What Does Our Days Look Like and More
One of the questions I have been asked a few times is, “What’s a normal routine like for us?”
I find this question intriguing because as I scroll the feeds of other wonderful moms on Instagram, I often wonder what their personal routine is like as well. It’s funny how social media has set us up to wonder these things and compare ourselves to others in this sense.
I don’t believe that there is one right or wrong routine when it comes to mothering and homemaking. However when newer moms take that plunge from working mom to stay at home mom, this is where the questions often come up regarding what a typical day looks like for us.
Our days are relatively the same here and just like many I’m sure, I can pin point flaws within our days sometimes. Maybe on one day we watched too much TV and on another day we made a pointless trip to Starbucks just because I liked the quiet car time (or more like the time I get to listen to the radio while pretending like my kids aren’t fighting in the backseat). We are not perfect by any means but we do our best.
So let’s dig into what a typical day looks like here.
I’ll share some secrets with you:
1) Rarely do I sit or stop
2) I clean a lot
3) I still sometimes rest when my kids rest. Yes, I nap.
Our Daily Routine:
6:15-7:20 - I wake up and read my devotional. Sometimes I don’t roll out of bed until 6:35 but the days where I get up earlier are the days I like the most. During this time I read my devotional and have some quiet time with Jesus then move to my computer to work. Here’s where I publish things for the day or schedule things to be published and catch up on emails and what not.
7:20-8:10 This is when the kids begin waking up and preparing for their day. Breakfasts usually consist of either homemade muffins, pancakes or french toast OR instant oatmeal, frozen waffles from Trader Joe’s or toast and fruit. The breakfast they get depends on how long I worked that morning. We leave for school drop off near 8:10.
8:10-9:20 This is my errand time. Here’s where I make a trip to the bank, dry cleaning, drop off bills or run to the post office. And yes, quite frequently there’s a mindless Starbucks drive thru trip, but it’s my one vice that I enjoy!
9:20 - 11:00 Once we are home I usually head straight to the kitchen to finish cleaning up anything left from the morning. I also begin the laundry and tend to whatever needs to be done such as bathrooms or fixing beds that weren’t made in the morning. Once this is done I either work on some “light” homeschool activities with my three year old or we cuddle and watch a movie. There’s often story time thrown into here as well as well as a morning snack for the little ones and of course play time.
11:00-12:00 We often eat lunch near 11:15 and then go outside to ride bikes or play before naps. Other days we will cuddle and watch something or the kids just play.
12:15-3:00 Nap and quiet time here! My 19 month old naps for about three hours most days and my three year old wakes around 2:15 most of the time. When she wakes up she immediately gets a snack and comes lay with me. Their nap time is where I often either do live videos for our team, work on my computer, take a nap if I need to myself or sit and work from my phone. I call this a productive rest where I’m lounging, but still doing productive things for my business.
3:00-5:00 This is usually outside play, snack time, homework time and dinner prep begins. Often during dinner prep is play dough and painting!
5:00-7:00 Dinner time, outside play during spring and summer, sometimes family movie time and play time.
7:00 Baths usually begin with the youngest going to bed at 7:30 and the older two going to bed at 8:30 after a book and cuddles. Once my children are in bed it’s usually shower time and then work for me. I hop on the computer to teach oily classes or write new posts. However some nights I work less and enjoy some reading or a TV show to give myself some “me” time. Ha! I’m sure all mamas need a little more me time!
Read on for more of my most commonly asked questions!
Do I have a cleaning day? No. I clean all week long but I do try to have most of my housework and laundry done by Thursday so I can enjoy my weekend.
What about groceries? Normally Tuesday or Wednesday is grocery day and usually that requires a trip to Trader Joe’s or Target. However sometimes I do Wal Mart pickup when life seems to busy to make a trip to the store.
Do you meal plan? Yes, I purchase enough for about four meals each week. Read this post for more info on that!
Do you get dressed daily? Ha, no. I need to work on this. My clothes are often decently and cute. But I tend to do no makeup most days. I will say, I feel better when I look better!
How do you homeschool your three year old? This is hard. VERY hard with a toddler around who makes this process a little harder. We don’t follow any specific curriculum but we work on a letter a week, shapes and counting consistently and crafts. Sometimes it’s just paint time for her. Now I am beginning to work more with hand writing as well. We do it by the edge of my seat and we don’t do it every day. Let’s just say I thought this would be easier!
How does meals work in your home? We all eat together! Whoever is home (including daddy) we all eat together! Sometimes I skip breakfast, but otherwise we sit as a family for every meal. This is very important to us as parents.
Do you work with the kids around? I try my hardest not to, but sometimes I answer an important message or hop on and do an Insta Story. I usually strive to do these things when they’re in their rooms playing. Otherwise I work in the mornings before they wake, during nap time and after bed time.
Is your house always clean? Ha, no. Things get out of place and random things end up lying everywhere and it drives me nuts! But for the most part we stay pretty tidy. You can read more about that here.
What do you do for the kids’ snacks? We mostly use items from Trader Joe’s or Annie’s snacks because they are filled with less preservatives and most of what we use is organic. Usually the kids can have one morning snack and one afternoon snack, any other hunger or snack request has to be an orange, apple, banana or yogurt. Something I want to be better at is incorporating a snack plate into our routines.
How often do you cook? Most weeks it’s 3-5 times a week. Other nights are leftovers that I made, leftovers from my parents or take out or dinner with family. Mondays through Thursdays are typically a home cooked meal whether fresh or leftovers.
Do you take the kids on outings? Yes and no. I occasionally do museum or library trips, but currently we stay home a lot since going out with a 19 month old is kinda hard. Once he’s two, those things will be easier. Plus, I’m a homebody.
How often do you organize? A lot. Like a whole lot. I frequently purge and donate and find new ways to make this practical and more efficient for us. I don’t like a lot of things so I try my best to keep us as minimal as we can (which is hard with three kids and a modern culture of more is better). This is all just a personal preference, no right or wrong!
I hope this post helps new mamas or mamas feeling a little lost in their days! No day is perfect and no week is always the same, but generally we have a rhythm that works well for us and a routine to keep us going smoothly.
