rough start to January and feeling burnt out and low.

I ask myself, is it me ? Am I just not cut out for this motherhood thing ? Or just generally the mundaneness of life ?

Here is an example of my routine, how does it compare to yours and can you suggest improvements :

• get up around 6:30, get ready quickly
• get kids up and ready for school
• 7:45leave the house, drop kids at nursery
• 9 am back home to start work
• 5 pm leave to pick up kids
• 6pm get home
• 6:30 pm dinner
• 7pm bath bed story etc
• 8-8:30 pm kids asleep

Usually I fall asleep at around 9 or so, rinse repeat.

My kids are 3 and 1.

Dad leaves before they get up in the morning and gets back after bed time. I work exclusively from home, full time.

Is there anything that would make my routine better? I sometimes go to the gym and work from there/ work out and that kind of thing. Obviously I haven't put in the details of my working day. During the day I have breaks and cook dinner and that kind of stuff.

It's a bit dull, isn't it? I just feel so deflated every day at the moment.

I get up at 6 and get ready.
Empty the dishwasher and put a load of washing on.
6:45 get ds14 up.
Start packed lunches.
7 get the other 4 up.
Give the little 2 their breakfast and finish packed lunches.
DP walks the dogs.
7:30 ds leaves.
Dress little ones and get their bags ready.
8 did 16 and dsd 15 leaves.
Put washing into dryer and put another load on.
Load dishwasher. Wipe kitchen sides and hoover downstairs.
8:30 leave, drop dd2 at nursery and dd4 at school.
Work 9-5.
Get home half 5.
DP to picks up little ones big ones already home.
Bath little ones and put washing in dryer.
DP puts little 2 to bed at 7. I cook dinner.
DP sorts dishwasher after tea and I wipe down sinks and toilets.
Get uniforms ironed for morning.
8:30 I walk the dogs.
Relax at 9 bed at 10:30

Lol at supersonicginandtonic ironing school uniforms daily.

I have never and will never do this.

Our kids are the same age (3 year old and 1 year old twins), and routine is similar. Mine are in bed a touch earlier though, so we get a little time to ourselves in the eve. I've a much shorter nursery run also, and my husband and I are very 50/50, so that's definitely easier. We also take turns on the weekend getting up with them so the other gets a lie in.

6:30/7 awake, depending on if WFH (3/2)
7am kids awake
7:45am creche drop off
8:30-5pm work
5:30pm home (if coming from office)
6pm dinner
7pm "wind down time" (tv off, dim lights, pjs, twins get cups of milk)
7:30pm kids in bed
7:30-8:15pm tidy/laundry
10pm get ready for bed
10:30pm asleep

It's a season as they say 🤷‍♀️

2 parents plus 2 days at the weekend mean both get similar time to themselves in the morning. I let my husband choose his preferred morning he use his solely to sleep I use mine to rest and watch a film or a luxurious shower where. I wash my hair uninterrupted.

I also feel I am rotting away so I have set the challenge that by the end of the year I will listen to 52 music albums. I used to love music.

Podcasts have been my escape until now.

I am going to give jigsaw puzzles a go.

Can you walk there instead? Or cycle w/DD? It seems a v long journey each morning

@VenhamousSnake them and my work clothes are the only thing I do iron. I have 3 in secondary so they need shirts.

I'm an 'ironer' - including bedsheets etc but I never iron school shirts! I buy the non iron ones, dry them on a hanger and they normally have a jumper or blazer over the top so you can't even see it !

@specialk9 come June 2 leave school so I'll probably give up then. I've picked it up from my mum and it's habit now. I kind of enjoy it in a way too. Im rather strange.

Because I am weak and lazy ? 😆

My toddler wakes up for comfort. He's literally just walked down the stairs crying for me ! So I've jumped in and giving him a cuddle. All my kids have double beds for this reason. We do a lot of co sleeping. He has a bottle between 4am and 7am. He's still on formula as is small for age and doesn't eat well (under paed). This is no bother for me. Takes 5 mins and he's asleep almost immediately. No dramas. I use this time to have a wee as I'm normally busting !

My middle child wakes because he has anxiety issues. He normally just gets in bed with us.

My kids are 6 & 3.

-Wake up around 7.
-Breakfast, hair, teeth, pack bags
-Ask them to get dressed around 10 times before they listen.
-school drop off
-work 8:45 - 3/4/5 ish
-pick one up from school and one up from nursery.

• basic tidy downstairs
• dishes
• dinner
• put kids to bed
• repeat for another 12 years

If it works for you! I'm desperately trying to stop wasting my life ironing bedsheets. I don't some weeks and hate myself for it every time I look at a bed. Ha! Mad

6.30 - 7am get up

7.50 leave the house, DC arrive at school at 8

whizz back home on DC scooter, back by 8.05 / 8.10, do morning chores like dishwasher / washing machine then start work

Lunchtime - gym or running or pop into town

5pm collect DC

tea, bath

7pm DC in bed

one DC, 5
Up at 6
6:30 start work (WFH)
7am DC up, dad does mornings
8am DH takes DC to school
3:30pm leave to pick up Dc
4:30-6:15, back home, finish cooking dinner, play with DC
6:15-6:45: DH baths DC
6:45-7:15: I do stories/put to bed

usually turn my light off between 9:30-10. DH and I each take 1-2 evenings out a week, usually 1 before bedtime and one after. I usually go off for at least a couple hours at least 1 weekend day.

key to my life not sucking is lots of breaks during the day ( usually work out for 1-1.5 hours) and DH does at least 50% of the childcare.

Firstly, you're doing great! It's so hard when the kids are so small, I promise it gets easier.

I am extremely lucky, I work flexibly from home and school is only 10 min walk. 2 kids 8 & 5, now they're both at same school it's much easier.

6 - up pull on clothes, go straight for walk with audiobook on.
6.45 - home, get myself ready (hair, makeup dressed)
7 - work - emails, set up meetings etc
8 - kids up, breakfast ready for school
8.45 - walk to school
9.15 - back home to work
2.45 - school for pick up. Drop kids at clubs etc
3.15 - back home to work
4.45 - finish work, pick up kids
5 -7 - homework, various clubs
7-8 - dinner
8.30 - kids to bed

Kids help to layout clothes, kits, school bags etc for next day before they go to bed. I have shower/bath last thing to relax before bed.

7am wake up
7-8.45 breakfast, tidy kitchen, cajoling us all to get dressed
8.45-9 school run
9-5.15 work
5.15-6 school and nursery run
6-6.30 snack and chatting
6.30-7.30 more cajoling into pjs and teeth; stories. Youngest in bed.
7.30-7.45 chill with 6 year old
7.45 he goes to bed
8-9 online workout and shower
9-10 cook and eat dinner
10-11 work
11-12 dry hair, chores, get ready for bed
one or both kids get up in the night.

I really admire people who can get up early to exercise. That will never be me.

You’re doing amazingly well especially given you are doing all the hard graft parenting in the week! Is it truly not possible for your husband to (for example) do some WFH or start a bit later on a couple of days and get the kids up and ready on those days? I really hope weekends involve some rest for you and that it doesn’t become a case of him “needing” more rest because of being out of the house longer when you have (paid work and unpaid work) a much longer working day than him. Does he help with mental load at all?

my routine (kids are 11, 9 and 3), and I work 90% with every other Friday off:

Monday and Wednesday: we have a nanny who gets the children up and out and does the after school stuff so I try to go into the office on these days, up at 6:30-7, home at c7:30

Tuesday and Thursday: my husband (who is either very flexible or totally inflexible depending on if he’s working at homr or abroad) gets the toddler to the childminder,
older ones walk to school, I either WFH or go into the office. After school he does the pickup and sports club and usually dinner

Friday: I usually WFH and my husband has the toddler. I do bits of cooking in the day. Laundry, my husband brings it downstairs and I keep it ticking over between washer and dryer as it’s near my home office. Friday night I go to my choir practice.

It truly gets easier once you’re out the baby and toddler stage but that time is so relentless (my older 2 are 18 months apart and for much of their babyhood my husband was often away for work for months). You could really do with the routine not being as full-on for 5 days.

I do this! When it fits with work and the weather etc.
Nursery and school are five miles away but I have an electric cargo bike which helps. Eldest cycles own bike and is attached to my bike. Ages are 6, very nearly 3 and 9 months.
The days I do this I feel like I've had chance to do some exercise and eldest loves it too! Realistically only manage once a week/fortnight though. Plan to do more when possible!

Routine here is:
DH up at varying times 4.30-5.30 for joint business
I'm up at 6.30, breastfeed baby
Older two DC up by 7am, 3 year old still in cot so needs help.
DH home for breakfast 7am some mornings. He does breakfast and morning jobs, dishwasher.

X 2 mornings a week DH does school nursery run and leaves 7.45

Other days he doesn't come back for breakfast and leaves after early start.

I get all day to work from home on the DH days until they're back at 6pm
X3 days I do nursery school run, sometimes school days and no wrap around care.

I have a work meeting at 8am which can be tricky with little ones in tow. Self employed so meet the people who work for the business.

Supper 5/5.30 with kids on days they eat at home.
Bed/bath etc 6.30-7.30/8 depending on the day
I do household jobs for one hour and any work that needs catching up with. Aim to chill at 9pm for an hour.
DH chill after kids' bedtimes as up early.
Bedtime for me varies, sometimes early to catch up and with DH early if super tired. Sometimes late for both of us if we're having some chill time or on a weekend.

Sometimes it feels monotonous and like a daily grind, other times it feels okay and like we're achieving things. Try to have a positive mindset with it and get small windows of time to do something for me which doesn't always work.

Can you prep dinner during your lunch break?

Doesn’t really get much better! Mine are upper primary/low secondary and my day looks about the same!!

Pretty similar kids are 4 and 1.5.
6am wake up and breastfeed snooze toddler.
6:45 I jump in the shower.
Between 7and half past my parents arrive to look after kids/drp eldest at nursery.
I leave for work at 7:30.
Back around 4-5 dependent on meetings etc.
Husband leaves for work at 5:30am but is back by 2pm so he does handover with grandparents and does the nursery pick up.

Dinner is 5pm. Then bedtime routine.

I find it so hard doing the mornings by myself and I don't even have to take the kids anywhere yet.

Yes I feel the monotony and drudgery. I have everything ready the night before including lunches made etc And we meal plan religiously to try and help the semi organised chaos. My issue is chores/cleaning/laundry as there just aren't enough hours in the day to keep on top of it all.

Plus I have to mark/work on an evening once the kids are in bed. Both of us are full time and I'm exhausted constantly.

You seem to be doing a fab job especially doing the brunt of childcare stuff in the pm as well.

What jumps.out at me is you're spending over 2 hours a say in the car, can something give there?

Get exercise by doing the school run without a car.

Tues - Thu

• get up around 5:15, get ready quickly leave house at 6:20, in work for 6:45
• Dh gets up with dc, does lunches and drops at school before heading to work
• I leave work 4pm to pick up dc from ASC home by 5:15ish
• If weather ok go to park for a 30 min walk
• 6:00 pm ish dh home and dinner together
• 7pm dh does bath, I do bed story etc

Dh is home Monday (works a weekend day instead), and I am WFH Fridays so those days are more relaxed.

7.30 wake up, wake DC up, get us both dressed/teeth brushed/breakfast
8.30 school run
8.45 to 11.30 WFH
11.30 to 1.30 walk to leisure center, gym class or swim class, walk back.
1.30 to 3.15 eat lunch at desk and WFH
3.20 school run
3.20-4.30 talk to and play with DC
4.30-5.30 cook and eat dinner
5.30 bath, more play time, tidy up time
7 30 milk, teeth, story and bed

8 DC asleep, clean and laundry
9 make packed lunch for DC
9.30 cup of tea, laptop open, more WFH
10.30 teeth, night cream, bed
Rinse and repeat