Getting a working stay at home mom schedule down pat is no easy feat.

Like many other modern-day women, I want to be at home with my kids, but I also need to work—for financial reasons and because it’s sometimes nice to stop singing “twinkle, twinkle little star” for a little while. 

So… Well, I do both!

I am a stay at home mom who also works from home, hence the self-proclaimed “Working Stay at Home Mom” or “WSAHM”, and I’ve been living the WSAHM lifestyle since 2016. 

I do not consider myself a “work from home mom” because I don’t have a designated work schedule. Instead, I work around my kids’ schedules. 

How do I do it? 

It takes a lot of coffee, prayers, and carefully thought-out plans that I don’t end-up following! 

It’s an animated, interesting household, but we wouldn’t want it any other way. 

Living the WSAHM Lifestyle

Living a WSAHM lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. It can sometimes get chaotic and little overwhelming. 

However, over the years, I somehow found balance in the chaos of runny noses, sticky fingers and professional deadlines (here’s more on my way too personal account of how I became a WSAHM. 

Now that my kids are getting a little older, and that I have had several years of practicing this type of lifestyle with kids of different ages (including a newborn at some point!), I feel that I have a typical WSAHM schedule down pat. 

So, here’s a typical weekday in my life! 

Actually, I’m offering you 2 typical weekdays in our household. The first is when the kids are in school. The second is when the kids are home either on holiday or for summer vacation. 

My hope is that, by sharing a glimpse of our perfectly imperfect lives, I might help other parents find their way through the wonderful chaos of raising a family. 

Typical Working Stay at Home Mom Schedule (School Days)

6:30am – 7:30am Morning Routine

My husband R is in charge of making lunches while I tidy up and help the kids (mostly my youngest) get ready for school. On a good day, the dishwasher is also emptied right away in the morning, but that rarely happens. In the morning I also wipe down the bathroom counters once everyone is dressed. That’s usually all we get to do before rushing out the door to walk the girls to school. 

8:00am – 8:30am Quick Whole-House Walkthrough

R and I quickly pick up whatever exploding mess was left over from the morning routine. Then one of us clears the morning dishes and makes coffee, while the other puts on a load of laundry. This is also when I take out the kitchen trash if it wasn’t done the night before. By this time, I also make sure I at least have a vague idea of what I’m going to make for dinner so I can take whatever I need out of the freezer to thaw. That’s usually all I get to do before R and I tend to our professional responsibilities. 

CONFESSION: Some mornings R and I ditch this whole routine and just sit for half an hour and have coffee instead ❤️

8:30am – 11:30am Professional Work Time 

If my work schedule permits it, I will sometimes try to take 15 to 30 minutes out of this time block to complete a household chore.  

CONFESSION: I take an hour off work on Mondays and Wednesdays to go to my Pilates class.

11:30am – 12:30pm Lunch

Lunch is usually leftovers in our household. During my “lunch hour” I also make sure to complete the following tasks:

• Throw the load of laundry in the dryer
• Start prepping dinner if I plan to make something a little more elaborate
• Complete another cleaning task 

12:30pm – 2:30pm Professional Work Time 

If my work schedule permits it, I will sometimes take this time to run errands. 

2:30pm – 4:30pm After School Madness

This is by far the busiest time in my day; with pickups, snacks, after-school activities, homework and everything else in between. I don’t know exactly what happens during this time block, I just know that it’s chaotic and usually mess inducing. No point in even attempting a cleaning task or answer an email during this time—it’s best to just accept the chaos and go with it. 

4:30pm – 5:30pm – Dinner Prep

This time block usually starts with me nagging at the kids to pick up their homework off the kitchen table or reminding them not to be too loud since their dad is still working and most likely on a business call. A lot happens during this time block: the kids have their free time (think new messes in various rooms of the house), R is busy working, and I’m multitasking. 

CONFESSION: This is a more stressful time for me because I feel I’m being pulled in a thousand directions. This includes:

• Negotiating screen time with my oldest E
• My little one O wants to play restaurant or bakery shop
• B is usually doing something she’s not supposed to be doing
• I have to get dinner done
• And I have a load of laundry to fold at the back of my mind 

Some days, everything works out great! The girls help me make dinner (I even get started on doing the dishes) and we are all jollier than the characters from a Hallmark movie. 

Some other days, however, things don’t go quite as planned. By the time R’s done work, he trips over a princess castle left right outside his office door, dinner’s not ready, the laundry pile’s been left on our bed and I’m tending to a finger paint spill. 

5:30pm – 6:30pm Dinner Time 

This is usually when we sit together and have dinner. By now the stress of the hour before has cooled down.

6:30pm – 7:00pm Clean Up Time

This is when we all clean up together. The girls empty the dishwasher and clear the table. I do the rest of the kitchen (load the dishwasher, wipe the counter and sink) while R tidies up high traffic rooms. By around 7pm, I’m vacuuming the high-traffic areas or finishing up whatever cleaning task I didn’t get to finish. 

7:00pm – 8:00pm Family Time 

We are either all together during this time or we might separate, depending on the evenings. 

8:00pm – 8:30pm Bedtime Routine 

This used to be quite an eventful time when the kids were younger, but they are pretty independent by now. So except for negotiating with O that it’s time to put on her pajamas, the rest is not too bad.  

8:30pm – 8:45pm Family Prayers and Good Nights 

We like to pray as a family every night. After this, we say our good nights. It often takes many good nights before we get our point across and they finally settle down. 

9:00pm – 10:30pm  Adult time   

This is when R and I shut things down. 

CONFESSION: I sometimes have to catch up on work during this time, if I have a few too many professional projects to tend to. However, this rarely happens.

We usually try to get to bed by 10:30, that’s unless we find the forgotten pile of laundry to fold on our bed!  

Typical Working Stay at Home Mom Schedule (When the Kids Are Home)

6:30am – 8:30am Professional Work Time 

If you are working around your kids’ schedule, work flexibility is a must. Yes, starting your workday at 6:30am might feel like a pain, but it’s a good way to avoid having to work too late in the evening. 

During this time, my husband R tends to the kids with their morning routine. 

CONFESSION: Some days my husband R has to work at the office and is commuting during this timeslot. When this happens, I usually have to cut this 2-hour work period out of my schedule. This often means more evening work for me 🙁

8:30am – 9am Quick Whole-House Walkthrough

I quickly pick up whatever exploding mess was left over from the morning routine, while R logs into work for the day. I also put on a load of laundry and make sure I figure out what to make for dinner so I can take whatever I need out of the freezer to thaw. 

9am – 11:30am Time With Kids

This can be one or several activities either at home or outside. 

If we stay home, I will sometimes try to take 15 to 30 minutes out of this time block to complete a household chore.  

NOTE: If your kids are homeschooled, this is a great time to do schoolwork. 

CONFESSION: When the kids are home, I do not go to my Pilates class which usually takes place on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

11:30am – 12:30pm Lunch

During our “lunch hour” I also make sure to complete the following tasks:

• Throw the load of laundry in the dryer
• Start prepping dinner if I plan to make something a little more elaborate
• Put the lunch dishes in the dishwasher

12:30pm – 1:30pm Professional Work Time / Quiet Time For the Kids

Depending on their age group, this time can either be nap time or simply quiet time for the kids. 

When they are home on a weekday, my kids have about an hour to watch TV or read after lunch. When they were younger, they would sometimes take a nap, although they were never quite big on it. 

For Mama, this is your chance to focus! Although it’s just an hour, it is an important hour for your business. It gives you a chance to check your emails, make a business call or attend a virtual meeting. Especially if you are dealing with clients, you need to have a day time slot to tend to your business affairs. Go get’em girl! 

NOTE: If this time doesn’t work with your business clients, shift it to another time during the day that works for you and your family. Remember that you make your own working stay at home mom schedule. So try it out and change it if needed. 

CONFESSION: If I have no emails or business to tend to, I still take this time to myself to do whatever.  

1:30pm – 4:30pm Time With Kids

Again, this can be one or several activities either at home or outside. 

If we stay home, I will try to take time out of this block to complete a few household chores (involving the kids when I can). 

I will also run errands during this time when I need to, tagging the kids along with me of course. 

NOTE: If your kids are homeschooled, this is also a great time to do schoolwork. 

4:30pm – 5:30pm – Dinner Prep

On days when the kids are home, this time is a lot less hectic. I think it’s because they have been with me all day and are not fighting for my attention. During this time, they will either prep dinner with me or have free time on their own. Especially if we did a lot during the day, they will usually select something quiet, like drawing, reading or playing with dolls.  

5:30pm – 6:30pm Dinner Time 

This is when we sit together and have dinner. By this time, R has completed his workday and is ready to take over things.

6:30pm – 8:30pm  Professional Work Time

I will admit that this is a difficult time to get back to work. By now, you are tired from running around little ones all day and all you want to do is rest. Remember, you started your workday at 6:30am. Twelve hours later, you are ready to call it quits. 

If you are too tired and your schedule permits it, take the night off. You earned it! If you can’t, just tell yourself that whatever you get done now, you won’t have to get done later. 

CONFESSION: This is the time when I am the least productive, so I schedule tasks that don’t require a lot of brain power. 

Also, when the kids are off during the summer, I try not to schedule myself evening work every single night. I feel that I no longer have the stamina for such long days anymore. In an ideal world, I take Saturdays and Sundays off from professional work. However, if I’m too tired for the evening shifts, I prefer putting in a few hours of work on Saturday mornings rather than burning myself out.  

8:30pm – 8:45pm Family Prayers and Good Nights 

By now, R and the kids have completed all their usual nighttime routine (dishes, clean up, family time) and the kids are ready for bed. 

I will try to take 15 minutes with my kids, even if I’m not quite done with my work. 

9:00pm – 10:30pm  Adult time   

This is when R and I shut things down. 

CONFESSION: I sometimes have to catch up on work during this time, if I have a few too many professional projects to tend to or if I slacked off between the hours of 6:30pm to 8:30pm. However, I try not to make this a regular occurrence. 

We usually try to get to bed by 10:30, unless we’ve both fallen asleep on the couch before then!

A Few More Working Mom Tips to Remember

As mentioned previously, the schedules listed above are “ideal”, but “ideal” seldomly happens. Life is full of surprises and challenges. So, even if you create yourself the perfect schedule, please remember the following: 

1- Be Flexible

Working stay at home moms need to be ready to change their schedule on the flip of a dime. A tummy ache, a snowstorm, a sudden business emergency or a change of schedule for your spouse are all examples of things that can make you have to play Tetris with your agenda. 

Remember that as a WSAHM, your family and business agendas are kind of intertwined and either one can spill into the other. Your success will be in juggling both realities as best as you can. 

2- Be Kind to Yourself 

Remember that, as a working stay at home mom, you are attempting to do the impossible: be a stay at home mom and a working professional all at the same time. 

Managing both realities well takes practice. So, if things go completely wrong one day, don’t be harsh on yourself. Just make the best of it and move on. 

3- Don’t Burn Yourself Out

Managing a working stay at home mom schedule can be difficult, especially if you have younger children. 

If you feel overwhelmed, frustrated or simply too tired, you may need to reassess things. Are you working too many hours? Are you working at times that do not correspond with your Circadian rhythm? Do you need more help? Be honest with yourself and take into account your needs as well as the needs of the other members of the family. 

4- Take Some “Me Time”

The life of a WSAHM requires you to move from one commitment to the next. The lines between your professional, personal and family life often becoming blurred. It’s so easy to find yourself running around frantically, going from one thing to the next until the wee hours of the morning (trust me I fell into this trap quite often in my early days as a WSAHM). This is why it’s crucial that you take a little time to yourself.

If you notice in my examples above, I try to go to Pilates class twice a week, when my working mom schedule permits. I also avoid having to do any professional work on the weekend, except for an occasional couple of hours on Saturday morning when I’m really stuck. The rest of the time, I don’t even check my emails on Saturdays and Sundays.

Taking Micro Breaks

What I also didn’t mention in my examples above, is that I try to take micro breaks throughout the day. It’s hard for any mom to take time to herself during the day, especially when the kids are young. This is why, just like I break up my cleaning chores into smaller tasks that take less time (check out my Ultimate Cleaning Guide to understand what I mean), I take micro breaks for myself to unwind from all the stressors of the day.

Micro “me time” breaks don’t have to get complicated. They can be doing things like taking 5 minutes to quietly sip a steaming cup of tea, stepping outside for a minute to soak in a bit of sunshine, retrieving to a quiet room to say a few prayers or meditate—whatever allows you to take a step back!

Remember, that the whole point of adopting a WSAHM lifestyle is to find balance in your life. So be more mindful of how you are spending your days and take the time to enjoy your life and what you are accomplishing.

If you have questions or feedback about a working stay at home mom schedule, or if you’d like to share your own stories about being a WSAHM, I’d love to hear back from you! Contact me or share in the comments below. 

Talk soon, 

The Working Stay at Home Mom