A Day in the Life of a Stay at Home Mom of One Toddler

I always love reading when other bloggers write their day in the life posts. I especially loved the Day in the Life series at Simple Homeschool and Keeper of the Home. Most of the time, I’m just trying to figure out how do they do it all?

Today I want to capture the lovely routine that we have fallen into for the last few months.  I want to document it before it all changes. This is by no means a schedule, nor is this how it happens everyday. This is just one real, messy, wonderful day documented as well as I can remember.

Stay at Home Mom Routine with One Toddler

8:05 am –

Wake up. BabyE has slept in an extra hour later than usual thanks to being happily snuggled in bed with mama nursing. I get him up and changed. I put in my eyes and we’re off! I switch the laundry and start another load. I make us three fried eggs for breakfast and some oat meal. E eats 2 of the yolks with a grown-up fork, and spreads his oatmeal all over the table and floor. While he eats and plays, I answer emails, pay bills, and work on the blog a little bit. I’ve sold a pattern from my Etsy shop over night, so I send the order off to the buyer.

9:50 am –

It is clearly nap time! I get the oats mostly out of E’s hair and lay down with him in his little bed next to the big bed. As often sometimes happens, he won’t take a nap despite needing one. Instead we have nursing & cuddle time while he wiggles.  

10:20 am –

We get up again and I get us both dressed. Then I start folding laundry while talking to a client on the phone. E helps by throwing all the clean laundry on the floor and by handing me hangers when I ask.  

11:00 am –

Since BabyE didn’t take a nap today, we can easily make it to story time. Our local children’s book store offers story time every day at this time with books, sing-alongs, and toys. We walk over to the store and E sits down on one of the floor cushions. That lasts for about five seconds before he is off wandering around checking out the bookshelves, waving to his friends, and flirting with the other moms by flashing his adorable smile. I’m not sure that he’s ever actually listened to the story, but he loves the interaction, the songs, and the train table.  

12:00 pm –

We walk home and I warm up leftovers from the night before for lunch.  

12:50 pm –

We lay down again for nap and this time he falls asleep quickly while nursing. I sneak out with the urgency of an escaped convict. This baby sleeping alone is a very rare occurrence, so I must take advantage of this time. I hurry to sit down at the computer to get some work done on my current freelance project. Less than 20 minutes later I hear Baby crying through the monitor. I go in to see him sitting up in bed rubbing his eyes. I lay him back down and nurse him back asleep. Somehow I sneak out again and get back to work. The second time Baby wakes up, I help him back to sleep and stay there to get some rest myself.  

3:00 pm –

Baby wakes up for good this time, signs all done, and climbs off his bed. This time of day goes much better if we get out of the house. He points to his stroller and signs please,says go go go,andbrings me my shoes and his. I get the picture! I strap him into his stroller and head out the door. It’s been a wonderful summer and fall! We’ve had plenty of sunshine to make going outside everyday possible. We usually take a 3-mile walk in the neighborhood and end up at the local playground. E loves to climb on the equipment, run around, and see the other kids. I love him to get some energy out without tearing apart the house in a safe age appropriate environment.  

5:00 pm –

We stay outside as long as possible, but finally have to start walking home to get dinner ready.  While I start to busy myself in the kitchen, Baby points to the computer and starts dancing. His moves look somewhat like the Monkey from the 1960s. This is my cue to turn on Pandora to his Toddler Radio station. As I’m getting vegetables chopped, meat browning, and water boiling, DH comes in the door to take over dinner preparations and baby wrangling.  I hop on the computer to finish up and send a last minute file. Tonight we’re having a friend over for dinner. She arrives and we all eat cabbage wraps in the living room. Afterwards we walk to get a special treat of frozen yogurt.  

7:30 pm –

I nurse Baby in his bed for half an hour. He’s usually pretty good about falling asleep within an hour, but tonight I have work to do, and he’s showing no signs of slumber. I bring him out to my DH who sits down and gets him to sleep by singing and rocking. After about an hour he is able to lay him down in his own bed. Let me tell you, that is one big accomplishment! I work for a couple of hours. DH says good night as I’m heading to the shower.  

10:30 pm –

I sometimes I feel like this is the real beginning of my day. I get in bed, but lay there looking around the room and listening to my DH, Baby, and pup snoring. I’m waiting because I know that as soon as I relax and am about to fall asleep, that will be when I hear the cry of Baby’s first wake up. Tonight, though it doesn’t come before sleep overtakes me. Baby will wake up at least five more times during the night, and I will nurse him back to sleep, eventually pulling him into the big bed with me. Then we’ll wake up in the morning and we get to do it all over again!