I thought I'd give you a sample routine for our day; maybe it'll help and maybe it won't.
Kids are 8, 7, 2, and infant.
So in the morning, the two older kids like to wake up very early, but at this point they entertain themselves in their rooms until I get up around seven, when the toddler wakes up. (Usually I'm already awake, nursing.) I say good morning to the big kids and if I did a load of laundry the night before, I'll dump it in the hallway and the two of them will sort them into piles for each family member, and/or fold towels and napkins. They put away their own clothes in their dressers (don't bother folding, but sort into drawers of shirts, pants, dresses, socks, etc.) and the little kids' clothes and fold the towels; I put away the rest after breakfast. Since we do a load a day usually it rarely piles up (unless we're sick).
Meantime, I shower and get dressed (in about three minutes flat) while the toddler sings to herself in her room, then I get her dressed and make my bed. The older two are usually already dressed with their beds made. We all go downstairs together and have breakfast. Since they take their time and I'm not huge on breakfast, I usually do dishes at this point. (Our dishwasher broke, ugh.) Or else I tidy up the kitchen.
Then we have a brief circle time with prayer, talk about the day ahead, etc. Mondays and sometimes Fridays I do grocery shopping, but I admit that's something I leave the older two home for. (DH stays at home during the day so they're not alone.) The other days' mornings are either an outing (rare), worksheets, them doing crafts or playing outside or whatever it is. I float in and out and join in on their activities while also trying to entertain the toddler. We have an open floor plan house so I have to stay on top of her, because she's at a very creative stage and would just explore everything if she could. Usually I prep lunch at this point, with the toddler's "help". While lunch is cooking (it's our main meal of the day), the toddler has quiet time in her room (nap time in theory) and I nurse the baby while we do a homeschool lesson (i.e. read from a textbook). We usually get in a good hour.
Then we have lunch together and clean up. The older kids usually have more work to do (I usually get ideas while we read the textbooks, like the other day we were reading a story about writing a letter to one's grandparents - so I told them to write a letter each (we talked about how to do it "properly" with heading etc.) to their grandmothers to talk about camp. So they finish up whatever and then usually go outside for a little bit while I do a thing or two around the house (vacuuming takes precedence, cleaning the bathroom a bit, etc.). Then we usually take a short-ish walk to kill some time, then have a snack. Older kids amuse themselves with Legos or some other thing inside while I play with the toddler in the playroom. (Sometimes I read for pleasure at this point too while she plays and I make appreciative ooohs and aaahs every once in a while.) Baby naps on me and nurses.
Then there's dinner. We prepare it together. It's usually simple; sandwiches or leftovers or something. On "date nights" I usually don't eat; DH and I order take-out and watch Netflix. Otherwise I eat with them. Then baths and pajamas. The toddler goes down then, and the older two go to their rooms for quiet play, drawing, or reading. I kind of have to hang out upstairs at this point because they love to sneak into each other's rooms and get silly, and then they get loud and wake up the toddler. But if I'm hanging out upstairs, they're good. They both love reading and drawing so it's a nice way to wind down. If the baby is cooperating (rarely) I can take a short bath at this point. While the water runs she's usually OK; I think it soothes her, and then she fusses. Then I put on pajamas myself, throw the hamper into the washer, and either do online courses, pay bills, watch Netflix, read... whatever. And then I go to bed pretty early, around 10.
So yeah. This is what's working now. Things change when kids grow into different phases, like dropping naps etc. Things never stay the same for long. This time last year I was able to fit in a part-time job working at home, but now life is too busy. You just have to keep finding new solutions to new challenges. It's maddening sometimes when I see fellow moms with built in babysitters (like grandparents etc.) jetting away for solo spa weekends sans kids to recharge - yes, seriously! - and I know that's just not in the cards for us. But all in all, it's a lot of work but I'm content. Tired, but content. :wink: That's the goal, to find that happy spot, OP.