SAHMs, how do you structure your day?

[Anonymous]

As a mother with two kids in braces and another with complex medical needs I spend so much time doing appointments - at least once per week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op don’t you have any hobbies? Maybe a class you’d like to take?

I don’t currently have hobbies but I guess I need some! Never had time before. Going to think on that.

What about:

Reading
Something crafty - knitting, sewing, crochet, embroidery (lots of cool and modern kits out there now)
Gardening (outdoor or indoor hydroponics)
get more into cooking and cook more involved things, bake bread etc
Art - could take a class or learn on youtube - watercolor, drawing, collage, etc
Listen to some podcasts on topics you're interested in
hiking
Go to some museums

(Can you tell I am a working mom with more hobbies than I have time for? )

[Anonymous]

I would try to make from scratch things that I usually buy. Fresh foods for every meal. Redecorate by looking at fun thrift or vintage stores. Cull junk in house. Reorganize shelves in every room. Fiure out clothes to donate. Reupholster or repaint furniture as fun project. Learn how to sew.

[Anonymous]

Volunteer something you like whether it is once a week or once a month. Nothing to do with kids or DH.

Play bridge or Mahjong to keep your brain going.

[Anonymous]

How old are your kids? I’m not a stay at home mom but I’m on extended maternity leave with my third at the moment and I’m plenty busy - two older kids at two different preschool/elementary schools with varying start and dismissal times plus each of their after school commitments. And I have my nanny who I retained from when I was working. On top of caring for the baby, here’s what our days look like:

6:15 - I wake up, feed baby if she’s up/put her back to sleep, pump, get breakfast ready for my kids.
6:45 - 7:30: wake up my kindergartener, get him dressed for school, make sure he eats breakfast, finish packing his backpack.
7:30- kindergartner gets on bus, I feed preschooler her breakfast while babysitter wakes baby for the morning and feeds her a bottle. Preschooler gets ready for school, plays a bit. I try to squeeze in a peleton strength workout while my preschooler plays with toys next to me.
8:45 - drop preschooler off at school

Mornings: various chores including meal prep, laundry for the kids and myself, our linens etc. clean up kitchen and do dishes, unload dishwashers. Clean up living areas/kids toys. Make kids beds and tidy up their rooms. Take a walk for myself if there’s time. Do work (I write) if I have time.

Noon: pickup up preschooler. She has after school activities twice a week in the afternoon. Sometimes we do play dates.

Afternoon: school pick up for older kid, after school activities or outdoor play, prepare dinner

Early evening: family dinner, shower and free time for the kids, I clean up in the kitchen. Dh and I give older kids showers and I bathe and get the baby to sleep, then we jointly do the older kids bedtimes. On a daily basis my husband is really only involved with post dinner play, showers and bedtime and I (with babysitters help) handle the logistics for everything else.

Evenings: finish kitchen/general tidying, pack backpacks for next day, take a shower, order groceries and household supplies (I have a schedule in place to automate as much as possible) or free time for myself until I go to bed.

If all of my kids were in school until 2:45, I’d have bigger stretches for household work, grocery shopping, errands, laundry, my own work, and working out. I would have occasional coffee/lunch with a friend, volunteer at my kids schools, and read or play tennis. I would think of it as working a different shift because I’m very busy with my kids in the early morning and afternoons/evenings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was recently laid off and decided I would give staying home with the kids a try. It has only been 2 weeks but I am finding that I am really bored and miss regular adult interaction, so trying to figure out how to structure my days a bit better.

So far, my typical day is as follows with my kids being out the door by 8:30am:

- straighten up the house (30-60 mins depending on what needs to be done - laundry, load dishwasher, organize)
- go for a walk or do a workout video (30-60 mins)
-shower and get dressed (30 mins)
- prep and cook dinner (1 hour)

All of the above gets me to lunch time and then I have a few more hours until pick up. A couple days a week I have errands to run like groceries, returns, dry cleaning, but that takes 1-2 hours max isn’t every day. We have a weekly cleaning crew so they typically do a deeper clean.

What else are people doing regularly to fill the time between 8:30-2:45pm essentially?

Most people don't have to "fill time" during the middle of the day unless they are seriously wealthy. If they are not working outside the home they are often working at home on homemaking - caretaking, cooking, cleaning, etc.
I'm jealous - good for you! Basically you can do whatever you want and that is an amazing luxury.
If I had multiple hours a day for myself I would do a lot more yoga, read, house decorating projects, meet up with friends for lunch!
I agree with a PP that fitness classes might be a way to get more adult interaction in your day.
Do you have any neighbors you could walk with?
Our local library has some book clubs that meet during the day. They are mostly for retired people, but it might be a fun way to get out and interact with people you wouldn't otherwise.

[Anonymous]

No structure, I do what I want when I want. I usually walk my dog in the morning that’s the only thing I do on a predictable schedule.

[Anonymous]

When my kids were older and in school - after I finished with cleaning, laundry, cooking, exercise, grooming, catching up with friends and family on phone - I spent my time in researching and making enrichment lesson-plans for them for when they came back from school. I also planned their weekend activities, did prep work for hosting our friends, found out opportunities for my family and DH&I, worked on planning our vacations and trips, managed our finances, shopped for clothes etc, managed out home remodelling and improvement projects and managed our landscaping needs etc.

When my DH came back, there was no major chores or 'honey do' lists for him. He just had to spend time with the kids and me. My kids came back and had to spend time playing in the neighborhood, in their EC classes, instrument practice, and then sit with me or DH for enrichment/acceleration for one or two hours during the week.

I also squeezed in a nap for myself each day.

[Anonymous]

I have three kids so it’s four beds and sets of towels to wash. Plus the dog’s bed and kid clothes and my clothes. I easily do 10 loads of laundry a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was recently laid off and decided I would give staying home with the kids a try. It has only been 2 weeks but I am finding that I am really bored and miss regular adult interaction, so trying to figure out how to structure my days a bit better.

So far, my typical day is as follows with my kids being out the door by 8:30am:

- straighten up the house (30-60 mins depending on what needs to be done - laundry, load dishwasher, organize)
- go for a walk or do a workout video (30-60 mins)
-shower and get dressed (30 mins)
- prep and cook dinner (1 hour)

All of the above gets me to lunch time and then I have a few more hours until pick up. A couple days a week I have errands to run like groceries, returns, dry cleaning, but that takes 1-2 hours max isn’t every day. We have a weekly cleaning crew so they typically do a deeper clean.

What else are people doing regularly to fill the time between 8:30-2:45pm essentially?[/quote]

Don't you have friends and family? Are your co-workers your only friends?

If you have time, here are the things you can do -
- Declutter your house and embrace a minimalist lifestyle
- Declutter and organize your garage, fridge, freezer, pantry, dressers and closets, basement, attic.
- Get rid of clothes, paperwork that you do not need
- Try and purge at least 30% of stuff from your house
- Make a Will and get your financial papers in order
- Clean and store away your winter gear
- Get your cars serviced and cleaned
- Host people. Make a list of people that you know, group them according to their personalities or interests etc, then start planning formal and informal get togethers. I am sure you need to reciprocate to people who have hosted you.
- Take a look at the syllabus of what your kids are studying in school. Find them a team of educators, tutors, coaches for their education and EC activities and start putting these activities on calendar. You have been given a chunk of time so please use it to educate your children.
- Schedule all the family members their annual medical checkups for dental, eyes, derm, PCP, specialists - while you still have medical insurance.
- Start teaching adulting skills to your children. Cook, clean, do laundry, hang a picture.
- Start teaching workplace skills to your children.
- Start teaching academic skills to your children.
- Watch documentaries and expand your brain.

Finally, improve your professional credentials so you can find another job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was recently laid off and decided I would give staying home with the kids a try. It has only been 2 weeks but I am finding that I am really bored and miss regular adult interaction, so trying to figure out how to structure my days a bit better.

So far, my typical day is as follows with my kids being out the door by 8:30am:

- straighten up the house (30-60 mins depending on what needs to be done - laundry, load dishwasher, organize)
- go for a walk or do a workout video (30-60 mins)
-shower and get dressed (30 mins)
- prep and cook dinner (1 hour)

All of the above gets me to lunch time and then I have a few more hours until pick up. A couple days a week I have errands to run like groceries, returns, dry cleaning, but that takes 1-2 hours max isn’t every day. We have a weekly cleaning crew so they typically do a deeper clean.

What else are people doing regularly to fill the time between 8:30-2:45pm essentially?

Don't you have friends and family? Are your co-workers your only friends?

If you have time, here are the things you can do -
- Declutter your house and embrace a minimalist lifestyle
- Declutter and organize your garage, fridge, freezer, pantry, dressers and closets, basement, attic.
- Get rid of clothes, paperwork that you do not need
- Try and purge at least 30% of stuff from your house
- Make a Will and get your financial papers in order
- Clean and store away your winter gear
- Get your cars serviced and cleaned
- Host people. Make a list of people that you know, group them according to their personalities or interests etc, then start planning formal and informal get togethers. I am sure you need to reciprocate to people who have hosted you.
- Take a look at the syllabus of what your kids are studying in school. Find them a team of educators, tutors, coaches for their education and EC activities and start putting these activities on calendar. You have been given a chunk of time so please use it to educate your children.
- Schedule all the family members their annual medical checkups for dental, eyes, derm, PCP, specialists - while you still have medical insurance.
- Start teaching adulting skills to your children. Cook, clean, do laundry, hang a picture.
- Start teaching workplace skills to your children.
- Start teaching academic skills to your children.
- Watch documentaries and expand your brain.

Finally, improve your professional credentials so you can find another job.

[Anonymous]

So, OP says that she is busy for 3 and 1/2 hours. That means that she has free-time from 11:30 am - 2:45 pm. She needs time to fill in 3 hours and 15 minutes only.

[Anonymous]

Creative hobbies. Writing, art, gardening. I need to make stuff to be happy.

[Anonymous]

I would reduce the frequency of the cleaners and clean yourself. And find a project to work on - gardening, crafting, learning something new, reading, etc. You need to set more goals for yourself. It can be simple like making more elaborate meals or trying a new workout. I’m in the same boat as you (recently laid off) but I feel so busy still because I’ve given a lot of thought to what I want to do outside of work that now I’m so glad I have the time to pursue these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would reduce the frequency of the cleaners and clean yourself. And find a project to work on - gardening, crafting, learning something new, reading, etc. You need to set more goals for yourself. It can be simple like making more elaborate meals or trying a new workout. I’m in the same boat as you (recently laid off) but I feel so busy still because I’ve given a lot of thought to what I want to do outside of work that now I’m so glad I have the time to pursue these things.

How often does she have cleaners? Unless they can’t afford it I absolutely would not cut back on cleaners unless they’re coming like, daily. Every other week? Once a week? Twice a week? Keep it. Who wants to deep clean their house if they can afford not to. Just keeping the house and kids stuff organized, laundry done, meals cooked etc is enough housework for one person.