Studies have shown that having a daily routine helps increase productivity and I am all about being as efficient and productive as I can (just ask my boys!)
Today, let me share how life usually looks like for me on a daily basis whenever I spend the day at home. Yes, even before there were lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing, this has pretty much been how life was like for me on most days. Haha.
A lot of moms asked for this post when the quarantines started so, here it is! Hope this helps, especially for all you moms who are sailing in this new world of being at home with the kids 24/7.
It isn’t always easy, but it’s not as scary as you might think. Haha. And of course, it’s so, so worth it.
7:30 am
- Wake up
- Morning Routine: shower, fix up, etc.
- Read the Bible while I pump for 20-25 minutes
After Bible reading, I check up on the news and answer messages on my social media.
Luke knows not to disturb me during my morning quiet time and pump session (and everything else that goes with it, haha) So, he would do all his morning tasks (fix bed, change, etc.) independently and then go to Dylan’s room to play with him.
Dylan stays in his own room with yaya (nanny) and wakes up around 6:30-7 am.
8:00 am
- Get morning sunlight with the kids
Dylan’s yaya takes her breakfast and morning break during this time as well.
Sometimes though, yaya is the one who takes the kids out for sunlight. When she does, I take it as an opportunity to have a quick me-time with my coffee and Kindle. Haha.
8:30 am
- Prepare and have breakfast with the kids
- Prayer and devotional for the kids during breakfast
I always read one passage a day from our current devotional or Bible reading. (You can check out my recommended devotional books here) We also do Bible verse memorization every once in a while, just to make sure Luke doesn’t forget them!
Luke also “takes his time” (code for he eats slow lol) when he eats. So, we usually take a loooong time to finish. We use this time to either chat, talk about our plans for the day or read more books.
9:30 am
- Free play with the kids
- Work on some chores
Depending on the day, this is usually where I either prepare all the clothes for laundry + turn the washing machine on and/or fold and sort freshly washed clothes back into their proper place.
I also tidy up the rooms a little to make sure we’re ready to begin the day properly. The kids also help out!
10:00 am
- Dylan goes with yaya for his bath and nap
- Luke starts homeschooling: A detailed homeschool schedule coming up soon! But you can check this out first.
Dylan will stay with yaya until it’s time for lunch. And this is where I get 1.5 hours of uninterrupted homeschool time with Luke. I try to keep this time sacred and free from other distractions.
I honestly owe a lot of my productivity to having help at home. I’m not very good at juggling so many things on my own!
11:30 am
- Pump break
- Luke gets free time: He will either play with his toys, finish up extra tasks or watch me work.
I usually sneak in some work while I pump, which is why I pump in front of my desktop. Haha. Luke would stay on our bed and do whatever he feels like doing.
Sometimes, when I’m feeling extra extra (lol,) I would ask Luke if he would be up for some read-alouds and we would read together on the bed while I pump.
12:00 nn
- Lunch
- Yaya also takes her lunch
- Wash dishes after
Yaya gets 12:00-2:30 to eat lunch, do her personal tasks and also finish up some chores for Dylan like clean his room, playmats, etc.
1:00 pm
- Break! Playtime with Dylan and Luke.
- Finish up chores, if any
This is my personal time with Dylan. Luke joins in as well, but the games, books and activities are geared more towards what is age appropriate for Dylan rather than Luke.
Usually, we play indoors because it’s too hot at this time. But when the weather is cool, we sneak in a bit of outdoor time here too.
2:30 pm
- Work time for me!
- Yaya plays with the kids in the other room
Luke loves playing with Dylan and his yaya so this is the time when they play together. I take this time to work on some designs, articles or shoot photos.
3:30 pm
- Pump Break
- Luke goes to my room to either watch me work, play on his own or work on activities independently
By this time, Luke is tired of playing with his baby brother (haha) so he comes to my room and stays with me instead. This is my pump break though, so he has to play independently again
4:00 pm
- Afternoon snack with Luke
- Afternoon nap for Dylan
Yaya puts Dylan to sleep and when Dylan is placed down on his bed, yaya goes down and has her own afternoon break.
At the same time, Luke and I go downstairs for an afternoon snack. As we eat, we would read a book or two together. Sometimes it’s poetry, sometimes it’s a story! Lately, it’s been a lot of Magic School Bus. Hehe.
Sometimes, I would tell Luke that it’s “personal reading time.” This means, he gets to choose a book he can read on his own while I read a book on my own. I would set a timer for 15 minutes and we’ll separately read quietly, while munching on our snacks.
Usually, Luke would choose to browse through a big coffee table style reference book with nice illustrations.
4:30 pm
- Play outside with the kids
Usually, Dylan wakes up past 5 and would join Luke outside for some outdoor fun. We’d play in the garage, in our backyard or sometimes, we would walk outside to the village park and run around in the grass.
If Mor’s home, he would join us or take the kids on his own so I could rest haha!
Sometimes, we’d also play together with some of our neighbors or have them over for playtime at home.
5:30 pm
- Assist Luke for bath and potty time
- Dylan goes with yaya for his own bath and/or quick playtime before dinner
If there’s still time before dinner after his bath, Luke would spend time playing with Dylan.
6:30 pm
- Dinner
- Followed by family playtime
6:30-8:30 is when we spend time together as a family. By this time, Mor is usually back from work so we eat together and the boys spend time playing with him after.
Around 8pm, I need to have another pump break. So, I leave the kids with him for 20 minutes.
8:30 pm
- Dylan goes with yaya back to his room and retires for the night
- Prepare Luke for bedtime
- Put Luke to sleep
Preparing Luke for bedtime includes fixing up his room (closing windows, putting water on the humidifier, etc.) and also reminding him to brush his teeth and wear is pajamas.
We tell bedtime stories at around 8:45pm and the goal is to get him to sleep by 9pm.
9:00 pm
- Free time until I sleep at 12!
Free time!! Haha.
I look forward to this time because I imagine myself being super productive, having 3 hours of kid-free time. But to be honest, I’m usually exhausted by then and I end up NOT wanting to do anything work-related anyway. Not always (mind you, I try my best to really not “waste” time!) but, most of the time. Haha.
This is also the time when Mor and I get to spend time. We would usually eat nachos dipped in sour cream and watch Netflix together. But we only get to do this when we can agree on a show. Our last shows were the Bill Gates docuseries, Designated Survivor and The Crown. We have yet to find our next one… any suggestions? 😉
At around 10:30, I’d have my own personal reading time (plus more snacks wahaha!) And at 11pm, I’ll have my final pump before I retire for the night.
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And there you have it! Do note that this is how my schedule USUALLY looks like if I spend the entire day at home. Otherwise, like if I need to shuttle Luke to his different classes or attend events, meetings, etc., I usually make adjustments.
If you’re wondering what’s the secret to getting a lot of things done, it is… to get an extra pair of hands to help, whenever possible! Haha. Well at least that’s true for me! I salute all you work-at-home and stay-at-home moms without help because I cannot imagine myself succeeding at that while staying sane hahaha. And for that, I am honestly, so impressed.
Will share with you guys our homeschool schedule next!
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