A day in the life...

I write a lot about Audrey, but I haven't been writing much about my experience being a mom, and more specifically a stay-at-home mom. It is definitely much more difficult and exhausting than I ever imagined, but it is also more rewarding.

So here it is! A day in the life of a stay-at-home mom:

2:30am-4:30am - Audrey has been waking up somewhere in this time frame lately and just not going back to sleep in her crib. If we take her in bed with us, she will fall right back to sleep, so that's what we've been doing. Don't judge us. We've tried everything and this gets us all the most restful night's sleep.

6am - Audrey tends to wake up about now. Since she's in our bed, I usually turn on cartoons and she'll sit there quietly and watch while Mommy rests a little longer.

7am - Around now Audrey starts to get a little antsy and we'll get up. She gets a clean diaper and we'll go downstairs. We have finally finished nursing (post to come soon!) so I'll get her a sippy cup of whole milk and she'll sit quietly and "read" books. That gives Mommy some time to check her email and google reader, then we play.

9am - Breakfast time! Audrey's breakfast is usually Greek yogurt and fruit, oatmeal and blueberries, toast, a scrambled egg with cheese, or some combination of those things.

After breakfast can be many things. I may put a load of laundry in or do some dishes. Audrey loves to help with both. I may put cartoons on for her. Sometimes she'll watch, but most of the time she'll play with her toys or books and just look up on occasion.

11am - Nap time for Audrey! Once she's down for her nap, I do a quick clean-up of the playroom. I used to be OCD about it and constantly clean up after her, but that got exhausting. Now it's just a quick pick-up at nap-time and a more thorough job at bedtime. Once that's done, this is the time I'll usually get my shower and eat something if I haven't already yet. Sometimes I try to do some things around the house that aren't so easy when she's awake. Other times, if I'm lucky, I have time to comment on some blogs, write a blog post myself, edit some photos, or work on a craft or sewing project.

1pm - Audrey usually wakes up from her nap. Sometimes it's only an hour and a half nap, others it's two and a half or three hours, but for the most part it's right around a two hour nap. If Daddy's home, we fight over who gets to go pick her up because she gives the BEST hugs when she first wakes up from her nap!

We let her pick out her outfit for the day out of her closet. Yes, we usually let her stay in her pajamas until after her nap. She's comfy. But she loves to pick out her own outfit. Then we'll go downstairs for lunch. Lunch is usually whole milk and leftovers from dinner the night before, or a grilled cheese, or a selection of fruits and vegetables that she can feed herself, or a combination of some of these things. She likes to feed herself most at lunchtime for some reason, so I try to give her foods that she can easily do so.

1:30pm-4pm - Playtime! In the afternoon, we usually go on some kind of outing. It may just be some errands I have to run. But, it has been an unseasonably mild winter here, with little snow, so we've been going on lots of walks in the stroller. In the fall we played out in the yard, and the one snowstorm we had we played in the snow. If it's really cold, we may just stay inside and read books together or have a tea party. Audrey LOVES to read books and I think we read every book on her bookshelf at least once a day. She also loves to sing songs, and play with her dolls, blocks or balls, or play hide-n-seek. Sometimes we attempt craft time, but she doesn't seem to really enjoy that yet.

4pm - We usually start thinking about/preparing dinner. Audrey loves to be in the kitchen! She always wants to help stir and see what's going on. If she's not interested in dinner prep, she'll go to her drawer and play with the plastic cups, utensils etc. we have in there for her.

5:30pm - This is usually dinner time. Early, I know. In the summer when my husband is in the midst of the season it may be later, but sometimes he'll just eat what we've had when he gets home if he works late that day. Again, Audrey "helps" with clean-up or plays with her kitchen stuff.

6:15pm-7pm - This is a quieter playtime. We read books, or play on the floor. Mommy and Daddy get lots of kisses and cuddles. We count fingers and toes, or point to eyes, ears and noses.

7pm - Tubby time! Audrey LOVES tubby time. We brush her teeth and wash up, then she splashes and plays with her toys. When she gets out, we dry off, put on lavender lotion and put on the pajamas she has picked out for the night. We head upstairs to her room and read a story together. Mommy gives hugs and kisses, then leaves while Daddy puts her down.

7:30pm - Audrey is sleeping. Mommy picks up the play room, and most nights I climb into bed. Hubby and I will watch TV together, or I'll read while he's watching some sport I'm not interested in. This is our time to unwind and chat and relax. Most nights we're usually sleeping by 10pm.

12:30am - Audrey will sometimes wake up about now, though she has been better lately. A quick cuddle of reassurance from Daddy and she'll go right back down in the crib.

And then we do it all over again the next day!

Some days I can't believe how much I accomplish and others I wonder how I could be so exhausted when it felt like I did nothing. But then I have to remember, I am a maid and personal chef. I am a teacher, kisser of boo-boos and the tickle monster. I am a friend and a lover. I am a cloth-diapering, baby-wearing, breast-feeding, proud mommy. I am an accountant and investor. I am a therapist and a photographer. I am a writer and recorder of memories. I am a shoulder to lean on. I am a party planner and travel agent. I do all this, and more, and I "work" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I don't get vacation or sick time.


This post turned out to be much longer than I expected with just the "facts," so stay tuned in the next few days for my reflections and thoughts on what being a stay-at-home mom is like for me.