Sample Schedule for a Stay at Home Mom
Posted by CSAHM on February 25, 2009 · 21 Comments
I have a lot of moms ask me how I manage to juggle everything I do in a day. Even though I have an awesome husband and an awesome God that gets me through every single day. Recently I came up with a daily schedule that also helps me juggle my daily responsibilities.
So I thought I would go ahead and post a sample of my daily schedule here. Keep in mind this is just a sample and it was designed around my responsibilities and my personality. It has been tweaked quite a bit and I still try to remain flexible throughout the day.
Here is my sample weekly schedule (Mon. – Fri.) for a Stay at Home Mom:
- 8:30am – 9:30am: Wake up and get ready for the day & have about 15 – 20 minutes of Bible reading.
- 9:30am – 10:00am: Breakfast
- 10:00am – 10:30am: Get the kids dressed and ready for the day.
- 10:30am – 12:30pm: Free time to either clean the house, play with the kids, workout, or run errands – just depends on the day.
- 12:30pm – 1:00pm: Lunch time. If I plan to run errands this day then I pack a lunch the night before so the kids and I can eat in the car and I can get an extra 30 minutes to run errands.
- 1:00pm – 2:00pm: Playtime and homeschool preschooler.
- 2:00pm – 4:00pm: Nap time for my little ones. My oldest starts her homeschooling through the Abeka DVD program, and I work online.
- 4:00pm – 5:00pm: Cook dinner, while my oldest finishes up her DVD lessons.
- 5:00pm – 5:30pm: Eat Dinner.
- 5:30pm – 6:00pm: Clean up the kitchen.
- 6:00pm – 7:30pm: Free time. If I don’t have time to get devotional time in the morning I do so during this time as well. I will also use this time to pack lunches for the next day if we plan on running errands, have an appointment, etc.
- 7:30pm – 8:00pm: Bath time and get kids ready for bed & bedtime snack.
- 8:00pm – 8:30pm: Quiet time for the kids, then bedtime.
- 8:30pm – 11:00pm: Veg out in front of the TV while snuggling with my hubby!
Some things to remember when planning a daily Stay at Home Mom schedule:
- Be flexible.
- Don’t over schedule.
- Schedule time for yourself.
- Work within your and your childs personality.
- Talk about your schedule with your husband.
- If you aren’t a morning person – don’t force it.
- Establish routines: a morning routine, bedtime routine, dinner routine, etc.
- Make sure your priorities are reflected within your daily schedule. Make sure to schedule quality time with God, your husband, and children on a daily basis.
- If all else fails – try, try, again. Don’t be afraid tweak your schedule throughout the day/week to come up with a permanent schedule that works with you and your family.
Developing a daily schedule can truly help to turn a life of chaos into a more productive – fulfilling – life!
Updates on new Posts 
Subscribe in a Reader · Subscribe by Email
Tell the world you are proud to be a CSAHM - choose a button below to display on your website/blog!
Great schedule tips. I’m actually having trouble being organized, so this will really help. Thanks! God bless =]
whoa. 8:30! that’s awesome! our kids get to bed between 8 & 8:30 and are ready to go between 6:30 – 7. I am NOT a morning person, but if the kids are up and hungry, i don’t have a choice
i’ve been working to get up at 5 just so i can have a quiet time and get in a shower. schedules are definitely the way to go though, otherwise i would waste my day away on the computer 
My kids get up super early as well. I find that when I get up at 6am a little one is soon coming down the stairs. I have to get up at 5-5:30 to get quiet time for myself. It’s hard because I usually stay up late working. I’m working hard to find a schedule that works for my family.
Hey, Crystal thank you for commenting. I know what you mean about trying to get up early but staying up late. I know for me I am a night person and find having quiet time at night works best, or early afternoon when the kids are doing seat work or playing.
Hi please help spread this wonderful site to your fellow moms.
I believe this is a great site for the kids and I want to help spread the word. I got this mail from a dear friend of mine and she is giving a great deal. Take a look at it. I truly believe that this is a great site for the kids.
~candice
Moms, check out http://www.AngelHeavenWorld.com , a new safe and wholesome Web World and toy line appropriate for children ages 3-11. I know I have spent hours looking for safe places for my child to play and explore on the web that didn’t have me worrying about the content or messages or images she was getting. The really cool thing is that Angel Heaven is now running an internet membership promotion.
Any parent, (or grand parent, or aunt or uncle…) who signs their child up for a one year paid membership using this special promotion code: REP008 , will receive $4.95 off the price of their membership which then equals to $30 per year. This is like paying $2.50 per month. And, every new member receives a free “McMichaelee” Guardian Angel Guide doll with their paid membership!
Angel Heaven TM is an interactive, entertaining, wholesome, and safe web world created especially for today’s children by Artist and Author, and Mother, Sharon M. Hayes. Interactive games and downloadable coloring pages help build children’s basic skill sets like hand/eye coordination, reading, creative thinking, singing, and reasoning. Check it out today, and don’t forget to use promotion code REP008 for your special discount. I just bought my daughter a membership for Easter, I can’t wait to surprise her.
wow! dana wrote exactly what i was thinking! my husband and i still see a christian counselor even more than a year after and split in our marraige. we are both committed and going crazy in the day to day. our counselor recommended a schedule. thanks for the tips! he also said flexibility is key and not to let your schedule dictate you!
Thank you for giving us a sample of your schedule!! I think the main thing for any schedule is to be flexible!! I have an in home day care and a son with Autism. If I can have atleast 15 min. a day to read my bible and manage to get everthing else on my list done, I count that as a blessing from God!!
this was so helpful.i am recovering from a car accident and am temporary at home with my two year son. i often feel like i’m not being very productive. your schedule was truly an answer to my prayers. i can now tweek it and make it work for me. God bless you.
I’m so sorry to hear about your car accident, praying you have a speedy recovery! I’m very happy to hear this article helped you. Thank you for reading my blog. God Bless you too!
hey thanks so much for ur schedule..
it really helped me…because i live sorta “everybody loves Raymond “type of household. where the mother in law breathes down my neck and telling me how unproductive iam …. i will try to stick to ur schedule..
my question is how do u have time to cook and eat dinner with in a hour and a half?
for me thats how long it takes for me to get all ingredients ready and cook it (meals with meat have to cook for at least an hour.)
thanks
Hi Natalya, thank you for your comment!
We actually work to make really quick meals. We do this by using our slow cooker A LOT or preparing ingredients for the meals ahead of time. For example if I’m making spaghetti, for the sauce I need to brown meat, well since I’m already browning meat I will brown some meat for the next night’s dinner.
I think it has a lot to do with meal planning and just planning meals that don’t take a lot of time to prepare and cook. But also being flexible in the schedule is important because sometimes our dinner time lasts longer than usual, and that might be because our meal was more complicated and took longer to cook OR the kids took forever to eat, lol!
I have an 10 year old, a 3 year old, a 1 year old and we are expecting our 4th in April, you’d think I’d have the answer by now! LOL I find that if I don’t stick with some sort of a routine my life falls into chaos. It was easy when it was just my oldest daughter and my son, very doable, then I had my third child ( my 2nd daughter) and all still seemed okay, now she’s walking, talking and getting into things, and my son has become a little unruly. I’ve become some what lax in my schedule area and it’s time to get back on it and make time for me too!! I never realized the importance of self until now. I have no time for me and if I don’t get at least a small reprieve during the day, it’s not healthy for me or them. I have a mentality of do it all right now with everything there is to give. So naturally I give all of myself there is to give until there is no more of me that is GOOD left to give ( if you can understand that? LOL) And as a Christian you want to positive and upbeat all the time, but the fact is being a mom is a really tough job and it doesn’t matter how seasoned you are sometimes you need help getting back to the basics! I praise the LORD that I found your sight be basic is what I need for my little angels right now! May Gods Blessings chase you down! ~*~
Hello, Cassandra! Thank you for your comment, I’m so glad you found this post helpful. I know what you mean about the third child, it is such a BLESSING yet can be totally overwhleming at times. I find myself often going back to my schedule, the routines, etc. Because I get off track or life throws us a curve ball and we just need to get back to what works for us. With kids and life it’s difficult to do everything perfect all the time. What’s important is that we trust in God, and remember to go back to what works for us, or even simply finding what works for us can do WONDERS.
Hi Cassandra!
You are a God send! I have never met anyone that will have the same schedule that I have.a I always feel like I am cheating because I don’t get up so early in the morning. I even nap my children from 2-4pm. I am very, very, very encouraged by your schedule and I will like to share this with a friend. I am orginally from NYC and life there was extremely hectic and I didn’t get married until I was 31. I felt the assimulation into domestic life very difficult. I had been working up to 3 jobs since I was 16 years old to survive the OUTRAGEOUS NYC cost of living!
I know live in the South and I am a foster parents. I have been a Christian for about 15 years and I am struggling with getting the household on track. I noticed I need to declutter, be organize without being a Nazi, and pray, pray, pray more! Right now, I am fostering a 6mos, 21 mos and a 3 year old. I just adopted my 18mo old. I have had 22 children in 2 years. Many of them required countless trips to the doctors, WIC, Health Dept. and needed therapy and this makes the day crazy! I had the same schedule you had and I felt guilty because I always seem to be behind everyone else. Well, I am encouraged and I thank you!
Dawn
Hello, Cassandra. First and foremost, congratulations on being able to keep a schedule and help keep everything in order in your household.
Secondly, I am going to try to follow your schedule a bit as a guideline. I have recently become a stay-at-home-mom once again. It’s really tough when a person goes back and forth from working to not working.
As of right now, I have Irish Twin girls. They are both 3 years old right now, and my oldest will be 4 years old in February. They are such a handful. When I was with their father and we were living together, I was a stay-at-home-mom (he wouldn’t allow me to work). It was very difficult then, but at least they took naps so I was able to get some time to myself. After we went out seperate ways, I went back to the working world for about a year. Oh, I was working before I had my daughters, and I was made to quit after having my first until we split the first time. Now, I am again in the position of being a stay-at-home-mom, but it is because we have found out that I am pregnant with twins that are due this summer. I really want to work because I find it easier than being at home all day long, but since this is the card I have been dealt at this moment, I really hope that following your schedule a bit will help me cope.
Have a blessed day.
I am a new stay at home mom. We have two children 8 and 12 and are now pregnant with our third and plan to have a fourth soon after this one is born. I noticed you said you work online, how do I go about finding a real work from home job? Any pointers? We really need the extra money!
Thanks so much!
It is so good to find a group of mommies who have the same values as I do, and can relate to what I go through on a daily basis to survive motherhood! I have a four year old daughter, a two and a half year old son, and a fifteen month old son. There are days when I have to DARE myself to get out of bed! It can be so exhausting… it’s definately a blessing to have a smooth hour, let alone a smooth day. I would be completely lost without a schedule, even a loose one. My husband is very supportive, but even so he has a hard time understanding where I’m coming from on some things since he isn’t home with the kids day after day. It’s different when it’s ongoing… it’s so important to have “me” time somewhere in the day, otherwise it feels like I could lose my mind! I’m glad I have a place to come when I feel that way
THANKS SO MUCH U ARE A GREAT PERSON FOR DOING THIS TO HELP PEOPLE LIKE US
Wow, this schedule is so helpful!!!!
I have a 6 year old, a 3 year old and, on Wednesdays, a 1 1/2 year old as well. I work two days a week and 2 nights. During the summer I feel as though I am torn in so many directions!! This is awesome, and I will try it!!
Just one question…my 3 year old wakes up at 5:30 am, any suggestions?? I am thinking I can exercise and home school her at this time vs the afternoon. I am also seeking home school tips/books/etc for the summer (my 6 yr old) and for my 3 yr old, year round. She will be going to preschool 2 days/wk as I work also:) Praise God for your insight and this post.
Beautiful schedule. Does anyone have a sample schedule for life with a 2 year-old and a newborn? Any tips for dealing with sleepiness during the day after waking up several times at night? I can’t wait to get back to “normal”!