This is the first year I got to participate in all things back to school, I went back to school shopping, pack lunches for school and have to wake up a four year old that doesn't want to wake up at 7 a.m. . A lot of people asked me before school started whether or not I was going back to work. The short answer, no. It's not because I'm lazy, or I feel as though I shouldn't have to work it's mostly because this is what will benefit my family.
Curtis works at a job where the business hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., as a result he is required to work any of those hours on a moment's notice. There are lots of times when Curtis has worked later so he could finish up his work, or have been asked to switch his shift to accommodate another employee. The benefits to this job is that he is able to change his schedule if something was to come up. Because of the hours he is required to work if he would have to change his shift it would be very difficult if I was working. Also, I only have a 4 hour time frame where I would be able to work. Kayden school starts at 8:50 by the time I go home and drive to a job it would most likely be close to 10 a.m. and I would have to leave by 2 p.m. to pick up Kayden at 3:10 p.m. . With me staying at home I have been able to stay on top of Kayden's school, take care of the house, and do all the other tasks that Curtis doesn't have time to do. While many people do not see staying home as a job, it is very time consuming. I remember before Kayden went to school I was looking at stay at home mom schedules to get an idea of what my day would be like so I decided to share my schedule with all of you.
5:30 am
I have been waking up at 5:30 in the morning for about 3 months now. It is the best thing that I ever decided to do. I am the first one up in my house, I get to shower and eat breakfast in peace. I know this doesn't seem like a lot to some people, but every evening I would take a shower and feel rushed. In the evenings is when my friends call or Curtis and I watch TV, I always felt as though I was trying to fit a shower in between a show or trying to end the conversation early so I could go and take a shower. I also use this time to take the dog out because I know I won't be able to do so until 10am.
7:00am -8:20am
I wake Kayden up at 7 a.m. because he takes a while to wake up. During this time Kayden wakes up, he eats breakfast he gets changed and ready for school. I also use this time to put the finishing touches on his lunch and I also do my makeup during this time. Kayden is lazy in the morning so often times he will wake up and go to the living room and lay down for about 15-20 minutes before he finally decides to eat breakfast. I like to get out of the house by 8:20 because the traffic isn't bad at this time and I don't have to wait long for the elevator.
9am to 10am
I get back home from dropping Kayden to school at 9 a.m. I will sometimes eat breakfast at this time if I wasn't feeling hungry when I woke up. I use this time to relax and watch some TV before my day really starts to get busy
10am to 10:45
I take the dog for a walk during this time and I really enjoy it. I love taking walks and it gives buddy great exercise as well.
11am to 11:30
Depending on what I have the night before, sometimes I will eat leftovers for lunch or I will make something quick for lunch. I like to have items for salad in the fridge, or a frozen meal that's really quick to heat up. Before people tell me frozen dinners is not the healthiest, I know that. I like to keep one or two for those days I'm just too tired or feeling extremely lazy. At this time I will eat my lunch and do some dishes
11:30am to 2pm
This is when I get everything done. I make a list every day of things that are a priority and I like to go through my entire list. I clean the house, run errands, and get things done that I would not be able to get done if kayden was home. I also try to cook dinner at this time because I know when Kayden gets home I am so tired and exhausted from going back and forth and being on my feet all day.
2pm to 2:20 pm
i take the dog out for a walk, for the last time before Kayden comes home
2:50-3:30pm
I leave to go and pick up Kayden and come home
3:30pm-5:30pm
When Kayden comes home I like him to use the bathroom and then he has a snack and relaxes, usually wants to watch TV and play some games. While he is doing this I go through his backpack and his lunch containers and read any notes from the teachers or any papers that they have sent home. I try to cook dinner while Kayden is at school, but on the days that I am unable to do so I will cook dinner at this point. I like Kayden to have dinner between 5 and 5:15 and his dad usually comes home between 5:30 and 6
7:00pm
After dinner it's a free-for-all, sometimes Kayden goes to the park sometimes we just hang out as a family. Kayden goes for a bath at 7 p.m., and I like him in bed by 7:30.sometimes he gets a bubble bath if he's in the mood, he puts on his pajamas and we read a book. It is at this point that I get my free time sometimes I will eat dinner if I haven't done so already and I spend about an hour or two catching up on some shows while cleaning up and packing lunches for the next day
Right now this is my schedule and it works really well for me. It allows me to get a lot of stuff done during the daytime when Kayden is at school. I will admit I do feel like I am constantly running around and I don't get a lot of time to sit down and relax. One great thing about Kayden being in school is for holidays and birthdays I'm able to wrap a present and do a lot of planning with him not around. It has helped a lot with just a little miscellaneous tasks that take longer or things that have to wait until he falls asleep, I can do while he is at school.
This is my schedule and roughly how my day goes and as tired as I am I would not have it any other way
