SAHM struggling with daily routine

[lovemynathy]

Could you please share you daily routine, tips how to pan your day. Thank you for your time :-) my DS is 15 months

No - because my kids are different ages to yours - but I can tell you my secrets:

1. slow cooker on before breakfast
2. rule of no cooking after 12.00 (so you have a chance to be on top of cleaning by 7pm)
3. 7pm bedtime for dc
4. a nice walk somewhere every day

Get up, shower dress and do breakfast, drop ds at nursery and walk dogs, general tidy and because i am a bit ocd (i love lists!)start on chores for the day ie, mon is clean upstairs day, tues is bedlinen and towels day, dd helps. At lunch collect eldest all have lunch then nap/playtime walk dog again, tea and bath, quiet time and bed at 7

I have just started being a SAHM, although my kids are 4.11 and 2.3. This is my day:
7:30- get up and get kids up then breakfast and get ready.
8:30- leave for school
9:00- get home and tidy/sort house
9:30- go to something (toddler group, friend's house, Tesco, prayer group, beach etc)
11:30- home
12:00- lunch for DS 2
12:15- DS2 nap
12:20- my lunch, cuppa, read for a bit
1:15- tidy lunch stuff, do washing, jobs etc
2:30- get DS2 up then read with him and play
3:10- go and get DS1
3:30- go with DS1 and 2 to park opposite house if not raining or play at home
4:15- do homework
4:30- cook tea
5:00- eat tea and save some for DH'S
5:15- watch TV with kids
5:45- go up and bath kids, tidy up upstairs while they are in bath
6:30- book, milk, cracker, prayers and bed
6:45- drink wine and do as little as poss!!!!!!!

Phew! Never written it down before but it sounds very OCD and insane!!!!!

Put on a load of laundry at breakfast time, some of it should be iron-able by nap time, assuming you iron.

I try to do stuff like the supermarket first thing, and also get dinner cooked early.

Another vote for early morning slow cooker - I do mine while DD has her breakfast. Grab a pile of washing for the wash and stick it on - DD helps put anything that falls into the machine. We then shower together which saves a lot of time. She likes to play in the shower once I am out so I get to start getting ready while she is entertained. Get dressed and go out until 12ish then home for lunch. Bit of drawing/reading/playing and empty washing machine before nap around 1:30pm (I go up with her and use laptop while she sleeps on me as I find it stops me doing too much and I can nap if I want to). Get up and go down to tidy after lunch (sweeping and wiping table and counters/loading dishwasher) while she plays with fridge magnets/draws. Dinner at 5/5:30 then either playing in living room or bath (depending on how dirty she got in the morning) then I chase her about to get her nappy and pyjamas on before we watch a prog on iplayer (baby jake/woolly and tig/let's play) before bed at 7 . It works very well and I don't put too much pressure on myself to do too much any more. Helps that I am a single mum I think as no other pressure

DD is 16mo btw

Up at 7.30 breakfast at 8.00 ish. Back upstairs for shower and dressing then down by 9.30. Some days go to an activity (toddlers, messy play, music etc) for 10 and back home by 11.30 to do lunch at 12. Naptime 1 til 3. Sometimes go to an afternoon thing (nct meet up, visit a friend, library etc) then back in time to get tea on and rush about doing housework before eating at 6.30 and bedtime 7.30

Any mornings or afternoons without specific activities are filled with playing, reading books, housework and a bit of telly.

I find the key to making the days go is getting out at least once a day if not am and pm otherwise we both get stir crazy in the house with just each other. Also helps that dd is old enough to really enjoy helping with housework (she is 2).

Thank you, you all sound sooooo confident in what and how you do it, gives me a bit of push to organise ourselves. I always feel guilty I do not do enoug with my DS, I can fully concentrate on him only when we are out, when we are at home my mind is wonders far away with what I need to do or telly. So even we are playing I just feel I am not with him. Anyway please do not stop sharing on what and how you do it. Need some insparetion.

I allocate my time so that I know what is time for me and DS, and what is time for housework - otherwise I end up doing both incredibly halfheartedly! Our daily routine is generally:

7.30 out of bed and dressed (have to get ready before DH leaves for work otherwise I'll slob around in PJ's all day and get nothing done!)

8.00 breakfast for DS, coffee for me

8.30 DS has around 30 mins tv time while I get on with housework

9.00 playtime with DS - I may set him up with something to play with eg crayons, some toys etc or I may sit and play with him depending on what we have planned later in the day.

10.00 story time, quiet down gradually for naptime

10.30 nap for 2 hours. I spend half of this time doing jobs and half relaxing as its my equivalent of a lunch break

12.30 lunch for DS

Afternoons we always go out unless there's a very good reason eg illness. Varies between baby groups, meeting friends for coffee, or simply going the supermarket and jobs in town.

5.00 tea for DS followed by 30 mins of tv

6.00 bedtime wind-down, story, milk, cuddles etc

6.45 bedtime.

I try to prep everything for tea when DS has his nap so it's easy to make once he's asleep. I tend to make things which will be nice reheated for DS the following day so I'm not cooking twice, but DH doesnt get home til 6ish which is too late for us all to eat together. Obviously some days this all falls apart, but I try to stick to it as it feels like the right balance between housewife and DS enjoying himself!

I find it easiest with the day split up

So get up, ready etc ( not too early!)

Activity in am leaving around 9.30 ( park/ shops/ music class/ swimming/ walk etc)

Back around lunchtime , then nap 1-3

Afternoon another activity/ getting out ( could just be poping to the supermarket/ toddler around the park/ streets/ jumping in puddles, or at home some baking/ play dough/ paints) but shorter than am as less time

Dinner after ( cook dinner during Naptime)

Bath/ story's/ bed

We used to be up at 6am then ds would have a drink of milk and later on some breakfast.

Dressed and out by 10am whatever the weather - either to the shops but mostly to the park or playgroup, we usually took a packed lunch with us.

Home for a sleep in the afternoon (both of us!)

Pottered around in the afternoon and made tea etc.

Bath, bed and story about 8pm.

I have school aged children now but am also a childminder. When I was a sahm I found that having a routine and structure to the week helped. Have a few groups that you go to every week eg Mon morning toddler group, Weds morning music class, Thurs morning library storytime etc then you will not find yourself with endless days to fill and no idea what to do. I tend to do the same sorts of things with my mindees now. Our day looks something like this:

7.30 up and breakfast
8.00 get dressed
8.30 leave for school and pick up mindees at school
9.15 get home and play
10.00 fruit snack and drink
10.30 ish out and about for an activity of some sort
12.00 back for lunch
12.45-1.30/2.30pm nap time depending on which child
3.00pm school run
3.45pm return from school free play at home, often craft type activities
5.00 tea
5.30 mindees go home/my own children watch tv
6.30 bath/bed

I notice this leaves very little time for housework - hmm - could go someway to explain the mess we live in!

Get up,
Cuppa
Sort washing
Tidy up a bit
Shower
Son gets up
Cuddle time
Breakfast
Lunch
Go out somewhere.
Cook dinner
Some activity, colouring, reading, baking etc
More tidying
Eat dinner
Play
All to bed

Note the lack of times, late to bed late up in this house. Bad habit when he starts school but at least he gets to see his dad

This is my routine (times are approximate) and Monday to Friday.

I have three children and my fourth is due in a week (this is the routine I've more or less had since my first was about 18months).

5:30/6 I get up and shower do some housework down stairs.

7:00 breakfast for everyone
7:30 Dad leave for work and children get washed&dressed.

8:00 tidy up
8:30 school run/walk
9:30 am normally out every morning during term time, groups, coffee mornings, shopping, meeting up with friends. If not i normally am doing something with my youngest at home or we'd go to park and before I got pregnant I'd run for an hour twice a week. I really struggle if I don't go out in the morning most week days.

12:00 home and lunch.

12:30 nap time with more housework. If I can I snatch an hour for myself here.

14:30 nap time over and we play for about half an hour
15:00 school run
15:45 back home, my time with kids until I either have to do last minute tea prep or sort out things like after school clubs etc etc.

17:00/17:30 tea time, leading into bath/bed time
19:00 every child is ready for bed and then its time for older two to spend half an hour with me/us with 9year old tucked up at about 8.

20:00 last bits of housework (if I don't get lazy I'm generally done by 9 then its my time).

Work days (DD is 13mo)
me up 6am
DH and DD up by 6:30am (DD used to have milk but now we go straight to...)
Breakfast in time to leave the house by 7am
walk to station; I go to work.
DH and DD return.

Snack/drink around 10:30 ish

Lunch somewhen between 12 and 1

snack/drink around 3:30 ish

DH and DD pick me up from station and we walk home for 6pm
I play with DD while DH fixes tea,
after tea we do bathtime/bedtime routine for DD - bed usually before 7:30pm

This structure just gets filled in with whatever groups DH and DD go to (swimming, tiny tots, wriggly readers, toddler groups) plus trips out walking/shopping etc. DD rarely naps except when put in the pram and walked so she's usually out several times a day. Unfortunately that also means it's difficult for DH to get any housework done while she naps.

non-work days we let DD sleep longer if she will (maybe 1/2 hour) and may bring tea time a bit earlier if she gets tired. Otherwise the structure is similar.

Hint: DH puts DD in our back carrier, which she likes and finds comfortable, and cooks chops and prepares things with her on his back.

I'm a childminder but have 2 of my own:
7:15 up shower & dress before 1st mindee arrives at 7:45
8 breakfast, make packed lunches, put wash on & get ready for school
8:40 school run
9 home for quick tidy & play
9:30/10 out to toddler group, library group, friend's for coffee, shops etc snack whilst out
12pm home for lunch
12:30/1pm nap or quiet time (stories or bit of TV if I need to prep dinner or do any housework)
2: play together - dressing up, role play, little people, trains or cars etc
3pm school run followed by park if not raining otherwise home for free play, crafts, cooking or sometimes go to the library / play centre
4:45 prep tea
5pm tea
5:30 homework / reading / free play until mindees go home at
6pm my kids usually watch a bit of TV before up for bath /bed at 6:30/7pm

If I don't have any other children I might go to my mum's for the day or swimming then out for lunch. in the summer will often just go out for the day to one of the local parks or NT places with a picnic & some ball games.

I made myself a list of local activities (toddler groups/craft or bounce sessions, library groups etc) inc times/prices & put it on my iphone so if I'm ever at a loose end I know there's always somewhere I can get out to.
Housework gets done either in the evening, as I go along or with DH at the weekend.

I don't spend very much time with my dc's when we're home so I try to take my toddler somewhere every morning.

So, I am to leave at 9:30 to go to toddler group, library, swimming or for a walk. Back in time for lunch or I take a packed lunch.

Nap time around 12:30 for a couple of hours - I do the dishes and clean the kitchen while he finishes lunch or when he goes to bed, then chill out time for me while he sleeps (most important part of the day!)

Then drink and snack and an activity at the table such as play doh or drawing.
Then he plays on his own for a bit while I get dinner ready.

Bath at 6:30, bed around 7pm.

When mine were that little, my main routine was to get out of the house in the morning for an 'activity'. This might be toddler group, the park, picking up some food shopping etc. Then back home for lunch at midday, followed by a nap for them (sometimes for me!).

Then play for a little while, sometimes we'd go for a little walk before getting tea ready for 5ish.

I'd also try to get a load of washing on/do dishwasher before we went out in the morning, but housework wasn't top of the list (my house was a tip for a while, but now they're older things are tidier).

Wow, you all sound so organized! I have 5 DC and still dont have a set routine with the baby or with myself. Anyone else with this many kids and a good routine?

But even still, our day usually looks like this...

7am wake up, I make lunches while they get dressed.
7:30 breakfast for the kids, I dress the younger ones.
8am out of the door (hopefully!) and pick up other children for rota to school. (the drive there and back takes over an hour)
9:30 I eat breakfast with baby
Then wash breakfast dishes. (my house always looks like a hurricane hit it after the kids leave...)
Play with baby, then put him down for nap.
Like I said, its here that I'm not good with routine because I do any number of things at any time while the kids are at school. Whatever we end up doing I have to leave the house at 3pm to pick up everyone from school.
4:30pm back from school
5pm homework
5:30 Dinner
6:45 start bedtime routine....which can go on for a while....

I feel exhausted just writing about this!

Mine is 15 months and I'm not as organised as most people seem to be. Dd wakes around 6 (although this is different each morning). milk straight away, then breakfast at 7.30 ish. Naps around 9.30, we go out somewhere once she wakes again, lunch at 12ish, nap at about 3, dinner 5ish followed by bath and milk, bed around 7.30. The timings are pretty different each day depending on when she wakes and what we do.