New SAHP - Please share your typical day

[LadyIzzy]

In July I stopped working due to anxiety and stress and decided to spend a year or so resetting and focusing on improving my MH. I've enjoyed spending quality time with my DD (2yo) and husband over the summer but now my daughter is back at nursery and I'm not sure what to do with myself!

I'm not in the UK and recently moved to a new country so no social circle at the moment and struggling to put myself out there socially. I have trouble sleeping at night but feel guilty if I sleep in the day as I don't feel like I'm being productive (although my therapist has suggested I change my perspective on what 'being productive' means).

I enjoy the more chilled mornings, spending time making breakfast with my daughter instead of the mad rush we used to have to get out of the house before 6.55am and having the evenings to be together too but in between I'm struggling to know what to do.

I hope hearing your daily activities will give me the inspiration and motivation to get in gear!
TIA🙂

I'm a sahm temporarily until ds is at pre school next year.

He has one day a week he spends with his grandparents (9-4ish) and in this time I'll usually go to the gym, catch up on housework/ washing/ decluttering. Run any errands I've been putting off doing when I'm with DS and occasionally take some time to "self care" weather this is getting my hair cut, taking 30 mins to read, paint my nails etc.

SAHM here with a 12 year old DS with SEN and a 10 year old DS.

DH works from home in a craft type thing that takes up alot of time

This is basically my day;

6 am- wake up and put out clothes for Dcs.
6.30- wake DCs and help them with shower; medicine and making beds
7.00- DC breakfast
7.30- leave for the school run. Dcs in a private school about 15 miles away
8.15- arrive school and head for home usually shopping for dinner on the way
9.15- home, coffee and sit in front of tv usually talking to DH who takes his morning break then
10.15-ish- start housework. Wash and iron one load of clothes. Make beds; kitchen; house etc (our house is quite large)
12.00-ish- finish morning set of housework and have lunch
13.00-ish- afternoon housework - I try and sort out one thing a day (garden/ shed/ windows etc) and I get a start on dinner. I also run any errands.
3 15- school run - with afternoon rush hour we are usually home around 5 pm
5pm-6pm- sorting out clothes for next day, homework, any leftovers I have not yet done
6 pm- dinner
6.30-7.00- I tidy kitchen and Dcs rest
7.00-8.00- homework
8,00- downtime for everyone - tv- gaming- drinking wine
9 pm- bedtime. I will read for 30 minutes or so.

I would say this is pretty much identical every day.

DH does the occasional school run in the afternoon (like today) because I said to him I did not want to and wanted to have a glass of wine at lunch. That happens maybe every week or so if his schedule copes with it.

I do alot of housework, but our house is not really neat. It is rambling and shamobolic and we have renovation work going on.

I go to the gym, meet friends / mum for lunch, do some painting, learn Spanish, do a couple of hours volunteering across the week, go swimming, go for walks. Whatever I please really.

Where is your child while all this is happening?

They’re all school & nursery.

@83DanishMum posted too soon. They’re at school & nursery; like OPs DD will be. Hence listing things I do while they aren’t here, like OP asked.

How long is your DC at nursery for OP? If it’s the morning only I found that time went really quickly. Get home, put on dishwasher/laundry, empty dishwasher/laundry, work out lunch and tea, bit of tidying and life admin, maybe do some exercise. Time for pick up…

New to SAHP but mine so far
6.10am get up get ready, sort the cat
out and make eldest DC breakfast
7am wake youngest Dc do breakfast, help dc to get ready, wash up and make all beds. Clean vomit up (Dc with SEN) Then wave off eldest Dc
8.15 leave for school run
8.30 come home start chores: polishing, hoovering, put a few loads of washing on, clean bathrooms and put some washing away
12pm have finished the house chores so had a quick shower as been cleaning. Then feed cat again.
1pm will be my lunch,chill, hot cuppa and watch some tv
2pm I’m planning on doing some paperwork and have a telephone appointment with paediatrician for DC with ASD. Have another cuppa maybe even some biscuits!
2.45 leave for school run

I have a new baby but before she arrived I had 2 days to myself while middle one at nursery. Those days were heaven!

8:30 school run
walk and podcast or home workout
housework if I didn’t whizz round doing it pre-school run
meet a friend for coffee/lunch
watercolours/art
3:00 school run

Also in pregnancy I got a bit obsessed with free online courses.

But then, I am a simple soul!

We get up around half 7, get ready, kids get ready, breakfast.
Head to school/preschool at quarter to 9, drop them off and back home for just gone 9 o'clock.
Mornings are spent doing house work, cleaning, laundry, dishes, food shop one day a week, admin, sorting, decluttering, sorting birthday parties, gifts for everyone, chilling if I get everything done (unlikely!). All that life and home admin type stuff falls to me, which I don't mind, I feel it earns me the opportunity to stay at home.
Leave to pick up the youngest at 11:50.
Home for 12:10 ish and sort lunch for us both.
Playtime with him, once a week we go to a toddler group.
Quiet time at 2-3. DS goes in his room to either play, listen to audio books or nap. I either finish any housework, clear up from the playing or just chill, that is my break.
3 o'clock we pick up ds1. Get home around half 3 and do snack and TV time.
Homework (reading mostly) at 4:30
Then playtime for the boys while I make dinner (DH usually gets home around this time)
Dinner around 6.
Up to bed around half 6/7 and DC in bed around 7/7:30.
Then a quick tidy round downstairs, a shower for me and TV, reading, chilling until I go to bed around half 10.

Well it sounds like a blissful life and like a holiday. Lucky you. Not really stay at home parenting though is it? I mean the parenting happens before and after school.

@83DanishMum if you read the OP again, she is asking what to do whilst her Dd is at nursery. Not before and after.

@83DanishMum how do you define a stay at home mum then? A homeschooling mum? One only with pre-childcare-age children?

OP I’m a little confused are you at home with a 2 year old or is your 2 year old in nursery and you have the day to yourself? Both are good but I would obviously have very different suggestions, you won’t want be be hanging out at toddler groups and toddler gymnastics childfree and neither would you be going to the gym with a toddler.

Hi everyone,

thank you for your replies. I’ve tried to give myself a bit more structure this week and it’s helping. i think I still need a routine and sets days for certain activities. Also looking at some online courses to keep my mind active!

@Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas my daughter is at nursery part time at the moment but will be full time in October.

If you enjoy spending time with your daughter and you’re not working then why don’t you reduce her nursery hours.

Is this as fabulous as it sounds? You have described exactly how I'd spend my days if I could.

What sort of things are you doing? I would try to learn some sort of skill in a group setting. First aid, a language, carpentry, cooking. Something like that. It will give you social interaction and be good for self esteem. Also, a gym membership. Volunteering is supposedly a good way to improve happiness too! Whatever you do don't spend too much time alone.

I am at home too but my child isn't in nursery so my day probably won't help you. Here it is anyway.
8am Wake up
Breastfeed
Get baby dressed
Prepare Breakfast for baby and get dressed while DH watches baby for 30mins
Eat breakfast with baby
11am baby class at the library
12:30pm Back home for breastfeed & midday nap
During nap I eat something and tidy kitchen, if I have time I'll do some admin or other tidying, then I hold her for the rest of her nap otherwise she wakes up (so my break here for lunch and tidying is only 45mins really)
2:30pm lunch for baby
3:30-ish Go out to playground or play date
6pm Give baby dinner
Play with baby, read her books, cuddle her, fold laundry while baby wreaks havoc
7:30pm breastfeed and do bedtime routine
8:15 Make dinner for me and DH
8:30pm /9pm DH finishes work. We eat dinner and watch 1 thing on TV together
11pm Bed
(Then this is the worst part as baby wakes up 3 times a night at least)

I second what the other poster said about potentially reducing nursery hours and using that time to go to toddler groups with your child. You'll meet nice mum friends and be forced to get out and about which may help.

Gym & swimming. Read/listen to audiobooks or podcasts. Meet friends for coffee. Gradually redecorating rooms in the house & sorting the garden.

7am up & feed dogs and cats /let puppy out.Wash on. Make breakfast for children. Supervise /hassle for morning session of reading /homework. Have coffee.
8.30 /8 am (depending on day) drive to school/nursery. 9.15am Bootcamp or run for 45-50 mins.
10.30am dog’s walk.
11.15-12.30 Cook evening’s dinner /empty dishwasher/ do housework
/washing /sorting /gardening etc.
12.30 collect toddler from nursery 1-2.30 pm read /play with him. We often cook soup or brownies or something togther for the other kids.Any food bits of shopping done now. One room tidy/hoover. 2.30-3pm second dog walk. 3.10 leave for school run. Depending on clubs, return with some /all older all children /or hang around waiting for clubs to finish . Maybe playdate either hosting or driving to pick ups.
4.30-5.30 pm Do after school snack for kids /sort kits etc for morning. Make kid’s packed lunch for morning/feed dogs & cats. Do homework/ music/spelling /reading supervision.
5.40-6.40 pilates or yoga (4 days a week). Kids bedtime /bathtime.
8pm dinner for us and TV or bath 10.30 bed and read. One day do 2 hour walk with friend/one day swimming for me. Lots of washing !!! Kids are pretty time consuming as 10/8//6 and 3 and lots of time on dog and puppy.

I'm a SAHM but with all children at full time school / part time nursery so I'm home alone half the week. I'm also a carer for DC who is disabled so even though DC is in school I do alot of behind the scenes stuff eg meetings and appointments.

A typical day would be up at 6, get myself ready and make lunches, check anything extra needed etc for school. DC up at 7. Leave house 8am for school run. Home around 930.

Get diary out with a coffee and see what I have to do that day. Running our family is a full time job. Eg today it's things like order a prescription, book a doctor appointment, have a telephone consultation with a different doctor, book a birthday party and sort invitations.

Also 1-2 loads of laundry a day as a large family so need to do it every day.

I prep dinner in the day so it's done ready for the evening.

Usual daily chores eg hoovering, wiping down bathrooms, putting clothes away.

I also try to tackle one area of clutter a day or sort one draw a day. Or list a few items to sell etc

1 day a week or so I try to meet friends to get me out of the house.

That's about it really!