When J was about 9 months old, the household was in a mess.
Chores were not done.
I wasn't able to cook dinner.
Books were strewn all over the floor.
We had the typical tiff that goes "But you are at home the whole day!"
Desperate, I typed this on Google - "A day in a life of a SAHM"
I was hoping to get some ideas on how the other stay-at-home-mothers cope.
How did they get chores done?
How did they find time to cook?
Did they shower?
As certain as I was that I was doing something very wrong, I was sure that someone would blog about their daily routine. And they did. Many someones, in fact.
Only that in all the posts I clicked, everyone's babies seem to take at least one two-hour nap in the day and sleeps at eight at night.
And so I gave up.
My baby doesn't really nap!
So, if you are like me, I hope this post makes you feel better.
Here's my average day:
6.30am - Wake up and prepare breakfast for the husband.
Cook baby's porridge.
7.00am - Eat breakfast because I'm already hungry at this point.
7.30am-ish - Husband leaves house for work.
Baby wakes and has her milk
8 am or so - Baby bathes
Until lunch - Play! Sing! Storytelling! Dance!
About 12 - Baby has her lunch
Until about 7 or 8* - Play! Sing! Storytelling! Dance!
About 9 plus - Daddy-baby time
I get to bathe!!
About 10 - Going to bedroom time
About 11.00 - Baby sleeps
11.00pm - 12 midnight - Pick up stuff around the house
Boil water
Eat (because I'm hungry again) while surfing the net
12 plus am - Finally goes to bed
This looks like a crap piece of assignment from an indifferent teenager, but this truly is how my day goes. At *, J takes one or two 30-minutes nap and that's when I get to go relief myself, have my lunch and if I'm really lucky, the nap gets extended and I get a chance to have a quick shower.
And here's my good day, when J goes to BabySPA. Good because it's quite structured.
The timing are all estimated.
6.30am - Wake up and prepare breakfast for the husband.
Cook baby's porridge.
7.00am - Eat breakfast because I'm already hungry at this point.
7.30am-ish - Husband leaves house for work.
Baby wakes and has her milk
8 am or so - Baby bathes
Until lunch - Play! Sing! Storytelling! Dance!
12 plus - Leaves house to go to BabySPA
Around 2.00pm - Chat with the ladies at BabySPA
15 minutes later - Baby has her swim
30 minutes later - Baby is done swimming
30-45 minutes later - Baby has fun playing with the staff at BabySPA on days that are not crowded.
about 3.30pm - Baby sleeps! YES!!!
I have my lunch/tea. Usually this.
Then we'll shop around the mall
5.00 pm - Head home
Until about 7 or 8* - Play! Sing! Storytelling! Dance!
About 9 plus - Daddy-baby time
I get to bathe!!
About 10 - Going to bedroom time
About 11.00 - Baby sleeps
11.00pm - 12 midnight - Pick up stuff around the house
Boil water
Eat (because I'm hungry again) while surfing the net
12 plus am - Finally goes to bed
But I really want you to know that things really do get better.
Now at 11 months, J has a more structured nap-time. Still 30-minute naps twice a day but at least they are around the same time so I can plan my lunch and stuff.
She can also sit to look at her book on kittens while I have my lunch.
And she has learnt to play on her own in the playpen for about 15 minutes without attempting to climb out.
And most, importantly, she sleeps earlier now.
My typical day now looks like this:
6.30am - Wake up and prepare breakfast for the husband.
Cook baby's porridge.
7.00am - Eat breakfast because I'm already hungry at this point.
7.30am-ish - Husband leaves house for work.
I sweep / mop / ME-time
8.30-ish - J wakes and has milk
Until lunch - Hang around the library to pull and read books.
Walk around the house
Baby attempts to open every single cupboard door and drawer
*Nap time at around 10.30 am
Cook baby's porridge.
7.00am - Eat breakfast because I'm already hungry at this point.
7.30am-ish - Husband leaves house for work.
I sweep / mop / ME-time
8.30-ish - J wakes and has milk
Until lunch - Hang around the library to pull and read books.
Walk around the house
Baby attempts to open every single cupboard door and drawer
*Nap time at around 10.30 am
12 plus - WE have lunch and carry on with above
2.30pm - J naps.
3.00pm - We sit by the bookshelves and read / make a mess
5.30pm - If I'm lucky, J naps again, or she sits quietly.
I try to prep dinner.
Else, I'm most probably at the bookshelves. Again.
8pm - Daddy time
9.30 pm - Time for bed!
That is an improvement, isn't it? We've come a long way.
I'm pretty sure things will get better soon. *keeping fingers crossed*
And it will for you, too.
Disclaimer: I see the need to watch J constantly because she climbs the playpen if she really wants to get out. Same for the cot too. She struggles to stay in the parenting station. She tends to mouth everything. Safety is my top priority. All that said, J is still a really sweet baby and not a little terror as I may have portrayed from the routine above.
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