SAHM - What Is Your Typical Day Like?

Glad i'm not the only one! I keep telling myself i'm going to make a schedule any day now but still haven't done it...i've never been much of a schedule person and I love working from home so I have the freedom to do anything, but just like you it gets to where I start to feel like i'm just killing time. I do enjoy the park, lake, zoo, arboretum, half-price books, bookmarks library at Northpark mall, fountains/ducks at Northpark, children's museum, movies or fast-food play areas with her on good weeks. Maybe it is time for me to finally make some kind of schedule!!

Hey,
I work from home and I do a lot of work on building my business when my son is sleeping. www.workathomeunited.com/joycita I also try to clean my house and get other chorse and stuff done when he's asleep.

Have you considered making a schedule? It doesn't have to be hardcore -- but maybe assigning certain things to certain days. For instance:

Monday - Go to the park - Feed the ducks, have a picnic, play on the jungle gym.
Tuesday - Story time at the Library
Wednesday - Discount Day at the Zoo! (Big trip day - Children's Science Museum, research something fun. City waterpark, anything!)
Thursday - Movie day - attend a "crybaby" matinee, or watch a kids movie at home
Friday - Make up day for Park if it was raining, run through the sprinklers, pick a craft from the craft book.

I have a book I got from Amazon The Toddlers Busy Book http://www.amazon.com/Toddlers-Busy-Book-Activities-3-Yea...

Maybe a schedule like that would help you feel more creative - you could research special trips, plan in advance.. none of this is expensive.

You could check Meetup.com and see if there is a Plano area Moms group too, they might do activities like this, plus it would be a regular group for you to make friends with. I really like story time at the Library and often you see a lot of the same Moms there.

Good luck :)

Does he have an art easle? I have 4 kids, so my days are a little bit more hectic than yours. I have lots of chores to do through out the day, so some of our time together is my 15month old and 5 year old "helping me". You can turn anything into fun. Washing potatoes can turn into a game.Sit him up on the counter by you with his feet dangling in the sink and let him help you wash them. Turn it into a game or educational by talking about how they grow and what you can make out of them. If youa re doing dishes, give him some pots and spoons and let him make some music. You can sing and march to his beat as you do your chores. Laundry can turn into an activity too. GIve him face clothes to fold and he can help carry them to the bathroom.

Have you taken him on a nature walk in your yard? Play I spy with him and let him help you find things. Go to the library and sit down to read. Join a play group for kids his age. Side walk chaulk is great. Turn your driveway or walk way into a giant masterpiece. Look in the newspaper for free events around town. Take some sheets and make a fort in your living room.
Bake some cookies together.
You can turn an ordinary day into a super fun day without spending any money.
Enjoy your son and have fun!!

Look up the local library story times and see if your local bookstores have a regular story time, too. Make yourself a routine--- Monday is stay at home day to get laundry/housework done, Tuesday is story time at the library, Wednesday is splurge day (spend money by going somewhere that isn't free, no idea what's in your area but an indoor bounce house place like Monkey Joes, or Chuck E Cheese, the zoo, or whatever is local to you), Thursday is bookstore story time, Friday is McDonalds/ChickfilA playland day (go for lunch, or to save money go in between meals and just buy ice cream and/or drinks). Of course that's just a sample schedule, but you get the idea. Keep it flexible in case you get a play date with a friend or it's nice weather and you want to go to a park or whatever. But having something to look forward to each day is amazing for the psyche. I have older kids, too, so my day is different because it involves getting up to get them off to school before my day with my youngest one even starts. But once everyone is off to school/work for the day, it's great to know I have somewhere to go that day to fill up time. I do try to schedule a stay-at-home day once a week so the chores don't get away from me. I am also not strict about needing to be home at a certain time for his nap.

Have you looked into joining a local mommy group? There are so many-- I have no idea how you can even find any in your area other than www.MOMSClub.org, yet I know there are so many local mommy groups. Maybe call the hospital's OB ward and ask if they know of any, ask at your pediatrician's office, ask at the local kids consignment shop, etc

Your day sounds almost exactly like mine, except we also have a 3 month old. I constantly think my 2 year is bored at home! He goes to preschool 2 days a week and he is not happy when I pick him up because I think he has so much fun at school!
I am glad you posted this question because it will give me good ideas!

Teach teach teach. I knew an 18 mo old that could sing all sorts of songs and knew his ABC's and numbers. Bathroom training of how to do good washing hands and cleaning up. get some stamps and do some stamping with washable paints or show him how to color and do one with him. Look for rolly pollys under gutter splashes. Read and teach him one letter words like I and A. have him read those words while you are reading. Colors, counting baking cookies. Even bread is fun. Can make mini loafs. Make your own play dough and let him play. Tons of stuff. My children I watch love to brush their teeth. Good hygenine. Have fun. Enjoy and I agree one is harder but also I had a step son that liked to entertain himself alone being an only child. So he will also learn to do things on his own. Our real goals are to really not do for them but teach them how to do it. Tie shoes? He can learn to fold things and fetch things for you. If he had a brother you would ask for him to go get a diaper for you or wipes? Teach him how to clean his room where things go etc so much having him alone and also Blues Clues teaches problem solving. Good Luck GingerW

My day pretty much sounds like yours! I have a 20 month old. he wakes up between 6-7 AM ..I feed him breakfast we kind of lounge around the house for a little bit then sometimes I will get him out and go run around and do things i need to get done. He takes his name around 1230. I wish I knew more moms around my area so i could have more play dates but I just dont. I have thought about joining our church MOPS group...but I havent done that yet. with the rain it really puts a damper on our outside play time =(

I joined my local MOMS Club chapter 4 years ago and love it (www.momsclub.org) We get together with our kids at least once a week and I have learned so many fun things to do with kids in the area because of our fun activities we do as a club. I love putting tours on the calendar (like Petsmart, Peter Piper Pizza, Coldstone Creamery) . I seriously recommend joining and trying it out (my chapter costs $23 a year, so it's an affordable thing to try out. You can also attend two activities before joining). There's playgroups and monthly Moms night out. We all contribute activities to the calendar and have a lot of fun. My kids have made friends along the way and I enjoy getting together with other adults who I can relate to.

I also belong to a MOMS Club chapter, and it is fabulous. You can find library story times for toddlers and preschoolers on the library websites, and some community centers offer toddler activities. It helps so much to get out of the house! The farmers market season is starting up, so you could introduce him to that kind of thing, the nature trails that are paved could be a stroller-friendly way to get out, the zoo is always awesome, the area has several awesome nature centers that offer indoor experiences in addition to their trails, there is the paid stuff like music classes for toddlers and the climbing/bouncing places, and you will find yourself meeting other moms at the park playgrounds... go ahead and give them your email address and see if they want to meet again! :o)
Best wishes to you two!

I'm in the SAME boat!! I struggle evry day trying to think of things to do, and to try and make sure I'm actually interacting and keeping his little mind busy. We check out EVERY park around us, try to take walks, schedule any playdate we can. Have you joined a mommy and me in your area? That has helped me some. Also as wierd as it may sound, get him involved with your chores. It makes them feel helpful and "big" and its another good way to somewhat entertain them, while you get stuff done and spend time with him. It's really hard, I felt like I was reading a post from myself lol!!

I just wanted to say that you should keep in mind that bordom gives your child the opportunity to get creative! I have had similar feelings since I started staying home with my kids; that they get bored, or i'm not doing enough to stimulate or entertain them....am I missing opportunities to teach them!?! Then I realized that kids can be over stimulated and watching a show and finding something to do on their own can allow for need down time for them, as well as help them to develop their own characters. My daughter came into the age where I thought she should be starting to pretend-play. I noticed that if i wasn't entertaining her she would simply sit near where i was and try and talk to me or get my attention. At first I felt guilty, then i realized that i needed to push her away from me at times during the day and let her figure out ways to entertain herself. At first it was a bumpy transition. I'd make little suggestions to her and see what she'd come up with. Now she doesn't have a problem playing on her own, thought she still prefers to play with me :) She comes up with the some amusing stuff! I also notice that she is interacting better with other children now. I'd like to think that her ability to be creative has something to do with all that. Something to think about, have a blessed day~ Chell

When mine were little, I liked pet stores and the Plano animal shelter fo free field trips - for littles it's as fun as a zoo! I like the Plano shelter because the animals are behind glass, so it's not so loud.I also loved our zoo membership - we would hop on the DART rail and have a train adventure too!

Your days sound a lot like mine. One thing that has saved my sanity is my membership at the YMCA. I go work out and the girls go play with other kids in the daycare. I feel like it is mutually beneficial because it gives them some time to interact with other kids and it gives me some time to myself. I am not a HARDCORE workout person, a lot of times I'll just get on the treadmill and watch TV or sit in the lobby and make phone calls that are hard to make with two kids around. I just asked a question about how to help entertain ADHD kids at home because I felt like I was also in a rut. I got some great ideas--feel free to check them out. They are great ideas for all kids...not just ADHD kids! :)

I would start allocating learning time. Do flash cards, art activities, book time or something for about 30 minutes. I love the fisher-price site for my son he does the alphabet or count the score. My little man now can sit in front of my laptop and do it all myself. He also has a Thomas the Train laptop that we play with for learning activities. Shaving cream is always a fun art activity and you can do it on the walls of the tub if you want. We use the shaving cream with our number and letters that stick to the wall and spell out words and put them in order. My son loves it.

Becoming a member of the zoo or botanical gardens will give you something inexpensive to do and allow you to see new things. It's fun to ask a group of friends to get together for a few hours at the zoo. If you become a member then if your child is having an off day or if a rain storm pops up you haven't wasted any money.

I have a two year old as well. My strategy is to leave the house every morning before 9 am and not come back until naptime. Then when my son wakes up he's thrilled to play with his toys. I also am very active with a couple moms groups. Check out meetup.com!