Stay at home mums - what do you do all day?

krustylouise

Thank you for starting this thread. I currently am 14weeks pregnant and already have DD{7}. I currently work full time but when this baby comes along we have both agreed me leaving work is the best option for us as a family.

I am looking forward to it and am looking forward to not having to send DD to breakfast clubs or holiday clubs and miss spending quality time with her over all of the holidays.

I do have my reservations about leaving work as when I finished to look after DD for two years I lost all motivation and became agoraphobic and suffered panic attacks and anxiety. I have sought help and 7 years on I'm more confident than I have been in a long time, but I'm so scared of going back to that. Granted this time I have a supportive partner {last time I did not!} I'm also older and dare I say wiser? I also know to push myself to go out rather than the safe option of staying indoors. There's always that niggly doubt in the back of my mind though that says "what if?"

It's reassuring to see everyone elses comments on how positive being a SAHM can be as I never had this last time.

TBeckett100

I'd have thought the day goes like this

Wake up
Watch Jeremy Kyle
Cup of tea
This morning
Cup of tea
Loose women
Pop to Costa Coffee
Clog up supermarket, bank, post office queue at lunchtime
Supermarket
Afternoon of mumsnet
Breadwinner comes home and listens to woes of your hard day

Lol

marleyboy

Speaking as a SAHD (as we often get overlooked in these debates). Having given up work to look after our disabled Son. I was not expecting how difficult a task it can be, indeed going to work was a doddle in comparison.

Aside from the cooking, cleaning, shopping and rearing, I have the added bonus of decorating and general maintenance\DIY jobs that always seem to occur. I say its a bonus as whatever it takes to ensure the whole family are comfortable and happy is always worth the task.

Mum works hard at work and appreciates that Dad works hard at home. Its never been a case of sitting at home all day with nothing to do, as there is always something that needs to be done.

pollyanna24

TBeckett100 wrote: »

I'd have thought the day goes like this

Wake up
Watch Jeremy Kyle
Cup of tea
This morning
Cup of tea
Loose women
Pop to Costa Coffee
Clog up supermarket, bank, post office queue at lunchtime
Supermarket
Afternoon of mumsnet
Breadwinner comes home and listens to woes of your hard day

Lol

I know it sounds bad, but this will be me most likely tomorrow as I work part time and have Fridays off.

Of course, there is the added bits of actually getting kids out of bed, fed, dressed and off to school, oh and my youngest is getting an achievement, so I have to stay for assembly, and I have to be back early to pick her up from nursery as Friday is "read a book and choose one from the library day."

Then I have to be back for the oldest at 3.15pm and get her ready for Rainbows.

But I still don't think I could be a stay at home mum every day. Once my youngest starts full time school in September, I think I might go back 4 days a week.

In an ideal world, I would work the 5 days a week, but only the hours when they are in school, but unfortunately, I work too far away for this to be an option.

mogwai

TBeckett100 wrote: »

I'd have thought the day goes like this

Wake up
Watch Jeremy Kyle
Cup of tea
This morning
Cup of tea
Loose women
Pop to Costa Coffee
Clog up supermarket, bank, post office queue at lunchtime
Supermarket
Afternoon of mumsnet
Breadwinner comes home and listens to woes of your hard day

Lol

Lol - thats what my husband used to think until I left ds with him for a couple of days :T I think all dads/breadwinners should have an exclusive week tending to the wee ones on their own, we would soon hear a different tune!

I don't have time for much tv and have even given up watching eastenders since my ds arrived

Im a fulltime sahm and have never had less time for myself (ds is now 18 months). Im looking forward to going back to work part time but not until ds is at nursery..ill miss ds loads but i am looking forward to the relative peace and non manic days of work again

I feel for both full time sahms and full-time working mums, its really hard either way - i think part time work gives the best balance, maybe not for all mums but most.

Days are always busy with los but keeping things different and interesting for yourself takes some effort, so I agree, make sure you have interaction with other adults too, classes, groups etc. I would love to get involved with organising baby groups etc but Im too shy - my curse! Good luck with it, plan your days and organise yourself and you will love it!

Make-it-3

The truth is free time or "me" time is pretty limited.

No.1 job is keeping your little one entertained (so find out about what's on locally if you prefer to be out and about and with company - even if it is just other stay-at-home parents).

No.2 job is to keep the house management (keeping everyone and everything ticking over).

When my LO was younger I would look forward to afternoon nap time which was when I would generally get online and do stuff or just browse and keep in touch with the world. Now I don't have that luxury. But my LO will be off to school next year and I don't think with just one child it merits me being at home full time so it will be hi ho, hi ho.

skintchick

I have a 5yo and a four month old and have been a SAHM for 5 years now. When DD went to school and I didn;t have another one (she is in year 1) I started doing some sewing to earn money but I was already doing some voluntary work weekly which I have continued with.

Now, I do the school run in the morning, come back and get baby to sleep (in sling on me as he won't sleep unless he can touch me) and then do some jobs like loading dishwasher, blitzing kitchen which OH will have left in a mess, admin/emails (present buying right now) then I will go out to a baby group to talk to other mums and get some interaction, then some shopping for fresh fruit and veg and any other bits we needs, plus errands, then home to grab some lunch and baby has another sleep, prep dinner as much as possible, then go and get DD from school, get home, make her a snack, put some washing on, sort DD's book bag and any school stuff for the next day, do her reading with her, do spellings with her, chat about her day etc., then make dinner for 6pm, OH comes home then and we eat, then DD plays till 7 when baby probably wants another nap, and DD gets ready for bed. By 8 DD should be in bed and going to sleep, we sit down with a cuppa unless baby fretful, and I check emails/admin and talk to OH about his day and anything we need to discuss, then I collapse into bed!

I don;t get any spare time right now; I feel lucky to get a shower! And I have a cleaner so if I didn;t I'd be trying to do that as well. I do my food shop online at the weekend.

j.e.j.

TBeckett100 wrote: »

I'd have thought the day goes like this

Wake up
Watch Jeremy Kyle
Cup of tea
This morning
Cup of tea
Loose women
Pop to Costa Coffee
Clog up supermarket, bank, post office queue at lunchtime
Supermarket
Afternoon of mumsnet
Breadwinner comes home and listens to woes of your hard day

Lol

Haha, well put it this way the Amish don't have tv and they're not exactly sitting on their bums all day doing nowt. Then again they do have rather a lot of children :eek::rotfl:

Housekeeping and looking after children is a full-time job in itself, if you cook from scratch, sew, knit, etc