Maybe you are a parent wondering if life for you is like it is for other parents. Maybe you are thinking about having kids and want to know what it will be like before you jump into it. Being a full-time parent means always watching out for someone else. It means being both organized and flexible. It means problem solving and looking for the joy every day. If there’s one thing that’s for sure, it’s never boring!
This is one day out of thousands that I’ve spent being a mom, and I have thousands more to go! But it can give you just a little feel of what my life is like as a full-time parent.
Getting Ready for the Day
It’s a Wednesday morning in September and my alarm goes off at 6:30. To start my day I sit up, lean back against the headboard of our bed, and open my scriptures on my kindle. I read and think, and make a note on my phone of something I need to do later. Then I stand up and stretch before I kneel by my bed and pray.
Down the stairs I go to get my oatmeal and berries. One of our highschoolers is up getting ready, but I don’t see the other. When I check I see she’s still asleep. I wake her up and then go make her breakfast and lunch that she usually gets for herself. We pray together and off they drive to school. It’s still hard to let them go.
I get back to my own breakfast. Then I empty and refill the dishwasher. Next, I erase the white board from yesterday’s school lesson and get it ready for today. I don’t have to tidy up because our 8 year old did for me last night. What a sweetie! And now, with my little ones big enough to be ok for a minute without me when they wake up, I go take a shower. This still feels like a treat to get a shower in the morning most days. For years, like 20 years straight, I showered in the afternoon while our baby or toddler would take their nap. With our littlest now almost 4, I don’t have to wait till nap time any more. What a joy!
Here they come, ready or not
When I’m all done getting ready I find that our little ones are up. Today they’ve wandered down and found some pictures on the computer. I give them each a hug. Pictures of themselves are much more interesting than things like breakfast or getting dressed, and way more fun than using the bathroom! So we struggle a bit to get them moving.
I help the little one get ready and encourage the others to do the same. Ready or not, at 9 o’clock I sit down at the table to do math with our 7th grader… she zips down the stairs and to the bathroom, and then to get some breakfast before she finally gets to the table to do her math lesson with me.
9:30 comes fast, and we switch gears to start our homeschool routine with all 5 that are home with me. We have our routine with a prayer, the pledge, a song, and a scriture story. Then we work on our our “Daily Practice” that includes some reading, writing, and math. I step away while they’re working to get breakfast for the 3 year old, who’s finally feeling hungry. Then we all get up for a wiggle break!
Homeschool lessons
Since it’s Wednesday, today I’m teaching history, and this time it’s about the 30 Years War. How do I make this one kid friendly? I often feel uncomfortable teaching history, because so much of it is war. Well, today I find some army men and put them on a map as we go through the lesson, trying to give some order to this war that hardly makes sense to me. They’re satisfied, and so am I.
On to lunch time, which in our house means the kids get a turn for a cooking lesson! Our cook today has already had lots of practice so he doesn’t need much help, but I’m there just in case. Turns out he does need me, because he accidentally puts white sugar in the muffin recipe that calls for brown sugar. Luckily, there’s molasses in the fridge, so we add a teaspoon to the recipe to fix it.
The other kids help clean and set the table while lunch is being prepared. Then we sit down together to enjoy our muffins, eggs, and chopped veggies. Then, of course, we all help clean up. We still have another hour of school in our routine. That hour is used for some geography, a game, and a story to finish up.
Can I have a nap?
After school we’re all ready for a break. It’s been a long standing rule here that chores have to be done before shows and video games, which is what the kids are wanting next. All but the littlest can do chores by themselves now, so I usually only need to help one do their chores Today she’s assigned to wash some laundry.
Chores are always a big part of a parent’s life. I have to say that my husband has been such a huge help with the laundry, and dishes, and whatever else. Between him and the big kids able to do their own laundry, I only have to do about 3 loads or less each week. For 9 people living here, that feels like very little work! Thanks, guys!
Then the kids have “game time” which is what we call our hour of screen time. The kids get on their tablets or the computer or xbox to find whatever game or show they prefer. While they play, I either rest or work, depending on what the day calls for. Today when they all get content, I go upstairs to my recliner and fall asleep. 😴 What a treat!
Shopping with the Kiddos
Any parent can tell you that juggling little ones on a shopping trip is not much fun. But sometimes it has to be done!
Today the task is to help the kids find a birthay present for their big brothers, whose birthdays are both next week. Before we go we have to get a snack, use the potty, find the shoes, etc. And I change into my website t-shirt, which is one of the ways I promote my blog. We get in the car, get them all buckled, and drive the mile and a half to the nearest dollar store.
I’m always on high alert when I’m out with my kids. I look around me and count my kids multiple times. Most of them are pretty good at staying close by now, but the little one wanders more than I like. So my mind shifts back and forth between keeping my kids close and safe and trying to help each one pick out something to buy.
The snack aisle is always a favorite, with things like chips, popcorn, and chocolate ending up in the basket. While we’re there some cookies get knocked to the floor. 🙄 That little one decides she doesn’t want to shop for her brothers, though. She wants to buy some flowers for her big sister who lives out of state and didn’t get to be here for her birthday. I can’t say no to that. ❤️
At the check out my debit card gets declined. 🫤 Why? I have no idea. But I have a credit card, so that’s what I use. I’ll call the bank later to try to figure it out. That’s life for ya.
When we’re all buckled back in the car I sigh with relief and drive us home.
What’s for dinner?
Most of the time I have a plan of what’s for dinner, but tonight I’m feeling rushed because we’re back later than I expected. I look around at what we have… some leftover white sauce, some broccoli we need to use… There’s chicken in the freezer, and I think some whole grain pasta would go good with all of those! I work as quickly as I can to get it all warmed up and on the table.
At dinner time there’s happy chatter, sometimes too loud, around our table. The little kids talk with each other about whatever game they’ve been playing. The teenagers talk with each other, and sometimes to me or Dad, about what’s on their minds. Their wording always cracks me up. Teenagers seem to have their own dialect.
These few minutes all together at dinner are a happy part of my day. I enjoy just being with my hubby and the kids in all their stages.
When we’re done we pause for a verse of scripture, then dive into the kitchen cleanup. The older kids usually stay to help Dad and me cleaning, and the younger ones usually have to be called back to help. I like it when Dad turns on music to keep us moving through clean up time. That helps us all find a little joy in our work.
What’s next?
At this point in the day of my mom life I have to pause to figure out what’s next. Every other night I send the littles to get their showers after dinner, but tonight is not one of those nights. There was a point where I kept track of 5 or 6 baths or showers, but now most of them take care of that themselves. Whew!
I remember there are meds to pick up at the pharmacy for one of our older daughters who will be home this weekend, so I kiss my hubby and go have a few minutes of quiet time picking those up. On the way home I see the crescent moon and I just have to stop to get a picture of it.
In the evening our teenagers have activities with the youth of our church. Having a teenage driver comes in really handy at times like this. After I see them off I work for a bit on figuring out details for our science lesson and art project for the next day.
Then I find my hubby on the couch. I go sit by him, hold his hand, and watch our little ones enjoy their screen time. I’m content to just be with them for a few minutes. ❤️ I treasure this part of my day.
Soon enough it’s time to turn the screens off and get a snack before we head upstairs for bedtime. Back to the kitchen one more time!
Bedtime
Here we go again! The betime routine at this point is for the 2 little boys to have 15 minutes to get ready so they can earn a bedtime-buck. (After they’ve earned a certain amount of bedtime-bucks they trade it in for one-on-one time with me.) I help the littlest by taking her upstairs, which is sometimes quite difficult, and asking which of three things she wants to do first: potty, pajamas, or toothbrush. I often end up following her around upstairs, or losing her and then finding her again, to help her get those 3 things done. What a task!
Once the three littles are ready for bed, we gather for family prayer. Then I take the 4 littles to bed one at a time, for just a few minutes each. The ones who aren’t with me either rest with Daddy or wander to find their older siblings. When the 4 littles are settled down, I kiss my hubby goodnight and go hang out with our teenageers downstairs for a few minutes. And that’s a day in my mom life.
I love this life
Even though everyday is a lot of work, I love it. I love to be busy, I love to be a problem solver, I love to be a teacher, a cook, a wife, and a mother. I mostly love these people who are my family. Each individual is such a blessing in my life, and as I try to take care of them I find so much satisfaction and joy.
Thank you for reading my post. I hope you also find joy and satisfaction in your parenthood adventures!
