Stay At Home Mom's

[golfgal]

My neighbor goes back to bed after getting her kids off to school! Not much could get done then, I suppose.

Ok, I admit I did that on occasion but usually after being up all night with one of the kids.

 

[binny]

You know there are days that I would LOVE to go back to bed, but I get up at 6Am and shower so I am ready to go. It seems like a total waste to go back to bed. I have to be really sick to not get up and get moving in the morning no matter how much Id like to sleep in!

I have to get up and the kids ready, DS 14 is out the door ( he does this himself of course but I like to at least be around for him ) by 6:30 and I drive the girls to school by 7:45.


Oh yeah, there is also the dreaded "paperwork day" my least favourite day of the week. This is the day that I collect all the loose paper flying around the house (you know it happens, even if you try to get to it right away) and sort and organize.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

What do stay at home Mom's do all day if their kids are in school? I am serious, I'm not trying to be sarcastic. If the laundry and cleaning are done how else do you spend your time? Just wondering.

Per my wife, this will never be the case, so don't waste your time thinking about it...

 

[AustinTink]

What do stay at home Mom's do all day if their kids are in school? I am serious, I'm not trying to be sarcastic. If the laundry and cleaning are done how else do you spend your time? Just wondering.

I do whatever the heck I want. Ain't life grand?

 

[Robinrs]

Read the DIS for as long as you want without having to worry about your boss catching you.

Or BE the boss so no one can tell you NOT to...

I became an involuntary SAHM when I was unemployed for a year and a half. I would take my son to school then the WORK STARTED. Since I am a single parent I spent most of the day finding things to sell on eBay! At one point I made as much as I did working!

I also tried to teach myself how to cook!! My son REALLY misses those days!

Some people are good at it, I'm NOT. I work TWICE as hard at home than I did at a job. Really taught me to respect the profession!

 

[BellaSheli]

I have a set cleaning schedule that I follow for the week so that by the end of the week the entire house has been cleaned from top to bottom. I occationally will meet a friend for coffee (once a month) and I do attend bible study on Friday mornings. I'll allow myself a couple of 5 minute breaks during the day to check mail/facebook.

 

[bgirldeb]

Love the replies! I am losing my job in 60 days and am seriously considering staying home for awhile. I have worked for 23 years and the thought of staying home is exciting and kinda scary. I didn't know what I would do with myself, but I love some of the ideas.

I found out last week that I am losing my job in a month. We decided that I'm not going back to work. It's exciting and scary, but I am looking forward to being more productive around the house and spending more time with the kids!

 

[SAHDad]

I have said for some time that, the first couple of weeks that both kids are in school, my daily schedule is going to be something like this:

8 am - get kids to bus stop.
8:15 am - go back to sleep
12:15 wake up, eat lunch.
12:45 - take nap on couch.
3:30 wake up in time to be fully awake when kids get home.

After a couple weeks, I can start catching up on the cleaning, spend some more time at the library (in places other than the kids section - I am told that you can actually get books without pictures in them there!), grocery shopping, yardwork, paint several rooms, start my own business, etc, etc. Plus all the stuff I do now (laundry, dishes, etc) that never seem to get done.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Hey OP, you'd be surprised how many things can fill a day.

Since I'm home I spend all weekend enjoying my families company and watching the kids play sports and not a single thing gets done. So come Monday morning, there is a mountain of laundry from Fri, Sat & Sun that needs to be started including sheets and all bedding. There is food shopping because having everyone home means every bit of food is gone. Throughout the week I run all the errands my family needs to be done, but which they wouldn't dream of doing themselves over the weekend because I have more time . I do volunteer at the school. I did much more at the school when the kids were younger such as tutoring kids to read and for Math, but a great deal of this has ended now that they are older and the new Mommies have muscled in my old turf. I cook ALL our meals from scratch because it's healthier, which means I am VERY BUSY from 3pm-7pm. I oversee all homework and projects, which means my head is spinning from 3-7pm. I am one of very few adults home when the kids are off so I am forever hosting 'hang out' time and get togethers. In between I do steal time for me and some of my favorite to do's include watching movies (i love, love, love my Netflix) and The Dis.

It is demanding to have everyone depending on me to do EVERYTHING all the time. It is thankless because everyone assumes that 6 hours a day means I have all this time on my hands with nothing to do and sometimes I get a hefty dose of resentment from the outside world . Still, I have been lucky enough to really get to know my kids and enjoy their company so it all worth it. I have really enjoyed this chapter in my life and would do it over again (walking away from a promising career for them) in a heartbeat.

Right now I am wondering what I will do with myself in a few years when the kids are off at college or on their own. Home will be empty then, and probably a bit sad so I'll need to find a new adventure. Maybe I'll go back to school for a new career, I love school. Maybe I'll just spend more time volunteering, so many people need help and it's a good way to get out and meet people. Sometimes I even consider opening my home to foster kids, after all I will be a very experienced mother by then with lots of time and patience. I think if you can stay home for while then give it a try, as long as you can keep yourself busy you'll be fine.

 

[Ember]

You know, I've always wondered this... But I never wanted to insult anyone by asking. As you can see from a few of the replies, people are easily insulted...

I don't think I could be a stay at home person. I really don't. As a teacher I don't work the summers. I can't stand it. Don't get me wrong, the first week in lovely. Then I'm antsy and bored! So I find a summer job or take classes at the university over the summer.

Edit: This is not to say I think staying at home is easy, not work, or wasteful. Because I think none of those things. It's just not for me.

 

[mefordis]

I do whatever the heck I want. Ain't life grand?

Ha ha! Ever see Napoleon Dynamite?

 

[AustinTink]

Ha ha! Ever see Napoleon Dynamite?

Kid on Bus: What are you gonna do today, Napoleon?
Napoleon Dynamite: Whatever I feel like I wanna do. Gosh!

 

[Aisling]

I do whatever the heck I want. Ain't life grand?

Me, too. I get my household duties finished, and then I do whatever I feel like doing, lunch with girlfriends, dog park with my dog, nap, little projects, planning menus, exercise class, library, etc. I love it.

 

[diznygirl]

What do stay at home Mom's do all day if their kids are in school? I am serious, I'm not trying to be sarcastic. If the laundry and cleaning are done how else do you spend your time? Just wondering.

Read the DIS for as long as you want without having to worry about your boss catching you.

And Webkinz....

I clean, do the laundry, food shop. I volunteer at my sons' school a few days a week. I also take them to school and pick them up every day. The day goes faster than you'd think.

Or, ya know, bon-bons LOL

I prefer chocolate truffles...

My neighbor goes back to bed after getting her kids off to school! Not much could get done then, I suppose.

With a laptop you can go back to bed and DIS, play Webkinz, AND eat truffles..... I'm amazingly productive!






Seriously, there is so much to do as a SAHM that I frequently wish I had more time.

 

[locolala]

Not a full on mom yet, but I'm a stay at home mom to be, lol. I'm working on my masters degree, so schoolwork takes up most of my day. I won't have my degree till next year, so even after my daughter is here, I'll be doing schoolwork and eventually going off to my internship next spring.

 

[JulyGirl]

Most SAHMs I know are very productive with their time. The house is spotless and the family is treated to some wonderful meals. However, there are some losers out there. I know a lady who has 2 kids, 14 and 11. Her husband works 2 jobs to make ends meet and she still refuses to go to work. She used to have the excuse that the kids were too little to be alone for a few hours. Now, she just says she doesn't want to work. What does she do all day? Play World of Warcraft, of course. Seriously, that is all she does!

 

[luvmy3]

I watch soaps and eat bon bons all day and when my kids get home I make them do all the housework I should have done.

 

[emma'smom]

I'm on sabbatical this semester. It's about as close to being a SAHM as I'll probably ever get. The first few weeks were really fun---lots of time to just do my academic work in the morning and then get the house straightened out in the afternoons. I started going to Gym, watching some daytime television, hitting the library, and catching up with friends over coffee.

After the novelty wore off---I gotta say that I'm BORED! Today I volunteered to make 4 dozen cupcakes for my dd's Sunday School just to keep busy. I finally leave to work on research in another city tomorrow. I can't wait for the monotony to end!

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I watch soaps and eat bon bons all day and when my kids get home I make them do all the housework I should have done.

Ahhh, the proof that I have been looking for. Thanks...

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I consider myself a NAHM, never at home mom. As the kids got older I thought it would be easier. Nope! I have 3 in school and one getting ready to go to pre-school next year. Today I dropped the boys off, went to Target, Kohls, and the grocery store. Got home around 11, did 3 or the 8 loads of laundry, folded and put it away. Laundry is a constant in this house with 3 boys. LOL
Got the boys at 3, came home. They went outside while I played on the computer. did the dishes and started dinner. We did homework and now they are watching a movie while I'm here. After they go to bed it's me time. I usually scrap, cross stitch, or watch TV.

Tomorrow I have a workshop for the scholastic book fair we have at school. Then home again for more laundry, dishes, cleaning. My kids are tornadoes so the house is always a mess!

Wednesday is a meeting with the Scholastic rep, my day at school for school store and PTO, then back home for more cleaning, homework, etc.

Thurs and Friday are 1/2 days for parent teacher conferences so I will be home to entertain the kidlets all day.
Friday night I get DH at the airport and take him back on Sunday, that's an every week thing.

soon bowling and track start up so I do a lot of running around fetching kids and taking other people's kids home too.