What Is Your Schedule?

I was a single Mom most of my girls lives because their Dad is a violent drunk. Anyway, I worked a lot of hours when I first got divorced. I hired someone to sit with the girls when I was at work. I worked the night shift so I could be there with them in the day. I would cook four or five big meals on my day off work and put them in tupperware in the freezer so all I had to do is pull them out. Then when I got my own business we would eat at the shows a lot but I still did the frozen meals. Also kept a lot of fresh fruit and veggies on hand. My girls never did care much for candy. But when you are home try to spend as much time with them as possible. They need it more than you think. I just thank God I had girls so that we could do everything together. The girls always did their homework when they got home. Then when I got home they would come in and tell me all about their day when I would take my bath. We would eat together. I put my computer in the living room so I could work and be with them in the evening hours. I wish I could have been a stay at home Mom. I think any Mom that can do that is great. But not everyone has that option. In the mornings we all got up and got dressed. Then we ate breakfast together. I thought it was great when the school started serving breakfast. Then all I had to worry about was supper. When I owned the concession business we were in Michigan in the summer and the girls visited with family. But there is no set schedule for any family. Each and every child is different. You need to find what works best for your family and do it. Advice is great but trial and error is the best answer. My daughters respect me and I am proud to say one will be graduating with a double major May 1st. and the other will be graduating next May. The oldest will then be going to med school. I am very proud of them and they tell me often thank you for being such a great Mom and spending as much time as you could with us. They said they only wish I didn't have to work so hard when they were growing up so we could have had more time together. Good Luck@

I am a single mom of a 13 year old who is a gymnast and trains LONG hours and a 2 year old so our schedule/routine is CRAZY and LONG days. I get up at 5:15 in the morning and on some days we don't get home until 9 pm at night. The best thing I can suggest is doing all that you can the night before (setting things out, thinking about lunches and dinner for the next day, etc.) I get up early because I get more done in the mornings than at night, I'm tired at night. I usually get up at 5:15, take a shower, then go to the kitchen, make lunches, set out breakfast and take out whatever needs to be thawed for dinner, I've also been trying to do one load of laundry because the timing works out if I put the load in the washer, it's done washing by the time I leave the kitchen so I put it in the dryer before I go to finish getting ready and then fold at night. I usually go to my room btw 6:20-6:30 am and finish getting ready, then wake the little one, take her to the potty and get her dressed, teeth brushed, etc. and then we leave at 6:45/6:50 am because I also pick up 2 other middle school kids and take them to school and the big kids have to be at school before 7:30. We usually get to middle school at 7:15/7:20 and then I head for day care which is close to my job downtown (she usually falls back asleep) too. I usually let her sleep a few minutes in the car in the parking lot and relax myself for 5-10 minutes, take her in and get to work by 8:15/8:20 am. The evening routines vary due to schedules but mostly dinner, baths and bed by 10 pm for me (I'm not a night owl and I need my sleep).

The best thing I've found is planning ahead, when I don't, we get WAY off schedule. Good luck

I am 35 and I have a 3 1/2 year old son who missed the cut off with a September birthday and won't start preschool until this fall. I work M-F 8:30-5:30 and my Mom comes to my house to watch my son. I get up between 6:30 and 7 AM depending on how late I was up. If I'm really early, I can do a load of laundry or dishes in the morning. Sometimes I shower in the morning, sometimes at night...it all depends. If I'm having a good day, I work out on my treadmill while everyone is sleeping. Most days he wakes up after I leave for work. He is not much of an eater so I've learned not to really push breakfast. If he wants it, he can have cold cereal or a waffle. If he's hungry, he'll ask for spaghetti and meatballs. Every day is different. TV is usually limited to the afternoon. Mornings are for playing with toys. He loves trains and the wood track. He also likes to play with stickers. His chore is to help feed the cats which he enjoys and does a good job. Sidewalk chalk, play dough and bubbles are also good. He enjoys being on his push car or tricycle and prefers to be outdoors. We have tantrums about him coming inside, even after dark.

My Mom and son often go to the park before it gets too hot to the playground and come back in time for lunch or have a picnic. Maybe he eats, maybe he doesn't. He doesn't take a nap unless he has played very hard which we encourage because he is very active. If he naps, it's late like 4 or 5. She tries to make sure he is awake before I come home or he will be up all night. My husband is in and out as he works nights and is sleeping part of the day. Sometimes my son goes out with his Dad in the afternoon and my Mom goes home early. We are rennovating the house and my husband works (3) 12 hour shifts a week so he is very busy. If my son stays home in the afternoon, that's when he watches Nogin or maybe a DVD.

Before I had my car accident, I worked out at Zumba class 2x a week so I got home after 7 or 8. Now I come straight home and I find out how late my son may have snacked. If he's hungry, I reheat something I've cooked ahead or thaw something I've frozen for dinner. Simple stuff like meatballs or skillet pasta. Sometimes I make little pizzas that are quick in the toaster over with the premade dough you can buy. Other days my husband grills hamburgers or chicken and I make a small salad. Chicken nuggets or soup or easy fall backs, too. When he gets picky, I always offer PB&J. I ask him what he did that day and then I tell him what accounts I worked on at the office.

After dinner, I clear the dishes. I often leave them in the sink for the morning because I have more energy in the AM than PM. I've learned balance is key and everything does not have to happen every day. I might put up a load of laundry. If my husband is not working, we do something together like go to a store or play a game. When my husband is at work, my son do the same. My husband puts my son in the shower with him when he is getting ready for work and I dress him in pajamas. When my husband is home, sometimes I have shower duty. He and I do read almost every night and that is the last thing we do before bed. We used to struggle with brushing his teeth. Now he is very independent and will tell me it's time to brush his teeth. I put the toothpaste on the brush and he says, "Go away. Go away." He likes to brush and splash the water which goes everywhere and look at himself in the mirror. He is very entertained. My son watches Sprout at night and I let him fall asleep to it usually on the couch. I can't sleep without the tv on myself. My son has never slept in a bed. He was out of the crib at 10 months and prefered the floor. I've learned to pick my battles. I'd rather not compromise on good manners and following the rules, especially for safety than where he sleeps. Sometimes I move him to his bed when he's asleep but he always wakes up at some point and comes into our bed. When I tuck him in, I leave his closet light on because he tells me it's scary in the dark and there are monsters. He has an active imagination. Unless he is very tired, he is usually up until 10. At that point it's lights out and if he's too engaged in his tv show, I put on something that would bore him like Nick at Nite.

I usually watch TV after he goes to bed. I set the house alarm to be safe and sometimes I wonder if I fall asleep before him.

Our weekend routine is usually getting up and out in the morning for groceries. Then we have the day to play, go on a treasure hunt (thrift stores/garage sales), McDonald's play place, lunch, etc. We are often at the theme parks here and in Orlando as passholders. I try and do 2 loads of laundry over the weekend. I am very lucky that my Mom picks up the slack with dishes and laundry which is a lifesaver. I also like to celebrate holidays with my son with decorations, arts and crafts, etc. and we make lots of cards.

My heart goes out to you. It is not alwys easy, and a schedule is something that I am not always committed to. I have been a working mom as well as a SAHM at many different times in my children's lives. My girls are currently 11 & 13 and I worked when my girls were your girls age. I picked a preschool that was close to my elementary school and that offered after school pick up. I took the 3 yr. old to preschool and then the 5 yr old to kindergarden in the morning. I tried to have breakfast at home, but if we drove through Dunkin Donuts and got chocolate milk the morning after soccer practice I did not ever worry to much about it. Just because I worked did not meant that I let my kids miss out on things. They played soccer from the time they were 4. They currently play softball. We have always been involved in our church and at that age they were in awane on Wednesday nights. I cooked a lot in the crock pot on nights we had activitys. I would stuff a whole chicken after they were in bed and put it in the crock pot and put the crock pot in the fridge and plug it in, in the morning. The key to being happy and working is not being committed to the schedule. I tried to always grocery shop on Sunday. I tried to make a menu and atleast one night a week make something like lasagna that I could freeze half of and only have to warm up the other half next week. I tried to plan things that I could make in the crock pot that would be cooking when I got home from work on nights that we went to church or had soccer, so that I could concentrate on homework. I enjoy every minute that I can spend with my children working mom or SAHM the heart ache is worth the reward. If you have a question maybe the things that you do not hink are working for you just ask.

This is an interesting request. Are you writing a story or something?

Anyway, I am up at 6 (although I try to get up around 5:15 two mornings a week to run on the treadmill). I get myself about 1/2-way ready, makes a lunch for myself and my son, wake him up, get his breakfast (usually oatmeal) and prod him to get dressed, eat, brush his teeth. I finish getting myself ready and then am out the door around 7:30. I get him to school by 8 and then drive about 20 more minutes to work. Even though my husband is up, I am 100% in charge of getting our son ready.

I usually leave work between 2:30-4:30 depending on my schedule and my son's afterschool activity schedule. Sometimes we have baseball or another evening activity. When we get home, especially if it's early, I usually just chill on the couch watching Oprah or something from my DVR. My son usually plays outside with friends (he's 8). (Homework is usually something he does in the car at this point.) My husband comes home and he cooks dinner. I clean up the kitchen, fold some laundry and get ready for the next day. I usually do some work on the computer or watch TV until around 11. That's my day.