My Schedule As a Working Mom

When the Covid-19 pandemic first began and our children were sent home, I saw such a flurry of Instagram posts, Pinterest Pins, and Parenting magazine articles insisting we put ourselves and our children on a schedule. They had it all regimented out, in half hourly intervals, on the refrigerator or bulletin board. It was impressive, yet overwhelming.

So, I did the opposite. Ava and I winged it. We took it day by day. We didn’t know how long this would last. As such, I didn’t feel like making a schedule just to change it the next day. Plus, to be honest, there was so much anxiety and uncertainty at the time, I didn’t have the mental or emotional bandwidth to enact such a schedule. So, I didn’t.

Until September. Over the Summer, I think we all realized we were going to be in this pandemic for quite a while. With that, our children would be learning virtually and we’d be working from home. For the foreseeable future. Moreover, with my daughter moving to first grade, I felt like I had to buckle down a bit more. Letting her go day by day in Kindergarten was one thing. Letting her go day by day for First grade felt irresponsible. So, I made us a daily schedule.

Let’s take a look shall we.

6:30 AM: Alarm goes off. Notice, I didn’t put wake up. I usually end up laying there for a good half hour. And Ava is usually already awake, playing on her iPad.

7:00 AM: Get up. I neaten up our apartment and start her a bath.

7:20 AM: Get Ava dressed. She’s usually out of the bathtub by now, and I ask all the nagging questions, like “did you brush your teeth? Did you put deodorant on? Did you fold your towel? Pull your pants all the way up.” You know, the usual.

7:30 AM: Make her breakfast. Ava will only eat pancakes. Every. Single. Morning. So I pop some Eggo pancakes in the oven, dice up an apple, pour her a glass of water, and let her eat breakfast while watching TV.

7:45 AM: I get dressed. These days, its my casual uniform - a tee, jeans or joggers, slippers, and my hair in a bun.

8:15 AM: I eat breakfast. I make a cup of tea, warm up a pastry, and sit down at my workspace.

8:30 AM: I log Ava in to class. She does school on Zoom. The link is in her messages on her iPad. She knows the drill at this point!

8:45 AM: I work on my personal business. Check my email. Check my calendar. Create more printables. Do a little blog writing.

9:55 AM: Ava has recess. I prepare her a snack. Check in with her on how school is going. Fuss at her not to make too much of a mess lol.

10:00 AM: I work on my 9-5 job. (I only work 32 hours.)

12:00 PM: Ava and I have lunch. We eat, watch a little TV, play a game.

1:00 PM: Ava goes back to class, I go back to work. This is when I get the bulk of my 9-5 work done. Earlier, I do the lighter tasks. In the afternoon, I work on the bigger or more complex tasks. I do this because in the afternoon, Ava has her lighter subjects - health, science, recapping the day. So she doesn’t need me as much.

2:05 PM: Ava is finished with class. I get her a snack, pack up her homework, and take her to her dad. Then speed back home.

2:45 PM: I get home, take a breath, and get back to work. That rushing across town is no joke!

6:00 PM: I finish working and wait for Ava to return.

6:15 PM: Ava and I eat dinner, watch TV, and play.

7:15 PM: I prepare us for bed. We clean up, put on our pajamas, and set out our clothes for the next day.

8:00 PM: I put Ava to bed. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, she has migrated back into my bed and insists I lay with her as she falls asleep. I know. We’ll talk about this in another post.

8:30 PM: I have “me” time. I read, write, or watch TV.

10:30 PM: I go to bed, and rest up before doing it all over again the very next day.

It does not vary much. The only time it does occurs when she stays with me, as opposed to going with her dad or when she spends the night with her dad. But this is it really.

What’s your daily schedule look like? How are you balancing working, playing, and learning?