Creating a schedule as a work at home parent is TOUGH. When I first began working from home, before kids, I really struggled. After a few years, I figured it out though and felt good about everything. And then I had our son and DANG. Everything I had developed before flew out the window. What was the schedule? What was routine? Nothing about adding kids to your life is easy, except loving them (most days). So here is our daily schedule, with the reminder that it’s always evolving and changing and being adjusted because #babies.
Our Daily Schedule as a Work at Home Parent
- 6:00: I wake up and do morning prayers in bed
- 6:30: Move my Body/Workout using the Peloton App (If our son wakes up before this, I just let him hang out while I workout and get ready. He will happily sit on our bed and read books, watch Baby Einstein, or hop in the shower with me.)
- 7:00: Shower, make our bed, and get ready for the day
- 7:30: Lachlan has some milk and plays while I unload the dishwasher, start a load of laundry, fill our diffusers, and get ready for the day.
- 8:30: Make and eat breakfast together
- While Lachlan plays independently in his playroom, I complete tasks around the house that I need to do. I follow the Clean Mama Weekly Cleaning Routine!
- 9:30ish: This is the bulk of our “learning time”. We do activities together, play together, read books, run errands, and have a snack. I use the daily lessons in my Play-Based Toddler Homesechool Curriculum to guide our lessons
- 11:30: We make and eat lunch together
- 12:00: Naptime! I work (more about this below)
- 3:00: Wake up!
- 3:30: Prep dinner (chop, blend, and prep anything that needs it)
- While Lachlan plays, I either play with him, clean or try to sneak a few minutes of work in
- 5:00: Start dinner
- 5:45: Eat dinner
- 6:30: Start bathtime
- 6:45: Bedtime
- 7:00: Clean up the kitchen (wipe down counters, prep coffee, start the dishwasher)
- 7:30: Relax/Work/Hang out with my husband
- 9:30: Get ready for bed
- 10:00: Sleep!
Routines That Make Our Schedule Easier
No Chores at Naptime
My husband and I have both adopted this rule. Unless we have a specific reason, we both do whatever we want to do during naptime. During the week (and most weekends) I work. And nothing else. Dishes stay in the sink, laundry sits in the dryer, and toys scatter the floor. Before or after naptime, we’ll take care of all those things. But until then, we focus on ourselves. TV, naps, and books are also encouraged during this time!
Prepping and Cleaning Before Bed
One of the most important things I do every night in my schedule as a work at home mom is wipe down all the kitchen counters, schedule our coffee maker, and start the dishwasher. This preps our kitchen for the following day. I also pick up every room, fluff our pillows, and make sure all laundry is put away. This means I can start every morning fresh. I’m not wasting energy trying to clean or wipe down counters or start the coffee, on top of everything else I have to do in the morning. When I forget or am too tired to do this at night, I royally regret it in the morning. After making this part of our routine for so long, I LOVE wiping down my counters. It’s the last thing I do each night and it brings me so much peace and joy.
Running the Dishwasher Every Night
As mentioned above, running the dishwasher every night is a big part of my schedule as a work at home mom. It may seem excessive, but I promise you it’s not. Studies show that it’s healthier to run every day because it doesn’t allow bacteria to grow on your dishes and it actually saves more water than 5 minutes of handwashing dishes does. SO, run that dishwasher every night and then unload it first thing in the morning. Because it’s not at max capacity, you’ll find it’s not that bad to unload. And that blender you use every morning will always be clean and ready for a new day’s smoothie!
A Daily Load of Laundry
Laundry every day may seem excessive but, again, it’s not. It’s the only true way for us to stay on top of it and not get overwhelmed. Since we use microfiber cloths instead of paper towels, we always have dirty cloths to throw in with our dirty clothes. This typically provides us with a daily medium-sized load of laundry (between workout clothes and daily clothes and microfiber cloths). The smaller nature of each load also makes it easier and more convenient to fold. PRAISE.
Fresh Sheet Friday
Every Friday, just like Haley Wynn, I wash everybody’s sheets and linens instead of doing a small load of regular laundry. I remake our beds with fresh sheets and we crawl in on Friday nights and feel like we’re sleeping on a freaking cloud. A cloud, I tell you. It’s also so helpful for my face (fresh pillowcases 🙌🏼) and I feel like it’s such a simple way to support your immune system. Simple routines like this make it easier for me to keep on schedule as a work at home parent.
Prep Dish + Plan to Eat
If you want the full routine on how I meal plan, I go into more detail HERE. But basically, I swear by Prep Dish and Plan to Eat! Prep Dish helps me plan and order most of our meals and ingredients and Plan to Eat keeps me organized! These resources cost money but by making meals at home and being organized, I save us a lot of money from going out to eat. And they save me a lot of time, which means I can do more of what makes me happy!
Grocery Delivery
After I have all of our meals planned, I head over to Walmart.com and place an order for grocery pickup or delivery. It is AMAZING and such a great addition to our weekly schedule. Seriously, grocery pick up saves me so much time every week. And you can still shop the deals and sales online! Use this link to get $10 off your first order.
Cleaning Our Playroom Every Night
I’ve noticed a huge difference in how well our son plays independently every morning if his playroom is clean and organized. Each night I’ll move his toys around, get everything arranged, and make sure it’s set up in an inviting manner.
Music and Timers
Adding some calming music, speaking softly, and using timers is one of the best ways for me to stay on schedule as a work at home mom. I love using THIS Spotify playlist. I’ll turn it out in our playroom while Lachan is playing independently and then set a timer for 15-20 minutes. During that time I try to unload the dishwasher, start a load of laundry, and fill our diffusers. Of course, I give myself continuous grace if I’m not finished when the timer goes off. It’s really just there to remind me to stay on track.