How I Manage Stay at Home Mom Life

Being a stay at home mom is so easy!…I could barely get that sentence out without laughing and if some of you felt total resentment just reading it, I don’t blame you!

The truth is that being a stay at home mom is one of the hardest jobs I have ever had! It’s been two years. I don’t clean my house every day, or cook home-made meals every night. I don’t do all kinds of projects and crafts. And can someone please explain to me where all the time I was supposed to have for myself went because most days, there is none! 

I chase a toddler around the house, watch the same episodes of Bluey on Disney Jr all day, save him from falling to his death when he decides to climb the furniture, AND JUMP OFF,  and play snack maid just to keep him content for five minutes before it all starts over. Also… has anyone out there learned how to manage taking a poo privately yet? Because I usually have company and it wants to play or sit on my lap and cuddle. (Sigh!) 

So, yeah… My point is, that being a stay at home mom requires planning, structure, and intentionality in order to be productive and efficient. At least, it does for me. So I created a Home Management Schedule to help me keep up with all the things in a way that isn’t stressful or overwhelming. 

Getting it Together as a Stay At Home Mom

I’m extremely type A and it was really bothering me that I couldn’t seem to figure out how to manage my day as a stay at home mom. I didn’t feel like I was being productive, my house was a mess, and I was exhausted!!!! I missed feeling like the organized, put together, and efficient teacher I was. And then it dawned on me… I could use the exact method I used in my class, for my home! Why not?! 

I’m not saying that I have it down perfectly, or that I check all the boxes every day, but it has been extremely helpful and my productivity is much higher than it was a year ago. I’m able to maintain the house, meals, and chores that need to be done. When the little guy goes to bed I have evenings to catch up with work things, time with the hubs, or just sit with my glass of wine and watch whatever show I’m watching at the time. Some nights, I go to bed early! 

So how did I come up with this schedule?

The Process 

I started by writing down all the things I could think of that need to be done. 

 Beginning with daily: 

• Empty Dishwasher 
• Make Bed 
• Walk Dogs 
• Sweep/Vacuum common spaces (if needed) 
• Pick Up Bathrooms (if needed)
• Pick Up DIning and Living Room (if needed) 
• Prep Coffee, lunches, diaper bag for next day 
• Start Dishwasher 
• Clean Kitchen

Then, I made a list for the Weekly: 

• Dust 
• Sweep/Vacuum all spaces 
• Wipe down mirrors and glass doors
• Clean bathrooms 
• Laundry (Clothes)
• Laundry (Towels) 
• Rugs
• Dog Area
• Trash Pick Up 
• Meal Planning
• Groceries
• Weekly Planning 

A List for the Monthly

• Clean our refrigerator and freezer 
• Clean front and back patios 
• Laundry (Bedding and blankets)
• Dog Baths 
• Wipe down cabinets and doors 
• Landscaping Maintenance
• Bulk Pickup 
• Household Binder (Receipts, Bills) (More on this later!) 
• Monthly Snapshot – Planner 

And a list for the semi-annually 

• Ceiling Fans 
• Baseboards
• Windows
• Blinds & Drapes
• Oven
• Re-organize Spaces that Need it (Closets, drawers, cabinets, etc.) 
• Purge (Donation Runs) 
• Light Bulb replacements 
• Change out Filters 

Obviously, your list may look different than mine. You may do a load of laundry every day! I’m not about it! I like to wash all the clothes in one day, and all towels and linens for the week on another. I do this for a few reasons: 

1. It’s over and done with at the beginning of the week. In our home, Monday is laundry day. So everyone knows that they need to have anything that needs washing in their hamper. Also, we are able to do it this way because we all have more than enough essentials, such as underwear, socks, etc. for an entire week. So multiple days of washing isn’t necessary. 
2. I wanted to have one day a week where I know I don’t schedule appointments, playdates, etc.so that I can keep up with making sure the loads get into the wash, dryer, and folded as soon as they’re done and ready for the next step. If I stay on top of it, it is much easier. 
3. Having Monday as my stay at home day, helps me feel like I get a nice start to the week because I am super productive with laundry and usually use this as a main cleaning day. It sets up my week nicely. 

The Chart

Once I had my list of household chores done, I created this chart. I use it as a reference, because believe it or not, I forget about things such as changing air filters.Also, things like cleaning the baseboards, ceiling fans, or drapes are chores I don’t exactly love, so having them written down for me to look at helps me make sure I get it done. My type A brain doesn’t like an incomplete checklist. Take a look at my chart:

Get it here

Side Note: Several of the items on this chart are things that my daughter helps out with. We believe that it’s important to have kids help out around the house. Not only is having assigned chores great for learning responsibility, but they’re also learning to contribute to the upkeep of the home they live in and to their families. There is absolutely no way that I could do everything on my own and not be completely overwhelmed. My hubs also takes on several items! 

The Schedule 

I also created a daily schedule that I keep in my planner. It helps me to stay on track and use my time wisely. For the most part, it’s self explanatory. But there are a few items that I would like to explain. 

1. Work Sessions: These vary between things I need to get done for the business, or personal family things such as making appointments, calling about bills, etc. 
2. Morning and afternoon stretch times are the times I have to be the most flexible. There are days when Hendrix will sit contently for an hour and I’m able to get more business/personal work done instead of doing household chores. It really depends on what my priorities are at that time. Other days, he is off the wall and a walk to the park or drive to see a friend is necessary.  And some days, I choose to just play with him and forget about the list because he’s only little for a small amount of time, and there is always tomorrow! 
3. I must give my husband credit for being such a wonderful team mate. We have a deal. I cook. He cleans up. Most nights, he loads and starts the dishwasher and makes sure the kitchen is clean and ready for the next day. This gives me some time to relax before it’s time to get the baby ready for bed… and there are nights where he does that too! Have I mentioned how much I love him!? 

Take a look at my schedule: 

Get it here

LETS BE HONEST THO…

Notice how  I said that the chart and the schedule help? I use that word because I absolutely do not get every single thing done every day, week, month, or even annually. I do not get up at 4:30 every day. Some days I’m up closer to 5:30 because I stayed up late watching The Crown and I start my day a bit behind. Some days I don’t make the bed, or lunch time gets moved due to a playdate or errand that runs long, etc. It isn’t realistic to expect that I can live every day following an exact hour to hour schedule and check every single thing off every single day. If you can… please teach me your superpower! 

Some days I am extremely productive, stay on schedule and check all the boxes. Others, I just do the best I can. This system is my guide as a stay at home mom. It helps me to manage the most important things, structure my day, maintain my home, and get some time in for myself and/or with my husband. 

I’m always looking for ways to improve my home management, so if you have an amazing method that works for you, please share! I would love to hear it!