Sahm's - What Is Your Day Like?

Hi D.,

Well I'm just not a stay at home mom, I'm a child care provider also.

But my day goes like this:
6 am oldest son gets up and gets ready for school
6:30 am I get up and oldest son leaves for the bus.
7:00 am I get breakfast started, husband wakes up other 3 kids and gets them dressed.
7:30 am - 8:00 am breakfast
8:00 am - 9:00 am morning free time for kids(mine and daycare)
8:30 7 yr old gets on the bus for school and husband leaves for work.
9:00 am - 11:00 am learning time and snack time for the younger ones. They are only at the table with us about 30 minutes.
11:00 am - 11:30 am free time, I'm fixing lunch
11:30 am - 12:00 lunchtime
12:00 -12:30 getting ready for nap, diapers changed and cleaned up.
12:30 pm - 2:30 or 3:00 pm nap time
4:00 pm snack time
5:00 pm getting ready to go home

night time routine:
5:30 pm I start dinner
6:30 dinner time
and then I clean up the kitchen
8:00 pm bath, brush teeth
9:00 pm bedtime for my 7 yr old, 3 1/2 yr old and my 15 month old
When I get them in bed I then clean up the house, sweep and mop.
10:00 pm my 16 yr old goes to bed.

My husband usually walks in the door around 8:30 pm.

Hello, I am a SAHM and I do work seasonal. There are a lot of fun things that dont cost a lot of money. Parents as Teachers has lots of free activities. http://www.leesummit.k12.mo.us/gb/
I have a friend thats is opening a store downtown LS and is going to have play groups. http://www.happybottomus.com/index.htm
Paradise Park is great and tunnel voyage is nice too. When it gets warm outside, going to the park, zoo, or even planing a day at the mall could be fun. Just pack up the boys and walk around the mall for a while, maybe buying yourself something cause all moms need to once in a while and letting the boys play in the play center. At home you can have a schedule and have have a centain time for a different craft. Finger painting, playdoe, coloring, making tents, playing a game, singing songs, watching a favorite movie, chalk, even sitting in front of the refridgerator playing with magnets can be fun! Hope some of this helps.

D.,
You are about to go through a huge adjustment. I was a teacher for 5 years, had two babies and decided that summers weren't enough time with my kiddos. However, I always got bored in the summer times. I don't want to sound terrible (though I know it does), but when my daughter was very young I got bored at home all day with her. So, I went looking for things to do. I found several. Now that she is three and I have a one year old, we survive on a routine and I have learned to have fun with them. Just know that it is an adjustment and if you don't LOVE it at first, that is OK. It doesn't matter what your job is - you are not going to love it 100% of the time and being a stay at home mom is HARD! I taught high school kids for five years. I would have 35 hormonal freshmen staring at me all day long and my own two exhaust me more than all my other 200 students. The deal is that you are with them all day long - 24 hours a day - no breaks until your husband comes home - and mine travels A LOT. So, it is just me. I make it and have fun at it now. But, I had to institute a routine so that the kids and I knew what was coming next. Also, I work from home, so I needed that in my day too. You need to find a schedule that works for you. It can be as loose or set as you like, but your kids will rely upon your schedule and it makes your days fun too. Don't forget to schedule in time for just you and your kids (doing something together w/o distractions)- that is after all why you are staying home. You can do that by going places with them. Here are some things that we do to stay busy:
-library - they have lots of activities and my kids love books
-places like paradise park - but we don't do those too much b/c we get bored and the chaos is too much for me sometimes
-friends - find some stay at home friends. you'll need them for advice and you'll need them when you need to make doctors appointments for yourself. no more running out at lunch or leaving the office early. you have no babysitter any more
-we also joined Gymboree - now we own it (that's what I do from home), but at first it was a wonderful way to meet moms and let my kids play while they learned. There is freedom and structure all neatly tucked into 45 minutes that I don't ahve to plan. Since we loved it so much we bought it when it was selling. I'd love to help you out if it interests you. In Lee's Summit, our number is (816) 525-PLAY (7529) or www.gymboreeclasses.com
-join a mom's group - there are play dates galore there and many WONDERFUL other moms to meet.

Good luck and remember that this is a huge adjustment and like anything else it takes time to find your groove:)
B.

The public library is a great place to take small kids. They have lots of story time.

D. - I'm looking forward to all the responses you get. I too am about to become a SAHM. My second baby girl is due in 3 1/2 weeks and I won't be returning to work. We are also moving back to our hometown. So after leaving the hospital we'll be going to a new house, new town, and I won't be working, big adjustment! I'm nervous too. One thing I plan to do is swap some time off with my friend who also stays home, she watch mine kids and vice versa. Even if it's just a few hours for one afternoon, I think it will be a big help.

Dear D.,
It IS an adjustment and you are wise in knowing and preparing for that. Change your focus from what you are losing to what you are gaining. The opportunity to impact, train and mentor two wonderful little lives. I have 5, most of whom are now grown, but it is the most rewarding experience you can have. It is about unselfishness and seeking to live this moment in your life.
Make living the part of your structure. Chores are wonderful fun at young ages, and teaches them. The LOVE to help empty diswahser at 3...not so much at l0. But it becomes part of life, Ya know? Yes, take them on errands to learn social skills. Plan picnics in the park, sit and color WITH THEM, read lots of books and revel in the precious few years that you are their sole teacher! I am new to KC, but we had lost of fun parks with trains, zoo, kids museum an' stuff like that that I am sure you can access here too.
God Bless you!

Hello D.!!
I was also in your boat and honestly thought I would be bored stiff staying home when my son was born. "Stay-at-Home Mom" should be re-worded into "On-The-Go Mom." I got involved with MOMS Club of Lee's Summit when my son was 8 mths old. He is now 3. We stay so busy and have made a lot of friends for both he & I. I am so glad we got involved with other stay at home families!! Here is some info I copied and pasted from an email I sent not long ago:

The website is www.momsclub.org. That is the International site where you can read about the group as a whole. Then you can click on chapters and check out the Lee's Summit site too. There is a place you can inquire about membership etc if you so desire.
Like I said before, it is a GREAT resource for going out and doing things!!! That is where his Friday playgroup was formed through--LS Moms Club Members. Also, we have an email loop where you can email to one address and it goes to all members. It is nice for asking for advice, Dr. referrals, telling about garage sales etc. It is a nice way to reach a large group of Moms. One thing I do is send out safety recalls when I get them.
We also have Moms Night Out every month, MOMS breakfast once a month, and all sorts of child/mom stuff. We do holiday events like for instance, we are having a V-Day Pizza Party and they will exchange Valentines. We have a monthly calendar of fun events out to everyone before the month starts but also email Evites to each event. Then people can RSVP and others can check to see who else is going. We have all others numbers so if you check and only one other mom is going, you can call to make sure she will be there if that might change your plans to go or not. Check it out--we have fun.
Good Luck D.! (And all the other Moms looking for the same info)
~Leigh Ann~

In general, my day is structured around afternoon naptime. That makes mornings and late afternoons the time for activities. I would caution you against being too structured, however, because one of the benefits to your children of staying home with them (rather than sending them to daycare where everything is scheduled since there are so many children to care for) is that their attention spans have the opportunity to develop naturally. Instead of stopping and starting their activities by a clock, they get to start and stop based on their interest level (to a point, of course). I rarely interrupt my son while he is involved with something, and it has resulted in a two year old who is very good at entertaining himself. Enjoy it; it's great to get to take care of your kids yourself.

D. - You are about to make the BEST decision of your life! One that you'll never regret. I am a SAHM and work in the IT industry in the corporate world on the side (from the comfort of my home). I LOVE experiencing each day WITH my boys, rather than hearing about it form someone else. You're going to have the best time every! I have infant twins, so our life has to be pretty structured right now. We do certain things at certain times of the day. Once Spring hits, I think we'll be more of a fly by your pants (except for nap time). Again, congrats on making the best decision for your family! Your days will be so much fun! Email me if you ever want to meet up for playdate. My twins are almost 1.

i just became a stay at home after a 10+ year career as a social worker. i was afraid i would be bored and unstructured too but that's not the case at all. i have two girls, 2.5 and 8 months. we go to a lot of playgroups at local community centers and story times at various libraries to keep busy and to get out of the house. my day isn't hugely "structured" with craft time, etc. because my girls are so young and, frankly, i'm not a hugely structured kind of person myself. but we do have a general routine. i was slightly worried (as was everyone else) that the stay at home thing wouldn't work well for me since i was used to a lot of activity and stress, but i LOVE it and it's the best thing i've ever done in my life. i hope it works out well for you too.