Thursday, March 14, 2013

Day in the life of a SAHM

I was asked yesterday to write down all I do in a day, not in a snarky way, but in a curious way. The life of a stay at home mom (or really a mom in general) can be the most mundane, hectic, boring, chaotic, fun, hard, busy, challenging, and rewarding thing...all in the same day!

Our days change a bit, for one the kids are in "school" two days a week, and my husband is not off on weekends like a typical job would allow. In fact, our days are backwards from most, he is home in the morning with us until about 9:30, but then not home until 9:30pm, missing dinner, bath, and bedtime. Not going to lie, it's hard, and I'd love to have it the other way around.

We start out our day around 7am when my oldest (4 years old) comes bounding into our room demanding he wants some milk, he's hungry, and wants a cartoon right this second. My husband and I stare at each other for about 10 seconds before our son repeats the list of demands over again. I'll groggily make my way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and get Brock some milk. All the while he is whining that the TV isn't on and breakfast hasn't appeared in front of him like magic. You think I am exaggerating, I'm not.

Most mornings, if I am lucky, I will get to hang out with my oldest on the couch and cuddle with him while he watches his cartoon. I love our one on one time even if he is still demanding the sun while I sleepily sip my coffee. Jude, the "baby" (he's 2) is a fan of sleeping and if we can keep Brock quiet enough he'll often sleep until 8 or even 9. Most mornings though Brock's voice and ever so enthusiastic sound effects have him up by 7:30. Then the fun begins when he starts to freak out that "Mouse Mouse" (mickey mouse clubhouse) is not already on the TV for him, while Brock is simultaneously yelling, "I WAS UP FIRST SO I GET TO CHOOSE THE FIRST CARTOON!!!"

Because we don't get to have family dinners we try to have breakfast together, even if it just cereal, we like to be all together all the table. Clayton will head out for work around the same time the the boys and I will head out for a playdate or the gym.

Either one is a glorious thing for a SAHM. At a playdate your kids get to burn off energy, while you actually get adult interaction. At the gym they also burn off energy while I completely check out and get my butt kicked for an hour or more. This is the main reason I have lost 50 pounds. Jude was a extremely difficult baby that made me want to run for the hills most days, and that is putting it lightly. When it got really, really hard I found the gym. The place I could go for up to 2 hours a day where someone else could keep them and I could not hear screaming for that time period. I was often tempted to sit in the locker room and read a book, but then I would have felt guilty.

When the "activity" of the day is done we will come home for lunch and then my favorite time of day, nap time. Jude still takes amazing naps most days, the kid seriously loves sleep. Brock hates all things having to do with sleep and has since he was a newborn. He was a great baby, horrible sleeper. He still fights "quiet time" to the death but every now and then will pass out for an hour or so. During that time I eat, catch up online, and then clean. I have a calendar for the month of one main thing I can get done each day (dusting, laundry, bathrooms...) It makes it to where I don't ever have to do everything in one day and my house stays relatively clean on a daily basis. The term clean in this situation should be taken very loosely.

After nap/quiet time the demands start again, immediately. Milk is needed, snacks are fetched and cartoons are watched. It's all very exciting. We like to be outside a lot or at Target, so during the afternoons you can find us one of those two places. If I am feeling adventurous, both places. The boys have power wheels and now that is warming up outside we will spend all hours of the afternoon in our backyard. We live in an older home and have an amazing back yard, that is spacious, and covered in shade. We have a covered back porch where we'll spend time coloring or playing with playdoh. Our back yard is one of my favorite places to be.

We still have witching hour at my house. From about 5pm-8pm is hairy, everyday. I need to cook while Jude needs to be held and Brock wants me to read to him right.this.minute. By the time I actually sit down to the table to eat the boys are often done so I sit at an empty table shoveling food as fast as I can because the boys are fighting and trying to destroy things. Dinner time is probably my least favorite time of the day, I have hit a wall, the kids are crazy, and I wish my husband was home. But, we survive it everyday mostly unscathed.

Baths follow dinner and a cartoon follows bath, just one, so it is always a fight on which one it will be. I read to the boys together, put Jude to bed, and then I will stay up with Brock reading to him out of a chapter book. He is in love with reading right now so I am running with it. We bought some flash cards and book on learning to read, so we will see where it goes. He is only 4, and I am not pushing anything on him. I am letting him take the lead on this one.

After the boys are in bed I will do the dinner dishes and plop myself down on the couch completely spent. I will often catch up on laundry or whatever other chore I didn't get done that day until my husband gets home. I have learned that when he gets home I need to focus on him and us so mostly everything goes away while we spend time together. Unless it's Wednesday and then we have to watch Duck Dynasty, of course.

2 comments:

  1. Love this Amber :) takes me back to those crazy days when my 3 were little..oh how I miss those days lol but it is nice to see that other stay at home moms ( I was one myself until my youngest of the 3 was 18!) Actually did and felt and said the same things I did.I felt it as a blessing that I was able to stay home with mine :) I'm sure you do to! Can't wait to read more! Kim Bradford

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  2. Love your honest perspective to being a SAHM!

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