Would Love to Hear from Moms of 3 or More Children Who Stay Home Full-time

Hi one busy L. I was a stay at home mother of three, I say was cause they are grown now, I love it, To this day I feel blessed that i was able to be at home and raise my kids myself. Every day was different, my fist child was 3 years and 4 months old when my second child was born and my second child was 2 years and 3 months when my third child was born. You try and stick to a daily routine or schdule, it may get old for you and your children we just let each day play out, I did a lot kindergarden readiness with my toddlers, potty trained them all early, not a whole lot of TV, my kids were born in the 80's when most kids played outside, more so than TV, we always had family dinners, my two younger ones played together a lot when the oldest was at school, I voulenteered for all the field trips and they allowed me to take my two younger ones with me. During nap time I usually cleaned, Or took my shower. My kids were very close and were really good at playing together, so I did not always have to be the one entertaining. We always had a family bed time routine with prayer and story.
raising my children were some of the best and happiest times of my life, my husband and i are now looking forward to grand children someday. J.

I'm a mother of 4 children ( 13, 10, 2, and 8 mths). I have a calendar that I look through and set up every day.

My 13 yr old gets ready for school on his own and leaves the house at 7:45am. My 10 year old gets ready himself while I get ready of my 2 yo and 8 mth old). My 10 year old knows to eat his breakfast with his 2 yo sister. We have to leave the house by 8:25am. I head back home, feed my 8mth old and have my breakfast..and look at my calendar/schedule for the day. Most of the days during the week are the same, but each week is or can be different with appointments or errands to run. I do chores during the day, play with the little ones, return phone calls, etc. I've tried to take walks on a daily basis to just try to re-energize. Do a couple of work outs when the kids are napping.

All I know..IT IS A CRAZY DAY EVERYDAY! Non-stop! My busiest shift is after 3:30pm..kids come home from school and I have all 4 kids...homework sessions, dinner, showers, family talks, and my own homework that I get from my school aged kids. Just exhausting!

Great question - I love reading all of the responses! We have a 5 yr. old, 3 yr., old & 6 month old. So here goes our typical day:
Husband & I are up at 4:00 am, make his breakfast & lunch then he is out the door by 4:30
4:30 - 8:00 is my time to do school work (I'm finishing my bachelor's), play around on the internet, get our son's lessons ready for the day (we homeschool - he's in K)
*the baby typically wakes up to nurse between 4:30 & 5:00 so I nurse her then she goes back to sleep until around 7:30
8:00 the bigs get up & play/get ready for the day while I take a shower if I haven't already
8:30 - 9:00 is breakfast & cleanup
The rest of the morning is either cleaning around the house or running errands along with a walk or trip to the neighborhood park if the weather is nice - we try to spend A LOT of time outside -
They baby typically nurses again around 9 or 9:30 then goes down for a nap in her crib if we are home, if we are out & about then she naps in her carseat
12:00 - 1:00 sometime in there is lunch - we tend to do it closer to 1 most D.
After lunch the 3 yr. old takes a nap (she loooooves her sleep!!) and I get the baby down for a nap
While the two little ones are sleeping the 5 yr. old & I do his school work - I typically work it in throughout the day but this afternoon time is great for really working on things via the computer or in depth together.
The baby usually wakes up around 2:30 or 3:00. I have to wake the 3 yr. old up at 4:00 or she would sleep forever! We then head outside to play, the bigs usually play in the front yard with some neighborhood kids, the baby plays in her activity center thing & I'm trying to spend time on the treadmill. I usually nurse the baby sometime in here too after she wakes up.
5:00 - 5:30 I start dinner & the kiddos play either in their room or the living room, or I set them up with paints at the table
6:30 husband is home & we all have dinner together.
After dinner my husband & the kiddos spend time together hanging out, playing, talking
7:30 the 5 yr. old takes a shower & does his chores (feed & water the dog, check & take out the trash in the house). After his shower we shower the 3 yr. old.
After showers it is stories with daddy, brushing teeth, bible time then in bed at 8:30. While they are doing this I typically hang back then when they start story time I take the baby to nurse her & put her to bed.
* On an ideal night all kids are in bed at 8:30. Husband & I spend time talking, hanging out, cleaning up the kitchen then it's off to bed by 9:30 for us.
I clean throughout the day (hopefully) and the bigs pick up their stuff (getting better as they get older) as we go. Times are rough estimates since we have more of a routine than a set schedule and can be flexible with whatever we have going on. Our 3 yr. old just started dance on Monday's so that is worked in during the afternoon. Our 5 yr. old is starting t-ball in 2 weeks so practice will get worked in one night a week. We eat dinner together every night (really, where else are they gonna go?!) at the table normally unless it's family movie night in which case it's homemade pizza during a movie. I'm sure I forgot stuff in there - I pretty much feed the baby on demand so it's not super strict with when she eats.
As far as tv/screen time goes: our 5 yr. old normally has about 30 min. of nonschool computer time in the afternoons, especially if I'm having a hard time getting the baby to nap. The tv doesn't come on other than family movie night or if it's nasty outside & we decide on a lazy day. I don't like it as background noise - that's what the radio is for :-) Kiddos have a tendency to get sucked into shows if it is on & most adult shows - even the news - is not something I really want them watching. So, that's our day in a nutshell. woohoo fun! Now I better quit messing around & get some school work done!!!

I have a 5yr old, 3yr old and 9mo old. Crazy days...lol

We start at about 7-7:30 am, eat breakfast right away, my oldest although almost 6 just goes to school t-fr from 12:30 to 4:30 and my son 3yrs goes to preschool t and th from 9-12 so those days we eat breakfast and I drop him off come home and it is special quiet time/play time with my oldest while baby naps, then pick up son come home for about 45min eat lunch get oldest off to school, then play time for a hour or so or (we usually go out a few days a week to either the mall, story time, play gym...etc) then home for naps around 3pm. daughter gets home at 4:30 get dinner ready, into pj's by 6:30 or so we do the bedtime routine (teeth, pee, story, pray...) then kids are usually in bed no later then 7:30, We also have swimming one night a week which throws off our schedule a bit, Hockey on Saturday. T.V is a very rare item to be on in this house, I hate it, (well I love to watch my shows) but don't really let the kids watch much, play time usually hase computer time in it where they play preschool games. we also have are typical snacks around 10am and 3pm (it is crazy how the kids come begging for snack right on time. One night of the week we usually have movie night with popcorn. Oh and cleanup before school and before bed. I don't have nap time where all my kids are down although my son does have quiet time for an hour while my baby naps where I usually have me time which is about the only time I get to watch a tv show. Chores I usually do right after the kids go down to bed I just find that it is when I do them the best, I don't like to stress over doing them while the kids are awake..

It's been a long time since I've had little kids - my youngest is 12 - but I have 4 and have always been home with them. (We also had foster kids more than once.)

They'd usually watch TV for about an hour in the morning (usually Sesame Street) and nap or have quiet time (when they outgrew naps) after lunch. My 3rd liked a late morning nap, so I juggled my schedule to accommodate him. Most of the time, I napped when they did; I don't do well on interrupted sleep. ;P

We never did a play group or preschool, but I know I'm in the minority on that.

I only have two kids, but I'm home with them all the time.
I have a 2 y/o & a 5 month old.
They both wake up around 8:30am *sometimes earlier*
I don't really have a "Set" schedule for my days.
I only allow one movie or a few TV shows during the day. My son actually will only watch Dinosaur Train, Word World or Super Why. lol
Like I said before I don't follow a strict schedule.
But in everyday I make sure all meals are eaten. We have Art time, Reading time, play time and so on. We also do a kinda "School" time. Where we pick a subject and learn about it. My son is REALLY into Dinosaurs & cars. So it ends up mostly being me teaching him more about dinos and cars. But will also have spelling, counting, writing etc
I pretty much do one until my son doesn't want to anymore.
With the baby, I make sure to do lots and lots of tummy time.
Thankfully my DS LOVES this kinda stuff. If he's learning, he's having fun.

I have a 7 yr old son, a 5 yr old son and a 3 yr old daughter.
I just broke my elbow, so our days are a lot more relaxed now but before this happened our days were a lot more structured.

Bofore:
I work PT at my local grocery store. I work 4-8am (occasionally) M-F. So I get home at 8:15a and get my oldest finished getting ready and out to the bus at 8:30a. My hubby takes my middle son to preschool at 9am on his way to work. My daughter and I eat some breakfast, I make some coffee and change out of my work clothes. We watch the morning news together and then I give her a bath and get her dressed. Then she plays until we pick up her brother from preschool at 11:30a....when the weather is nice, we walk and stop at the park on the way home and I let the kids play for an hour or so, when the weather sucks I just drive. Either way, when we get home we go over what my son did at school, change him into some play clothes or sweats, then they play/color while I make them lunch. They eat, I eat, then we clean up from breakfast and lunch. They 'help' me unload and load the dishes and then they 'help' me wipe down the counters and sweep the floor. Then we do a quick tidy of the living room and move to their rooms, where I straighten up and they play :) I make their beds and get their dirty clothes together and throw them in the wash. When we are done with that they play and I vacuum the upstairs. We then move to the downstairs, I switch over the clothes and quick tidy of the downstairs. Then we either walk or drive to the grocery store to pick up the little things we might need for dinner (hubby and I do big shopping on Sunday, but we buy fresh veggies and milk daily) and then we come home and hey play while I rest. It's usually about time for the oldest to be home soon by then. When he gets home he has snack and all 3 kids sit at the table and do 'homework' while I prepare dinner. Hubby gets home between 5-6pm, we eat, kids get screen time of their choice (TV, XBOX, computer, iPad) hubby and I watch jeopardy and wheel a fortune. We get kids ready for bed, alternating who reads the stories, brush teeth, tuck in....go back in 10 mins later and tell them to calm down and it's really time to go to bed! Hubby and I really relax and chat while watching TV. Go to bed. Wake up and repeat.

~ Boys play XBOX when they wake up after breakfast and showers before school...then about an hour in the middle of the day...then an hour or 2 of creen time at night...so my kids get about ?5 hours or so of TV a day...if that's what your looking for?

Well I am semi-stay at home...I work 4 nights a week but not until 6pm so I am pretty much a stay at home M.. I have 3 kids - 6, 5 and 2. Oldest is in school full time, 5 yr old is in kinder. My 2 year old watches WAY too much TV than she should - in fact I was just talking with my bff about how I never let my other ones watch as much as she does. It is broken up but I would say that she probably watches about 2 hours a day, sometimes more if a movie is involved. We DVR her favorite shows at the time (right now it is Ni-Hao Ki-lan and Bubble Guppies) and this is what she watches. Usually one in the morning after breakfast, then one after we drop off my 5 yr old (so at like 11) and then 2 at some point in the afternoon/evening. She takes a nap from 12 to 2. I pick up my 2 older ones at 2:05 and they do homework for 30 minutes followed by outside play or playing in the playroom if weather is bad. My 6 year old plays the Wii about 4 days out of the week in the evening after homework and playing and he has a 30 min limit. If I don't work that day we have dinner as a family around 5:30 and then after that is usually when those other 2 shows come in. This is all if we have no errands to run/nowhere to go. I know I should cut my 2 year old back a bit but I use it as my time to get chores etc done.

I am a mother of three.

During the school week, I get up at 6, wake my 11 year old up at 6:15 Monday and Wednesday so he can go to zero period Spanish (7:30), make lunch, get ready myself.

At 7 am I wake up my 7 year old, set his uniform on his bed. Some time between 6:15 and 7 my 17 month old gets up (this is if she hasn't been up every two hours throughout the night), and I feed both the seven year old and baby.

We are out the door by 7:55 to get to school by 8:15.

Then the baby and I either go home, go workout with a Mommy and Baby stroller class (park time afterwards), work at the school (mandatory 50 hours of volunteer time per year), food shop, or meet friends for breakfast.

I like to be home by 11:30 because I want my 17 month old fed before her nap time at 12. If I am lucky she sleeps from 12 to 2. During this time I either clean, scrapbook, sleep or talk on the phone).

At three I need to be at the school to pick up my boys. The best schedule in the afternoon is to go home and immediately do homework. Often this does not happen because of ice hockey practice or boy scout commitments.

I try to get dinner on the table by 6:30 /7. My 11 year old is responsible for doing the dishes, I read to the baby and or give her a bath.

She is put in bed by 8. The boys put their own pjs on and are in bed by that time too. I have noticed though that this is changing with the 11 year old. Because of school requirements, he is staying up later.

The tv is pretty much background noise during the day. I am careful that it is only age appropriate child's shows. I would not say the boys are actively watching tv during the week. The baby probably gets an hour throughout day. Too much I know; but it is the way it is. Homework has to get done, dinner needs to be made, and I have to get ready for the day. I frequently ask the boys to play with her and they do but it doesn't fill the rest of the time.

I am currently frustrated with how much I get done in a day. I find myself on this website way too much. My house would definitely be cleaner if it wasn't for Mamapedia.com.

I have a 5 yr old, 3 yr old, and a 3 month old and am a SAHM - in addition my husband works out of town 5 days a week. So -

Kids are up by 730. We eat breakfast, play, read books, do puzzles, they color, or do errands as needed. During these times I sneak in laundry and clean up the kitchen. My 5 year old is in preschool so 3 of the days I drop him off and pick up and my 3 year old does these activities while the 5 year old is at school.

We eat lunch about 1130. The kids have to earn TV time so if their behavior was less than steller then no tv after lunch, but if they were good they get an hour of tv from 3 pm to 4 pm (Mom has a show she likes to watch during this time too, lol). But basically the kids play again in the afternoon. We do alot of reading in our house.

Also, I do get on the computer while kids are involved in some activies that they are entertaining themselves. Also clean house (I only/usually do 1 room a day) while kids are entertaining themselves.

We eat at 5 or 530 and relax for the evening. (including baths) Again the kids behavior in the afternoon shows me if they earned TV time again and they get TV from 7 pm to 8 pm. Between 8 and 830 is getting pjs on and brushing teeth. In bed by 830 and they get a movie in their room but TVs are off by 9 pm. (I usually go to bed as well at 9. HeHe)

I have deleted the answer as it had potentially identifying details - and my profile isn't 100% anonymous. I don't think anyone would care enough to "back-track" to who I am....but still...better safe than not.

I have a 7, 5 and almsot 3 year old. My two older kids are in school (kinder and 1st) and my little one is at home and rarely naps.
After we get the big kids off to school, my little one gets to watch one TV show so that i can eat and/or shower (or sometimes sneak in a little study time for myself). Sadly, our mornings are often spent doing errands & he comes along. If we're not doing errands, we play at home or at the park.
When my kinder kid comes home, we eat, play some more - often with a friend - or do more errands and do homework. They are pretty good play companions, so i can often get chores done while they play together.
When my big kid gets home, it's homework time (challenging with a little one who's hitting the wall around this time). We eat an early dinner around 4:30pm so that there is still time to play and get a bath. In the latter part of the week if homework is done, we will do a special afternoon activity. During the week, i try to keep our commitments few (each kid has 2 activities max - ballet and gymnastics for my 5 year old; karate and baseball for the 7 year old. the little one doesn't have any formal activities right now).
My kids don't watch a lot of TV (less than 30 minutes/day & sometimes none) since we've got a lot of other stuff to do. Both of my big kids tend to space out a lot when they watch TV anyway.
Every minute is full & it's never a dull moment!

My day? Ok, get up at 5 am. 5 year old is still peeing the bed so change her sheets/change diapers on the other 2 and start breakfast. The kids like instant oatmeal so we start with that while i cook the real food and wash dishes (no dishwasher). Play time, while I get dressed. Then kids get dressed. Next comes a load of laundry (our washer is outside so you need to be dressed 1st...). by this time it is about 9:30. Nap time for the 10 month old. This is when I fold yesterdays laundry. Then I hang up the washed load (no dryer), and start the next load (the 1st load is peed bedding, the 2nd is usually real clothing). By now it is time to wake up baby and eat lunch as it is 12ish. I start on dinner at this time and naps for the older kids if they are acting tired (the 3 and 5 year old both no longer take naps normally but 10 month old M. take a 2nd...). I try to work on organizing the house or a "project" for an hour or 2 here, but usually the kids are getting crazy and we just play outside for an hour or 2 instead. I then get dinner in them at 4:30 to 5 pm and wash up and put them to bed by 7:00.

we have no tv... so no tv.

I have a 6yo, 5yo and 3mo old. I also watch two 4yo's M-F.
I'm up feeding the baby at 7am
7:30 my kids get up and one kid gets dropped off at my house
Breakfast at 8, second kid gets dropped off at my house
My six year old gets on the bus for school and then I take my 5 year old and one of the kids I watch to preschool three days a week.

Mornings are filled with errands with the kids and baby, sometimes storytime at the library, play-doh, games, reading....no tv time.

Pick up the two from preschool, then lunch at noon. Free play time after lunch. One of the 4 year olds still naps so she goes down at 1:30. During her naptime, I pull out an activity for the others - paint, color, make cards, string beads, play Go Fish...
After her nap we usually play outside until the bus comes. In the winter they play inside and have to find their own thing while I get dinner ready.

The two get picked up, then we have dinner around 5-5:30. After supper it's homework time, or gymnastics class, swim lessons, piano lessons....whatever I have them signed up for.

They get tv time with jammies on and snack at 7pm. 7:30 is books, brush teeth...and I try for lights out at 8pm. It's usually more like 8:15/8:20

Somewhere in there I feed the baby, clean up the kitchen, maybe get one load of laundry done, and hound the kids to pick up their toys...My house is way more cluttered than I would like it to be and I maybe get one room cleaned everyother day - the kids help me clean: they love to take turns scrubbing the toilet, putting clothes in the washer and dryer, and helping me vacuum and dust.