Have you ever wondered how other working moms are surviving the trenches? Does her schedule look like mine or are we managing completely differently? And how is she doing everything perfectly?
I don’t know about you but I LOVE watching vlogs and reading posts about a working mom’s day-to-day. Because as a working mom myself, I know how overwhelming it can get to juggle both worlds.
Background Info :
- My Fiancé works in construction, specifically concrete. His hours start much earlier than mine. He’s leaving the house 1-2 hours before I’m even awake.
- I am a 4k teacher at a daycare center. My 2 daughters also go to the same daycare.
- My Fiancé and I do not usually get home at the same time. So whoever gets home first – starts supper!
I am sharing this info with you to remind you that everyone’s life is different. What works for me might not work for you!
6:00 am – 6:45 am
My rising with the sun New Year’s resolution has not been accomplished for me yet. 😂 But I really do try to wake up between 6:00 – 6:15 am. During that half hour to 45 minutes, I take the time I need to get ready and do it as quietly as I can so I don’t wake the morning gremlins that I somehow call my daughters.
First thing I usually do is drink at least 6 – 10 oz of water. Then I move onto figuring out what I’m wearing. I try to set clothes out for me (and my daughters) the night before to avoid the stress of it all. Luckily for me, I work in a daycare center so my outfits don’t always need to be super put together 😅. But I do still try to look presentable for the parents of the kids in my care.
After getting dressed, I move to the bathroom. I try to give myself at the minimum 20 minutes to do my hair and makeup.
6:45 am – 7:00 am
At this point, I am making breakfast for my kids. They do eat an a.m. snack at 8:30 am at daycare, so my meals are pretty simple. But I usually include a fruit and a main dish, like french toast or eggs. Around this time my youngest will be waking up and she is a hangry little girl so during this process I try to move quick so it’s ready for her 😅
7:00 am – 7:15 am
After my youngest eats her breakfast, I will change her diaper and get her dressed. I will usually put on Mickey Mouse or Spider-Man around this time. Then off to wake up my oldest, who is not a morning person at all. She is recently also sleeping through the night without a pull-up. 👏 Every morning now, I check her bed to make sure it’s dry and then I wake her up.
After waking her, she needs the snuggles. So I try to give myself at least 5 minutes so that she can get her cuddles. While loving on her, I’m quietly praying that it’ll be a good morning with her 😅. It’s hit or miss with this child.
After her snuggles, we get her dressed. It’s helped a lot in the mornings if she chooses her own clothes and shoes. She’s been little miss diva and I’m here for it.
7:15 am – 7:30 am
By this time, everyone should be dressed and fed. All that’s left to do is watch a little bit of Disney+ and give my girls some attention before they’re away from me all day…. Yeahhh that part is really for me.
7:30 am – 7:45 am
🫣 The drive to work/school.
I honestly never know how this is going to go. I can either have a crying toddler because she hates being restrained in the car seat and a Threenager whose mood really depends on the moon.
I do everything I can to have a calm or pleasant car ride to work. I can usually achieve this by bringing snacks/left over breakfast, reminding them that we get to see daddy after work (or anything fun we have planned for after school, but usually daddy does the trick 😉), blankies, song requests.. On the really rough mornings, I’ll even give my phone with Netflix for my 3 year old.
7:45 am – 8:00 am
I am for sure 100% without a doubt one of those moms who come into the class and walk my child to her seat. I chat and giggle with her, make sure she’s comfy for class. It’s mostly reassurance for me. How my morning goes pretty much relies on their behavior at drop offs. Otherwise I start to feel guilty and sad. Pretty much just all the MOM GUILT!
8:00 am – 5:00/5:30 pm
My typical hours are from 8 am to 5 pm. I get one 1 hour break, which I hold very close to my heart.
I am a 4k daycare teacher, so I work with 4-5 year olds all day. I really do have a good group of kids who are all so different. Every day is one-of-a-kind, that is for sure.
5:00/5:30 pm – 5:15/5:45 pm
Take this job and shove it – for at least the next 14 hours 😅 Working in the same place as my kids is a blessing and a curse. I’m grateful that I don’t have to drive anywhere else and pick up my kids. But my kids also enjoy being at daycare. So getting them to leave can be a struggle. You know how when your clock out time comes around and you’re like “finally! get me out of this place”? Yeah well my kids don’t let me get out at my clock out time. By the time I am in my driver seat and pulling out, it’s nearly 15-20 minutes after the end of my shift. 🫠
5:15/5:45 pm – 5:30/6:00 pm
We jammin on our way home or talking to daddy!
5:30/6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
This is the time we are usually making and eating supper, hanging out with the kiddos, relaxing, and prepping for the next morning.
7:30 pm – 8:30/9:00 pm
The transition to a toddler bed AND moving into her big sister’s room is hard for our 1 year old.
Which brings me to one of the most stressful times of my night. This girl will literally make me spend an hour to two hours putting her back in her bed. She’s not super emotional about it. She just wants to be up and playing. She thinks it’s hilarious when mom and dad see her out of bed. I honestly think she has FOMO (fear of missing out). The only way I have made this part of my night a little easier is by going to bed myself. All lights off, no TVs on. Once she knows that we are in bed too, it makes it a little easier for her to rest.
8:30/9:00 pm – 10:00 ish pm
I try really hard to go to sleep before it hits 10 o’clock. If I don’t get my 8+ hours of sleep, my morning is ruined. So I usually quickly check out TikTok. TBH I spend the majority watching my own videos 🫣😅. Some nights I will spend on Pinterest if I’m prepping for lesson plans that week.
THEN REPEAT ✨
I can’t be the only mom who thinks about “oh when my kids are just a little bit older, my routine (life, in general) is going to change so much and it’ll get easier once they can do things for themselves”.
I def thought this before my 3 year old became fully potty trained. I thought “well we are officially one less diaper-wearing child. This is going to be so much easier.”
It’s not.
Yes my life with my children is constantly changing and yes, they are constantly learning. But it’s not getting any easier, per se. It’s quite literally just changing.
All the “hard” things are just evolving into other “hard” things.
I would absolutely love to hear if your mornings are anything like mine, help me feel less insane, please! And of course, if your morning looks completely different, I would appreciate any tips you use for smoother mornings and/or nights!
