Tag: work

As I’m starting a new job and heading into the working parent world for the first time in a couple years, I thought it’d interesting to see the differences between my normal schedule now and my normal schedule then. To start with, I’ve been home full time with my kids for about 18 months now. This will also be the first time my kids are going to be outside the home while I work. Previously they’ve stayed with family, now they will be attending preschool.

I may discuss later some of the troubles I had finding childcare I trusted and was cost efficient whilst also finding a job that accommodated my family well. Right now, I’m just looking at daily life.

I’ll begin with our Full Time At Home Schedule.

6:30am Wake Up! the alarm goes off and I roll out of my comfy bed

6:30-8:30am Coffee Time!! I get my husband’s lunch out of the fridge, and make my cup of coffee. Then I sit down and drink it whilst I scroll through social media, check the news from the day before, etc.

8:30am Breakfast by 8:30 the kids are awake and breakfast can be served. Our morning meal is usually pretty light and informal. Maybe it’s fruit, or yogurt, or cereal. Nothing fancy.

9:00-12:00 Time to Clean The mornings are generally spent doing the cleaning tasks around the house. Washing laundry, vacuuming, doing dishes, so on. Once a week, I do a deep clean day that takes up most of the day.

12pm- 1pm Lunch I start Lunch about noon and then we eat.

1pm-4pm Afternoon Activity Sometimes this is a craft, sometimes it means baking cookies, or heading out to a museum or for a walk. We try to get outside if at all possible. Around 4, we start to head home to prepare for the evening.

4pm Tea Time I try to make myself a cup of tea in the afternoon to slow down for a minute. The children often bring me books to read to them as well. Its a few moments of quiet.

5pm-6:30pm Cook Now its time to begin preparing dinner, unless I’m making a crock pot dinner.

6:30-7:30pm Dinnertime

7:30-9:00pm Unwinding If anyone needs a bath, they get one, pajamas are put on, cuddles are issued. This is just whatever family play time is needed.

9pm Bedtime Sometimes this is only meant for the kids and we stay up later, but sometimes, everyone goes to bed. Especially if it’s been a taxing day and everyone is tired.

During the week I plan for an Outting, a Deep Clean Day, a Craft Day, a Walk, and a Pajama Day. After our schedule changes, this aspect of our routine will also have to change.

From the start the biggest changes I’ve noticed are that I am exhausted at night and have fallen right to sleep most nights. I even drank a soda after noon the other day and still fell right to sleep. This didn’t used to happen.

Working Full Time Schedule

5:40 am Awaken Alarm Goes Off and I fall out of the Bed and try to do a little stretching. About a week into working my leg started hurting and the only answer I can come up with is, I wasn’t stretching and being up on my feet all day gave my poor lazy leg a shock. So I make it a point to stretch my muscles to start the day.

6:00 am Dressing I get myself dressed, face washed, hair put up, teeth brushed. This takes the most time of the morning ordeal.

6:20 am Awaken Children I wake up the children, though this usually takes a few wake ups. They like to crawl under the pillows and go back to sleep. Then I start a load of laundry and feed the Cat

6:25 am Awaken Children 2.0 wake up the children again. Make my cup of coffee and get the lunches into their lunch bags.

6:35 am Brush The kids are forced out of bed at this point if not already up and dressed and teeth brushed. This takes a few minutes depending on how cranky they are that morning.

6:45 am Making Beds the beds are made and shoes are put on. I open up the blinds on all the windows.

6:50-7:00 am GET OUT THE DOOR We leave the house

7:00-7:45 am In Tranist

8:00 am- 5:00 pm Work

5:15- 6:00 pm In Transit Again

6:00 pm Coming Home We return home and Dinner is started.

6:30-7:00ish Dinner is Served We eat dinner. I’ve tried to find several easy 30 minute dinners so we are able to eat at a decent time.

7:00pm Individual Time One on One time with each kid. This looks different every day, but it is very important that it happens.

7:30pm Human Clean Time Showers/Baths. During this time is also when my partner does whichever cleaning task is designated for that evening.

8:00pm House Clean Time Laundry Folded from the morning wash, and the dishes from dinner are washed. My partner uses this time to spend some one on one time with the kids.

8:30pm Slow Down Reading time for the kids. A time to quiet down and get cozy.

9:00pm Kid Snooze this is kid bedtime, sometimes also grown up bedtime depending on the day.

9:30pm Deep Breath relaxing time for the adults. Read a book, do a cross stitch, paint, watch a show, etc.

10:30pm Everyone Snooze adult bedtime

As for our scheduled days like I had before they’ve been expanded to once a month instead of once a week. We have a good Deep Clean day one Saturday for example. Since the kids do crafts and play outside at school, they don’t have the need for that at home as much as before. So I will plan a baking activity or a craft for a Saturday afternoon, but not as frequently. I try to fit Outtings in twice a month, mostly for the time together as a family. I enjoy our family trips and I’m not willing to give that up. One thing that has stayed the same is that one day of the weekend is a Pajama Day, regardless of whatever else we may be doing. We all need that day of rest. I am also still meeting once a week to paint with friends, now over zoom, but I’ve been certain to keep that.

I’ve been interested to see what things changed with a more full schedule. Our screen time has dropped, as has my time on social media. This is a positive. I think the negative has been that I’ve had more trouble keeping up with writing and editing. I’m remarkably happy with how things are going however. I am loving my job and my kids love preschool. I miss having spare time to just nap, but I’m also more fulfilled. I’m struggling to keep up with writing and editing though and that is massive negative.

As I balance my time better and better, I will work my writing time back in. I am improving my time management.