If you’re a Stay-At-Home-Mum (SAHM), chances are that at least one person would have asked you, “What DO you do all day? Aren’t you bored?” A less tactful person might even have commented, “I could never be a SAHM. I would be so bored!” Well, different strokes for different folks, I say. I’ve been a SAHM since the day Noah was born, and a SAHW (Stay-At-Home-Wife, for those of you who can’t figure that out) for about a year before that, and I honestly can’t remember being bored at all. Really! Don’t believe me? Well, take a peek at what my typical weekday looks like, and you’ll see!
Note: I don’t have a fixed routine for each day of the week, because erm, I’m not THAT organised, but this is more or less what my typical weekday is like.
0630-730: My internal body clock decides that I’ve had enough sleep, and wakes me up, no matter how tired I may feel. I blame this on my years of waking up way before the sun rises, first when I was a student, and later when I worked as a teacher. I try to go back to sleep, realise it’s a futile exercise, then check on Noah, who is usually still sound asleep in his cot, next to our bed, before going to the bathroom to wash up.
Zzzzz…
0745: I come out of the bathroom, and check on Noah again, to make sure that he’s still asleep. He has some special radar that makes him wake up when I’m not in the bed, so most days, I lie back down in bed, to read, or catch up on the latest news, which is code for “spend time on social media”, after getting his water-bottle and breakfast ready for the day.
Simple peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches for breakfast
15 minutes without mummy next to him and he sleeps in this awkward position
Depending on how tired Noah is, he either wakes up on his own, or has to be woken up by me, so that we can drive C to work. If it is the latter, he is usually very cranky, and I’ll have to carry him down to the car, without even changing him out of his pyjamas or diaper. I’ve tried insisting that he get changed before we leave, but it resulted in a huge meltdown and lots of tears, so I’ve decided that it’s not worth the hassle. If he wakes up early on his own, I get him to eat his breakfast first, before we head out around 9 or 915am.
The ‘Just Woke Up’ Look
Not quite fully awake yet
Snuggling in bed with mummy and tiger for a while
Where’s my breakfast? (Please ignore the marker-stained pjs. No prizes for guessing who wanted to paint just before bed-time the night before!)
I don’t want to eat…
Most days, I have to wake him up, and Mr Cranky has his breakfast in the car. I have to sit with him in the backseat to feed him his donut (that’s his all-time favourite breakfast food these days) or sandwiches, so C drives himself to work, and I’ll drive back home with Noah after that. Once in a while, we go for breakfast first, and Noah eats with us then.
At our favourite fried beehoon stall
My view of Mr Cranky while I drive home
Our favourite morning radio station keeps me company
Pretty clouds
1000: Once home, I give Noah his milk, which is a mix of Pediasure and fresh milk. He only recently deigned to take formula milk, and only likes the bottled version of Pediasure, which his PD recommended to help him gain weight. It’s quite pricey, but I’m glad that that he’s willing to drink more milk these days!
Milk Mix
He wanted to drink it while seated in his Learning Tower
1010: Time to brush his teeth, and get him ready for school! He still refuses to be potty-trained, so he lies on the changing table to get his diaper changed.
Brushing his teeth
Giggling while I change his diaper
1020-1045: I let Noah choose which activities he wants to work on before we leave for school. These days, he usually opts to work on matching cards, puzzles, painting with Do-a-Dot markers, or cutting and folding paper. Of course, he can’t do ALL these activities during this short period of time, so he usually works on only one or two of these activities each morning. On some days, I’ll sneak off to put a load of laundry into the washing machine while he is busy, before joining him in his playroom.
Laundry Duty
Matching cards
McQueen Puzzle
Do-a-Dot Markers fun
Cutting and folding paper
1050: I rush Noah out of the house so that we can get to school earlier. This usually involves Noah asking to bring along his book or toy of the moment, and on this day, it was Oh, from the movie, Home.
Noah with Oh in the lift
1055-1110: I drive Noah to school, and he usually requests for his favourite Letterland CD to be played during the car-ride. He sits quietly, singing along occasionally, while looking out for interesting vehicles along the way.
Looking for excavators
I can now sing most of the Letterland songs, thank you very much
1130-1430: FREEDOM! Noah insists that I walk him to the school hall, and hang out with him for a little while before I leave. I think I’m in the hall so much that his classmates can all recognise me by now. Noah asks for a big hug and kiss daily, before I’m allowed to leave the hall, but that’s a big improvement from all the crying during his first month and a half at school, so I don’t mind. Better hug and kiss him as much as he wants now, before he decides it’s uncool!
I have lunch, either on my own, or with some friends, before doing some retail therapy. I wish I could say that I spend my time shopping in boutiques, but my favourite hangout places are NTUC and Daiso. Yes, I am a true-blue auntie, and proud of it. Sometimes, when I’m feeling more disciplined, or have deadlines to meet, I go to the library to work on my blogposts.
Lunch (I keep forgetting to take photos of my lunch, so this unappetising shot is the only one I’ve got.)
Shopping at NTUC and Daiso makes me very happy
Being hardworking
1430-1500: I hang out with the other mums outside the school’s premises to wait for Noah. We chat about our kids, and I’ve made friends with some of the mums there, since we see each other almost daily!
Cloudy with a chance of meatballs?
1515: We get home, but Noah has fallen asleep in the car. Sometimes, I manage to keep him awake by constantly asking him questions about his day in school, but that doesn’t always work, and he ends up falling asleep anyway. In the first term, I would sit in the car and read a book while he napped, but that was a real waste of petrol and time, so I now carry him home instead. He’s a light sleeper, and usually wakes up when I pick him up, so I have to struggle to get him to go back to sleep when we get home. He’ll ask for a snack and some milk at times, so I’ll feed him before sending him back to nap again. On other days, he snacks after his nap.
Napping in the car
Refusing to nap at home
Snacking on a donut again
Drinking a bit of milk
Napping in his cot at last
1600-1700: While he naps, I transfer the clothes from the washing machine into the dryer, then tackle the mountain of clothes that have emerged from the dryer. I admit that I don’t always fold the clothes immediately, and leave them languishing on the sofa instead. I do nap with Noah sometimes, when he’s being extra clingy, and sleeps with his arm thrown across my chest. I can’t move away, so I might as well rest too, right? I also catch up on my Running Man episodes or read a book during this time.
Mt Clean Clothes
On days that I can’t get him to nap, we play a little together before we pick C up from work.
Playing with his cars
Pumping petrol
Water play!
He decided to soak his feet instead
1730-1800: Time for the part-time chauffeur (me) to pick C up from work. Noah brings yet another toy along with him. I’ve learnt to choose my battles wisely, and no longer try to convince him not to bring anything along. We drive there, and Noah gets to “drive” as well, while waiting for C to come down from his office. Ever since Noah started school, I’ve taken over the car on weekdays, so that it’s easier for me to drive him around. I used to get really nervous about driving, but I think I’ve gained more confidence over the past few months, although my parking skills still need to be worked on! The three of us also get to spend a little more time together during these car-rides, which is nice.
On the drive to Daddy’s office
Beautiful blue sky
“Driving” in the carpark
On the rare days that we don’t have to pick C up, I bring Noah down to the playground for a while. I do wish that we have time daily for going to the playground, but our routine doesn’t allow it, and I take comfort in knowing that he gets to play at his school’s playground on certain days as well.
At the playground
1900: Dinner time. We order our tingkat dinners from Mom’s Cooking, and although it’s more costly than the other caterers, we think the food tastes healthier and better. The portion-sizes are also quite big, and Noah usually shares the food with us.
Dinner
Strawberry addict
He actually asked for milk after that! This was a one-off occasion though.
Peeka…
Boo!
2000: I clean up the mess under Noah’s highchair, then wash the dishes and his water-bottle, while the boys bum around together. After that, I let Noah choose an activity or two to do, but sometimes, he decides to make a mess before I’m ready to spend time with him, and I have to clean that up too. These days, he has to water his microgreens after dinner as well, and is always very enthusiastic about it. (Read about our Microgreens workshop here.)
PS. If you’re keen to get the Wink to Learn English/Chinese flashcards seen below, you can get them online from The Groovy Giraffe here. Don’t forget to use my discount code GWTT to get an extra 5% off!
Part of the mess under his chair
Watering his microgreens
Impatient boy poured out his paints while waiting for me
Time-out in the corner
Playing with playdoh
Playing with his flashcards
Reading
2100: I give Noah about half a cup of milk again, before his bath. He sits in front of the world map that I’ve put up on the wall, and points out countries that he’s familiar with, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, Australia, and China. For some reason, he really likes looking at the map, and asking where everyone he knows lives, though he seems surprised that they all live in Singapore. Haha.
Drinking his milk and learning a bit of Geography at the same time
2115: I get Noah to brush his teeth, bathe him, and get him ready for bed.
Brushing his teeth
Post-bath happiness
2130: Noah selects the books for bedtime reading, and settles down on our bed with us. I’m usually the one who reads to Noah, but if C isn’t busy, I get him to do the honours instead.
Bedtime reading
2200-2230: We say a prayer together, and I try to get Noah to sleep. This involves him asking to snuggle with me on our bed, pretending to sleep, jumping around on our bed, and so on. I issue a few threats, before finally put him in his cot, where he whines and cries to come out. When that fails, he asks me to pat him to sleep, and it can take between five to thirty minutes for him to fall asleep.
Asleep at last!
2300: I check my Fitbit Zip to see how many steps I took that day. C and I spend some time catching up on our various TV series, and chat for a bit, before reading on our respective devices. If I’m not too tired, I try to blog a little, but most days, I just watch some Running Man to wind down, and try to sleep by 1230am.
I hit my target that day!
My days aren’t very exciting, but all the little activities do keep me rather busy, and I’m usually quite tired out by bed-time. I’m a light sleeper, so I get woken up very easily by slight noises or movements, and can’t go back to sleep after that. I do think I should try to sleep earlier, but that will only happen if I can get Noah to sleep earlier, so that is on my to-do list. Speaking of my to-do list, I keep adding things to it, but am too zonked out to work on anything after Noah sleeps. If only we can have 48 hours in a day!
What does your day look like?
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