My Morning Routine As A Work From Home Mum

I’ve been a work from home mum for almost 2 years now and it’s just as hectic as it was when I was first made redundant! You’d think by now I’d have some sort of routine. But then I wasn’t expecting my second child to be as crazy as he is. All hands on deck with Bear.

I still feel strange calling my self a ‘work from home mum’ because I don’t have an office area where I sit and work. I don’t have a regular income and I don’t wear a uniform. My uniform is usually my pyjamas!

But I do work and I’m self-employed. So I need to stop being so modest and be proud of what I’m doing. Even if I can’t afford to buy myself any new clothes…

I wouldn’t normally write posts like these because, to be honest, I’m the least Pinterest worthy blogger you’ll know. My house isn’t white and ‘minimalist’ (one can only dream). I don’t have perfect hair and make up each morning before breakfast and I don’t have a lovely dining room table where we all sit and eat breakfast.

Our house is rarely tidy, the kids eat on the sofa while I tidy the kitchen, and I’m in my pjs until well after 9am. It’s just how it is.

One day I’ll be good enough for Pinterest. Until then, this is my ‘grab every spare second you can’ work from home morning routine.

7/7:30am

This is the average time we get up. At the moment Bear is waking earlier due to a change in milk. But by 7/7:30am both boys are usually awake and downstairs.

I’m usually downstairs with Bear first so take this time to change his nappy and sit him down with a cup of water. I then head straight to the kettle and make myself a coffee.

My other half leaves for work at half 7. If I’m awake I’ll make his lunch, otherwise he’s usually done it and we quickly say goodbye as we cross paths.

Once Lamb is up the boys sit together (usually on the sofa as it means I can keep an eye on them while I do a bit of work or cleaning) and eat their breakfast. I start them off with some toast to keep them quiet for a bit so I can get some tasks done.

8am

Lamb is really into computer games at the moment. This is the time I usually let him play for half an hour before we start our day. Bear also gets to watch a bit of Peppa Pig in the morning. If I don’t let him he will be round my feet like a puppy and I won’t get anything done. Either that or he’s screaming at the baby gate if I’ve closed it. He’s extremely clingy to me at the moment.

I set my laptop up in the kitchen and quickly skim through my emails and reply to any that are outstanding. I also catch up on my blog social media and reply to any comments or messages.

If I’ve had any orders from my online shop I’ll organise the delivery and print out all of the paperwork, ready to pack them up when Bear has his nap.

I spend most of the morning in the kitchen. I usually put the dishwasher on over night. So I start with putting away the clean bits then fill up again ready to put on after breakfast.

If I have time I’ll also do the laundry. We conveniently have a tumble dryer in the cellar. I close the gate between the kitchen and living room so Bear can’t escape and I pop down to do the laundry. (This horrible rain has meant I’ve used it loads this month!) I’ll put another load into the washing machine, and then tidy up everything from breakfast.

9am

By 9am the kids are usually done with occupying themselves so it’s time to be mum again. It’s time to put the laptop down. If I haven’t got them dressed already, then we all put our clothes on. We then brush our teeth and decide what we’re doing for the day.

Today for example, Lamb goes to his Grandmas so she will be picking him up around 9 and Bear and I are usually still in PJs. On days where Lamb is at home we are ready by 9. We then either pop to the supermarket and have a treat in the cafe Or go to the zoo and see friends. If the weather is awful we might get the play dough out.

It’s difficult to allow Lamb to play with everything he wants to as Bear usually tramples over everything or steals stuff. Lamb loves playing board games. In fact he’s currently learning to play chess with his Dad! Bear is too young for board games and doesn’t leave us alone when we try to play. So we can’t really play rainy day board games when he’s awake.

Once Lamb has gone to preschool or Grandmas, or once we’re a bit more chilled I’ll then have breakfast. I don’t eat with the boys as I utilise this time to catch up on work or chores. If we are going out for the day I’ll try take a slice of toast to eat in the car. Or depending where we are going I might grab something while we are out.

One the days when it’s just me and Bear I’ll wait until he has his late morning nap and have brunch. I’m on a break from Weight Watchers but I still try to eat what I would if I was counting points. So I usually have scrambled egg and grilled bacon medallions on 2 slices of low calorie bread. This keeps me full until tea time and if it doesn’t I’ll have a couple of snacks to keep me going.

The coffee I made at 7am usually goes cold. So it’s now time to have another coffee and enjoy it hot while Bear naps.

He can nap from 1 to 3 hours in one go so I can usually get a big of social media scheduling done, or write a blog post.

If I’m honest, the amount I need to do each day is way more than I have the time to do. I should be working full time if I want to keep on top of everything and really push my business.

I’m hoping once Lamb starts school I can get a bit more done each day, but to be honest, it’s Bear who’s difficult to work around!

He will be starting nursery in September 1 day a week. If my business grows and the blog work keeps coming I’ll have to consider putting him in 2 days. I can only do this if I know I’ll have enough income to pay for it. Which isn’t the case at the moment.

Although it doesn’t sound like your typical routine, this is how our morning goes almost every day.

There are some days I wake up early and get my work done before then boys wake up. Which is madness as Bear still doesn’t sleep through! But working from home with 2 kids doesn’t give you a lot of childfree time. I take what I can get!

~A~