On SAHM Routines

When I first transitioned to being a stay-at-home-mom I feared that I would waste the days away, and while some days this is true, I have found that having a decent routine helps keep peace and order in the house but also increases my productivity.

It has taken me a decade or two to admit that I actually need and thrive on routine.  My free spirit didn't want to seem "trapped" or "tied down" - however, sometime at the end of college I learned that a little self discipline goes a long way.  When I graduated I was balancing 3 part-time jobs, and later added graduate school into that mix. It wasn't that each day had the same routine, per say, but that each day of the week did and that was enough.

Now that I am home with the girls, we have preschool, I teach an online theology class, workout, and juggle dance/gymnastics/PSR, and a small photography business. It seems like a lot but finding the day-to-day routine and the weekly routine has made everything possible.

So what does our day look like?  Well to start with, I have to thank Fr. Dennis, a fellow free-spirit for encouraging finding routine for the sake of my mental health and also my prayer life.  He actually just did a podcast on this which inspired this post.

Weekdays:

6:45 - alarm goes off, aim to read Blessed is She daily readings & devotional email, check emails and social media. Delete the junk and mark anything urgent to be replied to later
7:15 - My turn in the shower, get dressed, etc
8:00 - if the girls aren't up yet, wake them up. Evie should be dressed, potty and teeth brushed before she goes down stairs.  Eric typically has breakfast & coffee started if not ready.
8:15 - Eric is out the door if he hasn't left already, girls get a TV show if they're ready for the day and breakfast has been eaten.
9:00 - hunt for shoes, make school snacks, load the car
9:15 - depart for pre-school
9:30 - pre-school drop off for Evie
9:45 - Maggie and I run errands, visit the chiropractor/midwife/pediatrician/other appointments, come home clean the house, take her to gymnastics (Thursdays), start laundry, prepare something for the crockpot, have one-on-one time with Maggie, etc
12:15 - load up for preschool pick up
12:30 - pick up Evie
12:45 - lunch for everyone (sometimes out), followed by a nap for Maggie and a movie for Evie

1:30 - I settle in for work time (school, photography, sewing, blogging, etc) and/or one-on-one time with Evie (baking, crafts, make play-doh, etc).  Tuesdays this is pushed back due to Evie's ballet

3:30 - if Maggie is still napping I take a nap, read or watch a TV show
4:00 - run any last errands we might need to for the day (read: oh crap we had snack duty tomorrow), on Mondays we leave for PSR
5:00 - Maggie is woken up if she's not already up, girls play in the playroom or on the back patio
5:15 - I get dinner started, often listening to a Podcast
6:00/6:30 - Eric is home just in time for family dinner
7:00 - I leave for Pure Barre/evening meetings/quiet time at Target/reading at a coffee shop.  Eric bathes girls and gets them to bed by 8pm.  Now that it's light later sometimes we go to the park, on a walk, or ride bikes.

8:30 - we finish up any chores, clean the kitchen
9:00 - Eric and I sit down for a game, TV show, talk about our days, or finish up any hobbies/projects
10/10:30 - Head to bed

Weekends:

Saturdays:

8am family snuggle time
9ish I leave for Pure Barre/photoshoot/Cloth Diaper class, etc or Eric leaves for his cycling club ride
Family Lunch
Eric usually does yard work and I do random stuff.  Maggie naps and Evie plays.
Many weekends we then go to a birthday party, out to dinner, or to visit grandparents

Sundays:

Snuggle time
Mass (some weekends)
Eric leaves for adult swim at the pool or I go workout
Whoever is home takes a nap
I sit and plan the week, review with Eric, meal plan
Mass (if we didn't go in the morning)
Out to dinner
Home for bedtime
Eric goes to the grocery store for the week



There you have it. Our super exciting weekly routine. Seriously though, our best weeks follow this pattern.  When the girls start to get grumpy or defiant, or if Eric and I find ourselves short with each other, is usually because we've had too much break from the routine and it's time to pull it back in, even if it means saying NO to things...good things!  For example, this weekend we had a 1st birthday party. But the girls were absolutely exhausted to the point where Maggie cried for a solid 3 hours. We pulled the plug on the party and put everyone down for a nap. I knew if we didn't set that boundary there'd be hell to pay for the rest of the week.  I hated to say NO to the party, but I also have to know my limits and the kids' limits.

The other important thing Eric and I have come to realize is that we often have to tweak the routine, change our chore lists, and re-evaluate our expectations anytime we have a major life event (Eric training for a half Ironman), pregnancy, big illness (a week of the flu!), a newborn, new job, or new school year.

What's your day like?