[F2] Daily Routine for Moms Working from Home with Young Kids, No Daycare

Phylicia Pough: 00:00:19

Hey friend. You're listening to Harmonious Mompreneur, where faith, family and business come together.

I'm your host, Phylicia Pough, a Christian wife, mom of two, and life and business system strategist for moms.

If you've ever felt like there just aren't enough hours in the day, or find yourself craving more time for yourself but feel guilty about it, you're in the right place. While many strive for balance, I believe it's harmony, an integrated flow that works for you, that truly sustains.

Each week, I'll share insights from my personal journey and practical strategies to help you design systems that bring peace to your business and home life. So give your kids another snack, take a deep breath and let's dive into today's episode where we'll start creating your harmonious Mompreneur life.

Phylicia Pough: 00:01:08

Hey friends, since you're here then I know that you already know that navigating life with kids can feel overwhelming at times. It's unpredictable and without some level of intentionality, the days can slip through your fingers.

You can end up exhausted, climbing into bed, wondering what did I even do today? If you want to feel like you're guiding your day instead of your day guiding you, you're going to need a little bit of structure.

But here's the good news. It's not good just for you. It's going to be good for the kids too.

So today I'm going to be sharing my daily routine for moms that are working from home with young kids and no daycare. Okay, now if you're listening and thinking I'm just not a routine person, hear me out.

You don't have to have a routine that looks like mine or anyone else's.

I actually prefer rhythms over routines because routines are time based which can feel rigid and can add to the overwhelm because you are feeling like you are behind rhythms though they are pattern based and much more flexible. The key to all of this is having anchors that give your day flow and predictability without boxing you in.

Okay, so here's what my day usually looks like. Again, this is not a prescription or a one size fits all or do it this way.

But this is just an example of what's working for me right now with a four year old and a two year old at home. Okay, now in the morning before the kids wake up, I like to wake up before my kids. They typically wake up around 6:30.

Well the youngest one wakes up at 6:30 and he wakes up the older one. But since they wake up around 6:30. I like to wake up at 4:30am to pour into myself before I pour into my family.

And so when I actually do this, I don't do it every single day. But that is the goal through the week. When I do it, my morning usually includes reading my Bible, prayer, a workout, and getting dressed.

That time really just grounds me and prepares me for the day. For the kids, I am ready. I am more pleasant.

I can greet my children with smiles and good mornings instead of rolling out of the bed grumpy because they're calling my name and waking me up out of my sleep. Okay, so, yes, waking up before the kids has been amazing for me. I love it.

And again, I'm not saying you have to be a 5am Girlie, but I love waking up before the kids so that I have that time to pour into myself because once they wake up, it's go time and they don't rest. All right, next, once they wake up, we'll have breakfast. And after breakfast, we will get them dressed for the day.

Once they are dressed, this is kind of flex time. And this is where I've started to do, like homeschool preps.

So we'll do some activities and little workbooks or just practice reciting some scriptures or learning our numbers. I try to do some things in the morning with my kids related to learning and just a little light prep during that day.

They also, since this is flex time, they also are sometimes independently playing and I can get in some light work. So maybe some social media, posting, engaging, sending emails, just things that are very quick and light. We have lunch.

They eat lunch around: 11:30

And then we kind of reset the downstairs area. If they have, you know, in the morning thrown their toys everywhere, which they typically do.

take his nap. He goes down at: 12:30

And this is where my older daughter, she will, you know, it depends on what I have on my schedule. If I have calls, she will definitely have to do some independent play. Depending on my energy.

If I'm feeling like I really just want to be able to focus without interruptions for maybe an hour, I'll let her watch number blocks or something on tv. But this is when I get my work done. So my son usually naps typically, on average till around 3 o', clock, 3:30, usually around 3.

Sometimes it stretches to 3:30. But I know typically I'll have almost a three hour window to get work done during this time.

And I'll also, I'll try to get my daughter to do some work during this time as well. If I'm doing work I'll try to get her to do some writing or some coloring and she'll a lot of times want to be at my desk.

So this helps to be able to keep my, my workflow efficient. Now after lunch, when my son wakes up, this is our like late afternoon again. This is flex time.

So depending on the weather, we might go outside, we might be doing activity, we might pop some popcorn, do some painting, you know, just kind of do some activity things. Depending on the day, I might have to prep dinner if it's later on in the week or we might just be, you know, just hanging out. Right.

But this is more so flex time. We eat dinner around, I try to push it to 5 o' clock but sometimes they want to eat at 4:30. So we'll typically have dinner around 5.

And then while I am cleaning up, they're playing. And then it's time for them to start winding down for the night. So I start their nighttime routine at 6 6:45. 6:45. They will brush their teeth.

I will shower my son, which is the younger one, while my son is getting showered. Then my daughter, who is the older one, she will be cleaning her room. Then she will take her shower.

After we do showers, we will read a story, we'll say our prayers and then it's lights out. So around this time, by the time we get done all of that, it's around 7:30. Usually it's a little bit earlier.

So 7:30 is when I start my final work block for the night. And I do this from 7:30 to 9:30 the latest. I try to start shutting down around 9.

But sometimes if I'm working on something, I'll let myself go to 9:30, but I'll cut it off at 9:30 just because I am really focused on getting my rest in this season. And I believe that rest is just as important as the work. And so once 9:30 hits, you know, I'll do my own nighttime routine and get in bed.

I wind down and I mentally reset for the next day and then I'll do it all over again. So this is what my daily rhythm looks like. Now my husband, his schedule fluctuates from day to day.

There's two days out of the week where he has practices, so I'm solo parenting on those days.

The other days, if it's not softball season, he'll be home a little bit earlier, so there's more family time and he may be able to take over for the kids. And I'm able to get in a little bit extra time uninterrupted to do some work. So that's what my day looks like.

Like I mentioned, I had the anchors, right?

We have our anchors for our morning routines, our afternoon nap time routines, and then our bedtime routines, and then everything in between that is flexible. So I hope that this might give you some ideas of things that could be beneficial for your own daily rhythm.

Like I said, my rhythm might not look anything like yours. And that is the point, right? What matters is having those anchors that serve you and your family.

Because those anchors, when you have them, it really creates the space for you to enjoy what really matters most. And the rest of the day can feel just a whole lot lighter. And your day can feel guided instead of frazzled.

Okay, now if you want to go deeper into creating rhythms that actually work for your season, I dive into this inside of the Harmonious Mom Legacy Lounge. There's a full training on this because it's not just making up something that makes sense. There is a little bit of strategy to it.

And so if you want insight into that, definitely join the membership. You can go to harmoniousmom.com for more details. Friend, thank you so much for listening.

With grace and gratitude, I will see you in the next episode.

Phylicia Pough: 00:10:19

Hey, friend, I'm so glad you tuned in today. Before you go, will you take a moment to leave a review?

Leaving a review ensures other mompreneurs like you can find this show and get the insights and strategies they need to create harmony between their business and home life. I appreciate you so much. With grace and gratitude, see you in the next episode.