A Day in the Life of a Stay-at-Home-Mom

I often get asked what I do all day, being a stay-at-home-mom. Other stay-at-home-moms know what I do all day - they're doing the same things... well, they're probably doing a lot more than I do, since I rarely cook, barely know how to sew, and have never made my own jam or refurbished a piece of furniture. But just like I have no idea how working moms juggle their many responsibilities, many working moms have no idea what my day is like. So, for those of you who are curious, here is a glimpse into what a typical day in our house looks like.

8:00 am - Hear Little Person waking up over the baby monitor. Toss around in bed, and say "ten thirty more minutes."

8:30 am - OK, nine-ish - Decide you're a bad mom if you let your child entertain herself in her crib any longer, and have mental argument over whether you have time to brush your teeth before you go get her.

9:05 am - Decide you don't have time to brush your teeth, but you do have time to check your e-mail.

9:15 am - Greet Little Person with a smile and an "I love you, did you have a good night?," and help her navigate the stairs for breakfast.

9:30 am - Turn on TV show/movie of Little Person's choice (currently Disney's Cars) and place gourmet meal of Eggo waffle and water in front of her. While Little Person is entertained, unload and reload dishwasher, and go get clothes out of the dryer. Notice that clothes are still a little damp because your fancy-schmancy automatic sensor thingy isn't so hot after all, and decide that they do not smell mildewey enough to be rewashed. Reset dryer, and ignore large pile of clothes that needs to be pre-treated.

10:00 am - Change Little Person's diaper, and transfer movie to bedroom TV, so you can take a shower while simultaneously supervising Little Person. Hope Little Person doesn't find your engagement ring and flush it down the toilet or something.

10:30 am - Decide for the 6th day in a row that you will forego blow-drying hair and applying makeup. Pull hair into not-so-great-looking ponytail, and dress Little Person.

10:40 am - Call Working Husband and inquire about what time he thinks he will get off work today.

10:45 am - Check e-mail.

11:00 am - Run an errand or two. This is the perfect time, because it allows you to justify another fine, gourmet meal via a drive-through for lunch.

12:15 pm - Serve Little Person chicken nuggets and french fries. Wonder why Little Person refuses to eat fruits and vegetables. Insist that Little Person watch taped "Super Why" or PBS instead of Cars this time because you're not going to be one of "those" moms who lets the TV entertain her child all day unless it's educational. Eat cheeseburger, and fold dry laundry. Allow folded laundry to sit in living room at least a week before putting it in it's proper location. The benefit on this is three-fold - 1. it allows easy access to said laundry over the week, 2. there is much less laundry to be put away once you finally get around to it, and 3. Working Husband might get tired of stepping over it and put it away for you.

1:00 pm - Change Little Person's diaper, and realize you haven't changed it since she woke up this morning.

1:01 pm - Observe that Little Person seems unharmed by the lack of mid-morning diaper change, and note that you have saved time and resources by not changing her. Bask in the glory of your physical and economic efficiency.

1:05 pm - Put Little Person down for nap.

1:10 pm - Check e-mail.

1:45 pm - Call Working Husband and ask what time he thinks he'll get off work today.

1:50 pm - Have mental argument over whether to tackle your never-ending list of chores or take a nap. Nap wins 75% 90% of the time.

3:00 pm - Hear Little Person waking up on monitor.

3:15 pm - Go get Little Person and greet her with, "Hi baby, did you have a good nap?" Change her, and help her down the stairs.

3:30 pm - Offer Little Person gourmet snack of goldfish crackers after she slings her yogurt all over the kitchen.

3:31 pm - Call Working Husband and ask what time he thinks he'll be home today.

3:45 pm - Play Dollhouse with Little Person. At Little Person's insistence, attempt to squeeze giant rubber duck through tiny door.

4:00 pm - Watch Little Person work a puzzle. Pat self on back when she correctly identifies the blue piece. Bask in the glory of your fine mothering skills, and mentally say, "In your face, person who said children should only be allowed to watch 30 minutes of TV per day!"

4:15 pm - Read a few books to Little Person. Take Little Person outside to play, weather-permitting.

5:00 pm - Take Little Person to Mimi's house. Surf internet while Mimi entertains Little Person.

6:00 pm - Call Working Husband and ask what time he'll be home.

6:15 pm - Return home, and serve gourmet meal of tortilla chips and cheese to Little Person. Reheat Lasagna that Little Person refused to eat the night before, and eat it yourself. Give in when Little Person insists that she must watch Cars again. Wonder if your child watches too much TV.

6:30 pm - Greet Working Husband who is FINALLY home! Do happy dance. Berate husband when he asks for 15 minutes to unwind and change clothes.

7:00 pm - Go to neighborhood pool as a family, and watch Little Person drink the pool water.

8:00 pm - Bathe and dress Little Person for bed.

8:30 pm - Begin bedtime routine of bible story, song, books, teeth brushing, and bedtime prayers. Thank God for Little Person (and Working Husband), and pray for many more days just like this one.

9:00 pm - Check e-mail. Notice people are asking when you're planning to blog again.

9:30 pm - Add yogurt-soaked outfit to pile of clothes that needs to be pre-treated, and crash on couch. Fall asleep watching TV, and tell yourself you'll mop the floors and scrub the bathrooms "tomorrow..."