I’ve been asked a few times about how I manage life as a stay-at-home mom with three very small children not yet in full-time school. To paint a picture for you, when our youngest, Aurora, was born, our oldest, Rye, was not yet 3 years old and Theo only 19 months old… 3 under 3!
Today, we have an 19 month old, a 3 year old, and a 4 1/2 year old. This is how we managed then, and how we manage now: schedules!
There is a difference between our schedule then and our schedule now (this post was originally written in 2019), but here is our schedule that worked – and we stuck to!
6:40am: The programmed coffee maker goes off.
7:00am: Tom’s alarm goes off, he gets up. I grab coffees, retreat to bedroom.
7:30am: Aurora wakes up and Tom leaves for work. We wave “bye-bye” as he drives off (very important step for Aurora!)
7:45am: Rye and Theo come out of their room, ready for breakfast. I go down and whip something up. We eat something like muesli with homemade yogurt, or sprouted wheat toast with peanut butter.
8:10am: We eat. I encourage the boys to put their own bowls in the sink. Sometimes we’re successful, other times not. It’s okay.
8:30am: I begin to get everyone dressed for the day, complete with socks & shoes… this can take a while. I’m sure you fellow mamas can understand what I mean!
8:45am: We load up in the minivan and head to drop off Rye at preschool at 9.
9:15am: Aurora, Theo, and I leave the school and head home (or to the store, a doctor’s appointment, or the library… depending on the day).
11:00am: I prep lunches. Usually this is a PB&J sandwich, sliced apples, cucumbers, and cubed cheese.
11:15am: I pile up Theo and Aurora back in the minivan, and we go to preschool to pick-up Rye by 11:30.
11:50am: Back home! Shoes and jackets go off, and are put away (most times). I grab the prepped lunches from the fridge and put them on the dining table. Pour milk cups. We eat.
12:30pm: Lunch is over by now, and I encourage everyone to put plates in the sink. Sometimes if the kiddos have finished their lunch, they can have an unsweetened fruit wrap.
12:45pm: I put Aurora down for her nap. She usually goes down within 20-30 mins after a book and diaper change.
1:15pm: Theo goes in his room with a sippy cup of water, to lay in bed with his favorite stuffed animal, read a stack of books, and sometimes nap.
1:20pm: Rye and I find a puzzle or book (or something) to occupy his “quiet” (loose term) time. When I’m lucky, Rye occupies himself for most of this time, and I catch up on laundry, my blog, or meal planning! Other times, I just try to see it as a blessing to spend time 1:1 with my ever-fast-growing 4 1/2 year old.
3:15pm: By now, usually everyone’s up. Snack is promptly requested. I’ll usually just put some whole grain crackers and raisins in small bowls for all 3 of them.
3:30pm-6:00pm: We play, play, play. Some ideas for the post-nap, pre-dinner time are just to name a few… Hide-and-seek, work on activity books (mostly for Rye), color in coloring books, make block towers, have dance parties, or play in the backyard (weather permitting).
Note: Around 5:30pm I get dinner going, or grab the prepped meal from freezer to defrost.
6:00-6:15pm: Tom comes home, and the kids & I rejoice! Dinner immediately follows his arrival. We eat slowly, talk a lot. I strongly emphasize this time as important for any family.
6:45-7:00pm: Tom and kids tackle toy clean-up, I clean up kitchen and wipe down dining table and counters.
7:15pm: I put Aurora in her baby bath since she takes a nightly bath as part of her routine. If it’s not the bath night for Rye & Theo, then they’re getting in their PJ’s at this point, and reading books (or playing Legos) with Daddy in their room.
8:00pm: Aurora’s asleep in her crib in her bedroom. She normally requires footie PJs, baby blankie, a couple books, her favorite stuffed animal, and more than a few rounds of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” before she falls asleep. Usually Rye and Theo are somewhat calm, in their bedroom, with the overhead light off and their elephant night-light on, which I highly recommend! (Order: green light, blue light, red light… just trust me on this one.)
8:15pm: Tom & I finish cleaning, sweeping, putting away leftovers, dirty clothes in hampers, etc.
8:30pm: Usually by this time, we’re on the couch watching Netflix streaming, play a board game, or just chatting over a cup of cocoa. These next two hours together are the most cherished hours in our days.
9:00pm: If the boys aren’t asleep by now, then we start getting more strict about not getting out of bed. They’re very good about staying in their rooms, but less so about staying in bed and stopping playing. A gentle reminder to remain in bed and an extra tuck-in & hug is all it takes.
10:30pm: Tom & I start the dishwasher, program the coffee maker, and head upstairs for a quick shower and off to bed.
11:00pm: Lights out. Goodnight, house.
I hope this was helpful to any of you needing guidance on how a “semi-functional” home with a bunch of very small children manages their daily life.
I would love to write more of our schedules from various stages of our life. Is there a particular age or age combination for your children that you’d like to see? Let me know!
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