Finally! Summer is over and I am doing my happy-dance as I see my oldest off to second grade. Weekdays become more structured and bed time becomes earlier. My children fall into routine, and I thought it would be best to share our routine with all of you. At the end of this post, I will have a list of what I prepare the night before a school day in order to help make the school-year a little easier! I tend to stress so much more when my kids are in school due to the parental obligations, but the prepping really help to limit that stress. I thought it would be fun to model this post after the alarms from the Clock App in my phone.
6:00AM – Don’t kid yourself…
You know you’re not going to wake up that early, but it’s the thought that counts! My pre-alarm Alarm.
6:30AM – That’s more like it.
This is usually the time I wake up.
6:45AM – Seriously, wake up!
Sometimes I sleep-in until 6:45, but this is the absolute latest I can lay in bed. This is about the time that I would wake my oldest up so she can start getting ready for school. She climbs out of bed, puts her outfit on, goes on the potty, brushes her hair and teeth, then puts her socks and shoes on. That all takes her about 15 minutes. I try to have them at the table eating breakfast by 7:00AM. My kids brush their teeth before breakfast (I know that’s an odd concept) because they often forget afterwards.
7:25AM – Socks & Shoes.
This is another pre-alarm. It makes leaving on-time a lot easier!
7:30AM – Take Tabitha to School!
I live right next to a High-School. If I don’t leave by 7:30, I am sitting in High-School traffic for 15-20 minutes. Fridays are Donut Day. So we leave earlier to grab donuts at the grocery store in order to properly congratulate the kids on making it through the school week.
7:45AM – Arrive at the School.
Usually we park our car across the street from the back entrance of the school at 7:45ish. We walk to where her class lines up at around 8:00AM. Between those times, we are either jamming-out to music in the car or having conversations.
8:15AM – School Starts
The bell rings and we are already in line. My daughter is usually having girl-time until the teacher gets their attention and walks them into class. I like to watch her walk into her classroom, so that I know she is safe. I feel like once she crosses the threshold, it becomes the teacher’s duty to watch and care for her as I am not able to.
After my oldest is happily learning in class, I drive home or run some errands while I am out. My youngest starts school next fall, so he is home alone with me until his sister comes home. Right when we arrive at home, my son normally wants a snack. Then we like to watch TV or play video games. Sometimes we go for walks around the block or go to the park, and we usually do some type of craft project together.
12:00PM – Lunch!
My youngest gets to eat his lunch.
12:30 / 1:50 (Depending on the day of the week) – Pick oldest up from school.
I spend the walk from the school to the car asking my daughter how her day was. I usually ask what she had for lunch. I normally know what she had for lunch, but I like to see if she remembers. Then I’ll try and ask a funny question (for example: “Did you catch anyone picking their nose?”). We drive home or run any other necessary errands.
Right when we get home from school, we do homework/read and my littlest child works in his Pre-K workbook. Once homework is done, the kids know they are allowed another snack. Then the day is free for them to play until dinner.
5:00PM – Start making dinner!
After everybody has eaten, I spend my time cleaning & prepping for the new day. It usually only takes around an hour to clean-up the house, unless I have really let my house go. Every other day, my kids get showers.
7:45PM – Kids get ready for bed.
As my parents used to say: “Potty, Pajamas, & Beddd!!!”
8:00PM – Kids in bed.
Sometimes after the kids are in bed, I like to have a screwdriver (you know, to keep my sanity).
I try my hardest to make sure all my days follow this order, but sometimes it can be difficult! Between my motherly obligations, I personally like to work on my blog or my Etsy Shop, watch TV while folding laundry, finish incomplete tasks.
Prep The Night Before a School Day:
Meals – I like to get breakfast and lunches ready for the family, the night before a school/work day. Usually, my kids have cereal for breakfast. I prep breakfast by putting the cereal and spoon in the bowls, stacking the bowls up, and putting them into the fridge until morning. Lunches are prepared and put into their lunchbox in the fridge. My son also gets a lunchbox, because it saves time making both their lunches at once. My husband usually takes dinner left-overs to work, which I pack in his lunch sack after cleaning-up the mess from dinner.
Outfits – I have my kids pick out their outfits & shoes the night before they wake up. This way I can make sure they aren’t looking for their shoes last minute and they have clean clothes to wear.
Keys & Wallet – I need to make sure my keys and my wallet are by the door before I go to bed. I lose EVERYTHING! If I don’t put my keys in their spot, I end up calling my husband (he knows where everything is) to help find them.
I would completely lose my sanity if I didn’t overly prepare for the next day. I don’t know how people make it to school on time without prepping. I would be completely stressed out!!! My prepping seems to really make my days run more smoothly.
So that’s basically my Day-In-The-Life of a SAHM with a school-aged child. Sometimes, my days can seem so hectic that I can’t wait for them to end. Other days I wish I could have had more time to get more done. If you can take one thing from this post, it would be:
1337MOM 