Stay at Home Schedules and Routines - Page 2

[Maela]

I have a 3yo and almost 1yo. We have a very loose schedule, with nursing breaks scattered throughout the day.

sometime between 6-8AM - wake up Dh is usually already at work.
potty for both kids
get dd dressed
Make breakfast for all three of us.
Kids play while I get caught up on dishes and start any laundry that needs to be done.
I take a shower with the baby while dd plays.
Get myself ready and baby dressed.
housework
OR go out somewhere (errands, playdate, LLL meeting, park)
I put baby down for nap while dd watches a short movie or plays play dough (or something else "special")
DD and I eat lunch together and spend some time together while DS naps
I try to think about what I'm going to make for dinner. Maybe do some prep if I have time.
Lunch for baby when he wakes.
We go outside, check the mail, take a walk, play with chalk, work in the garden. (sometimes this happens in the morning too.)
Come back in. Kids play while I try to clean things up a bit before dh comes home.
Play with the kids in the playroom.
Make dinner.
6PM Eat.
play outside again or take a walk as a family
7:15pm Bathtime
I put DS to sleep while Dh gets DD ready, reads her stories, bedtime snack.
8:15 PM bedtime for dd
FREE TIME! (sometimes punctuated by nursing to DS back to sleep when he wakes)
10-11PM bed for us

[JessieBird]

I've really enjoyed following this thread and seeing how everyone's days work. I quit my job almost three weeks ago and I now feel like we have enough of a routine for me to add my two cents. I have one DS, 21 mos, and another one due in a few weeks. DH works full time, self-employed, fairly regular hours but sometimes late nights. We have fairly traditional roles in the home.

7:00 We're all up, DH does his own thing while DS and I sluggishly eat breakfast, look after the pets, and get dressed (though we wake up early, we are both very slow and grumpy for a while)
8:00 DH leaves, I do a few household chores while DS plays independently; once every three days or so I let him watch tv so that I can take a shower and dry my hair properly, find clothes that match for once, etc
9:30 DS and I go out for whatever we've planned for that morning - grocery shopping, library story time, play group, walk in the woods, museum or farm visit
11:30 home for snack and nap, I either putter about while DS naps or I take a nap too
2:30 wake up from nap and have lunch (DS hardly eats at all before then)
3:00 quiet activities at around home - prepare dinner ingredients together, do household chores together, poke around the garden, read books, play independently, walk the dog, phone grandparents, etc, we keep afternoons pretty mellow
5:30 dinner, hopefully with DH if he's home by then
6:00 either bath time or crazy hyper play (or both at once!) - I know that playing energetically at this time of day doesn't make sense but somehow it works for us, DS gets nutty goofy at this time of day but still goes to bed very easily
6:30 pyjamas, tooth brushing and book reading, followed by bed for DS
7:00 on - DH and I have dinner (if we didn't eat with DS earlier) and catch up, talk, read and watch tv. I used to paint and work on other arts/crafts in the evenings but I'm way too tired and uncomfortable now at 8 mos preg so I just veg out. We're usually in bed reading by 9:00.

Sounds civilized doesn't it? I'm kind of in awe of how well it is going. I'm glad to have this easy stability now because I know it could all change if DS enters a more challenging developmental phase and when the new baby comes.

Our secret so far is to keep it really simple. I don't push us too hard in the morning because DS and I are so slow to get going. I don't try to do anything big in the afternoon or the evening gets messed up. The biggest thing that helps me to feel calm and in control is to pick up and do little chores as I go. I never leave a room without quickly tidying it up. I work laundry into the day without agonizing over it (and I keep it to a bare minimum, doing big loads and wearing clothes several times before they get washed if possible). I include DS in housework as much as possible so that it can be done throughout the day and so that none is left for after he's gone to bed or for the weekends.

ETA - I have lots of mommy friends but I usually either see them at the same morning activity we go to, or we do things as entire families together on the weekends so I hardly ever make coffee dates or that sort of thing. I kind of miss that one-on-one time with girlfriends but it's all good for now.

[OkiMom]

We don't have a routine anymore.. I had one until I had morning sickness issues and lost it all. Heres what our days look like now
4-DH gets up, wakes me "on accident" every morning
430- I pull myself out of bed and get in the shower
6- I make breakfest, both kids wake if they haven't already
630-7- DH leaves for work, I clean up breakfest mess and get the kids dressed
Then we do whatever all day because Im so tired all the time. Around 1130-12 DD2 takes a nap, sometimes DD1 joins her and Ill take a nap as well.
5-start making dinner
530 eat dinner
630 baths
7-730 take a family walk and go to bed
8- I go to bed.

[Gucci&Granola]

I am expecting my first in December and find this thread fascinating.

[Tway]

So happy to have found this thread--and this forum!

Here's what our routine generally looks like (at least Monday-Friday)

8:30/9:00 Up for the day (DH has already left for work)
9:00 - 10:00 Breakfast for DD and I
10:00 - 10:45 Shower for me, dry hair, dress DD
10:45 - 12:00 Playtime/Check email/Browse MDC
12:00 - 12:40 DD naps, I put on makeup/fix snack/finish checking emails
12:40 - 1:00 Pack bag, put DD in stroller
1:00 - 2:00 Walk through park, play on swing, see ducks
2:00 - 3:00 Stop at Starbucks for coffee, people watching
3:00 - 3:30 Walk home through park, run errands
3:30/4:10 DD naps for 40 minutes, bathroom & computer break for me
4:10 - 5:00 I prepare supper wile DD plays (sometimes I just play with her)
5:00 - 6:00 Walk around outside and explore and wait for DH to come home
6:00 - 7:00 Eat
7:00 - 8:00 Family walk
8:00 - 8:40 Bathtime, story, bed
8:40 - 11:00 ME TIME!
1:30 - 2:00 (or when I can get back to sleep) Feed
4:30 - 5:00 ( " ") Feed

I also feed when she wakes, before naps, and before bed.