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

It's my "weekend" so I'm blowing my free time during Sydney's nap just blogging away. Because my job never ends, it sure feels good to be lazy once in a while. Only my "lazy" isn't lounging on the couch, it's lounging at my kitchen table, typing away. Sometimes I think my fingers have a mind of their own. They even go through withdraws when away from the computer for too long. Really! I'm getting sidetracked now. Back to the point. I wanted to document a day in the life of this stay-at-home-mommy. This way I will be able to look back and understand why I can't seem to grasp how fast time has gone. It's exhausting being a stay-at-home-mom, and I believe there's no harder job out there. It's also not for everyone. I love being home with my daughter and I wouldn't have it any other way.


7am-Good Morning!

We start our day out with a nursing session. Then I put Sydney in her Jumper while I vacuum, feed the cat, make coffee, and wake up. I pump if I'm out of fresh milk, then get her breakfast ready.

8am-Breakfast for Baby

Sydney currently eats a tablespoon(or 2) of rice cereal or oatmeal along with a veggie, which will be replaced with fruits when we get to them. After cleaning her up we move to the floor for some playtime. We are learning to stack blocks and to put them in a container. She also enjoys playing with her new pal, Scout. She rolls to her belly and practices her scooting.

9am-Morning Nap

Beginning at 8:50, we start our nap-time routine. Syd sits on my lap in the rocker and we read a story. I nurse her again and lay her down awake. She sleeps about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. During this time, I clean up dishes, check my email, and take a shower.

10:30-Prime Time

Sydney wakes from her nap and is ready to go. I get her dressed and we spend ten minutes in the mirror admiring how cute she is. I'd like to add that Sydney is aware of how cute she is and is completely full of herself. This is now the time of day I use to go run errands if needed while I have use of the car. If there's nowhere to go, we just play in the sun-filled living room. I try to make every second a learning experience. Whether it's developmentally or doing strength exercises, we sing and talk and just have fun.

12pm-Lunch!

Sydney is increasing the volume of veggies she's eating as she's getting the hang of solids. We haven't tested many kinds yet, so for now she's just getting sweet potatoes with green beans. Afterward, we play some more. Sometimes we watch a Baby Einstein DVD.

1pm-Afternoon Nap

Again,10 minutes before her nap we do the routine. Book and nursing. I lay her down awake and leave her alone. Now I get a couple hours to myself. Ha! I either do one or a combination of the following: straighten up the house, clean bathrooms, make the bed, dishes, make myself lunch, call people back, check my email and mommy boards, and maybe even try to just sit down for ten minutes doing absolutely nothing. Sydney sleeps until anywhere from 3pm to almost 4pm. I don't wake her if she's tired! So we'll estimate the wake up time.

3:30pm-Final hours

Sydney wakes up with a smile on her face. This is the time I try to get outside with her for a while. Living in the desert, it's not always possible. It's 113 degrees before noon half the time. We try and go for a walk or spend an hour at the pool. If I arrange to have the car, we plan a play date. Around 4:30 Sydney is ready for a snack and we nurse. She gets grumpy towards the end of the day so we just hang on the floor with music or Baby Einstein playing in the background.

6:15-Bathtime

We get Sydney's bath going and enjoy a dip in the tub. She kicks in the water and chomps on her rubber duck. I enjoy this activity because Sydney seems so content in there. After we check for grandma wrinkles, I wrap my sweetheart in a towel and hug her dry. We brush her teeth and I give her a lavender massage before getting her into jammies. We read the final book of the day and she drifts in and out of sleep as I nurse her. I lay her down and kiss her goodnight. I tell her I love her and I'll see her when the sun shines.

7pm-Mommy Time!

Finally I can relax. Only I'm too exhausted. I sometimes make dinner, sometimes not. Sometimes I waste hours organizing the 300 pictures of Sydney I took that day. I mostly just crash in front of the tv and catch up on my DVR. My drooping eyelids usually tell me it's bedtime around 9pm.


So there it is. Add a bunch of diaper changes and pumping sessions in the middle of the night, and you get the picture. I love being Sydney's mom. I love being a stay-at-home-mom!