Have you ever wondered what a stay at home mom does all day? If you are a full time mama yourself, maybe you have struggled to put into words how you spend your time when people ask. I know I did in the early years of being a SAHM.
Whether you are a working spouse, curious onlooker, soon to be stay at home mom, or a mother who has been caring for her family for years, this blog is for you. Today I am sharing the duties of a stay at home mom, how many hours a day stay at home mothers work, and a detailed day in my life as a SAHM of four.
What are the duties of a stay at home mom?
Mothers wear many hats. The duties of a stay at home mom fluctuate from family to family depending on the season of life, ages of children, preferences of the parents, and so much more.
I do a lot of mundane tasks in my day. I vacuum floors, fold laundry, settle sibling squabbles, and clean the high chair over and over again. Alongside all the necessary tasks that must be done to run a home, there is important soul-forming work going on as well. I see the work of a stay at home mom as being so much more than diapers and dishes. It’s about being a present parent, building healthy relationships, and gifting our children a beautiful childhood.
Here are some of the roles many devoted stay at home moms fulfill:
- Caregiver
- Love Lavisher
- Baby Holder
- Tantrum Tamer
- Story Reader
- Role model
- Coach
- Encourager
- Researcher
- Homemaker
- Home Manager
- Nutritionist
- Nurturer
- Interior Designer
- Landscaper
- Chef
- Cleaner
- Chauffeur
- Teacher
- Tutor
- Trainer
- Facilitator
- Laundry Folder
- Present Parent
- Grocery Shopper
- Deal Finder
- Budget Maker
- Ambiance Creator
- Affirmation Giver
- Mood Setter
- Solution Finder
- Stroller Pusher
- Devoted Listener
- Eye Contact Giver
- Playdate Arranger
- Prevention Specialist
- Planner
- Guide
- Nurse
- Therapist
- Playmate
- Organizer
- Referee
- Protector
- Mentor
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What is a stay at home mom?
At the core of it, stay at home moms are caregivers who pour their time and energy into making their house into a home and nurturing their family. Whether we have a small apartment, a fixer upper, an RV, a basement we are renting out during hard times, or a spacious piece of new construction, our homes are dear to us because they are the place where life happens. We are mothers in the midst of raising children and nurturing our families. Each of us have different standards of cleanliness and various styles of décor, but our heart for our home life is what unites us all.
How many hours a day do stay at home moms work?
For most stay at home mothers, there is no clock out time. There is no time card to punch when the clock strikes 5pm. There isn’t a distinct end to the work. We care for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and children with special needs throughout the night. We seek to be intentional, present parents all throughout our days. When we aren’t physically caring for our kids, we’re thinking about them and planning how to best serve our family and solve pressing problems. Because of the intensity of our good and revolving work, it is important to take time to refresh and take breaks. In general, our work happens around the clock.
How do stay-at-home-moms spend their day?
Below I will share a detailed day in the life of a stay at home mom, hour by hour, and then I will give you a general idea of what many devoted mamas do with their time. Our work looks different from family to family and from one day to the next, but this is representative of an average day in my life with four young children.
Day In The Life of A Stay At Home Mom
5:30 a.m.
Helped my husband wake up early for work
Packed him a homemade lunch and water
6:00 a.m.
Went outside to get some sunshine
Came inside and read my bible
Read a lesson out of the instructor’s manual for a homeschool co-op lesson
Washed a load of laundry
Boiled eggs for the little ones who would be waking up soon
Wrote for about 20 minutes
Cleaned out the humidifier
7:00 a.m.
Took a quick shower and got ready for the day
Greeted my sweet preschooler as she woke up
Snuggled with her in bed and listened to her talk
Read her one of our favorite picture books
Helped her get ready for the day
Dried the laundry and threw in the next load
Changed the baby’s diaper
Fed the toddler and preschooler breakfast
Roused the older children
Instructed them to get started on their morning routines
Oversaw chores and hygiene tasks
Made sure the dogs got fed
Wrote out the kid’s independent homeschool tasks for the day
8:00 a.m.
Took care of a sick child
Monitored the toddler
Re-dried the laundry because the dryer wasn’t working well
Made the big kids fried egg sandwiches for breakfast
Got the kids ready to run a quick errand & buckled up car seats
Dropped off lesson plans to our homeschool co-op
When we got home, I gathered everyone in the living room and read aloud our morning basket rotation. We read three chapters from various books. While they listened, the older two worked on knitting their scarves. The preschooler snuggled up with me. The toddler toddled around and played with magnetic building tiles. There were frequent interruptions to be tended to and that’s okay.
9:00 a.m.
Taught my son a math lesson
Checked my daughter’s math and spelling workbook problems
Checked my son’s phonics workbook pages
Explained place value concepts to the kids
Helped my daughter fill out the mailing address and postage on a letter she wrote
Oversaw the kids in their independent homeschool tasks
Chatted with the preschooler and kept the toddler out of mischief
Washed the dishes
Took out the trash
Helped the kids resolve conflicts
10:00 a.m.
Engaged in more homeschooling
Tickled, snuggled, and redirected the toddler
Listened to my daughter share her narration on Thomas Edison
Listened to my son practice his new song on the piano
Cleaned up toys, shoes, paper, and colored pencils
Cleaned up the toddler
Got rid of old flowers that had wilted
Cleaned out the stale vase
Took the time to stop and admire the castle my child built
Encouraged a child in their art work
Mailed something to a friend
11:00 a.m.
Took everybody outside to play
Shoveled the dog mess from the yard
Consoled the preschooler about a sibling injustice
Read a few pages of a new book I am working through
Talked to my daughter about a book I’d recently finished
Encouraged her in her fiction writing and listened to her ideas
Collected stray coats, shoes, and other miscellaneous items from our yard
Took a moment to swing on the big swing myself and enjoy my wonderful children – You’re never too old to play, Mama!
12:00 p.m.
Read the toddler and preschooler a picture book (Corduroy by Don Freeman)
Made the toddler a bottle, changed his diaper, and put him down for his nap
Prepared lunch for the big kids and served them
Taught a lesson on 2D and 3D shapes to everybody
Read aloud a passage we had previously memorized for review
Sprayed down the kitchen counters and stove
Dried the laundry
Washed another load
1:00 p.m.
Settled the big kids down for quiet time
Put on an audiobook for them to listen to
Ate my own lunch
Took care of the dogs
Wrote some more
Updated our family calendar
Got online and ordered a lovely looking picture book biography of Corrie Ten Boom to go with the current homeschool unit study we are doing on WWII for history
2:00 p.m.
Cleaned and bandaged a minor boo-boo for a child
Listened with delight as my oldest daughter read aloud a couple pages of the story she wrote during quiet time
Provided encouragement and feedback
Gave the sick child a bath
Re-dried the previous load of laundry
Got my husband’s work clothes from the washer and hung them out to air dry
Instructed the kids to clean up their quiet time spaces
3:00 p.m.
Folded and put away mounds of laundry
Made sure the big kids got plenty of sunshine and outdoor play
Changed the baby’s diaper and dressed him in fresh clothes
Set him up for play time
Tidied up the house while chatting with the kids as told me about their exciting plans for a club house
Worked on math with one of my children
4:00 p.m.
Hung out with my husband
Prepared dinner
Comforted my toddler
5:00 p.m.
Ate dinner with my family
Freshened the dog’s water bowl and ensured that they got fed
Put away the leftovers from dinner
Loaded the dishwasher while my son cleared dirty dishes from the table
Wiped down the table and high chair
6:00 p.m.
Helped the toddler get his evening wiggles out
Prepared his bottle and settled him down for bed
7:00 p.m.
Instructed the older kids in their evening routine
Hung out with my husband
8:00 p.m.
Said goodnight to the big kids and put them to bed with books and night lamps
9:00 p.m.
Turned out night lights for those who hadn’t
What does a stay at home mom do all day?
Your giftings as a stay at home mother most likely differ from mine. That’s what makes each of our families so beautiful and unique. There are adventurous mamas, organized mothers, sporty moms, musical mamas, minimalist moms, and so much more.
Some SAHM’s are very structured and others are more laid back. Some are extroverted and set up lots of fun social events for their family. Others are introverted and work to build a calming life at home for their husband and kids.
Some stay at home moms devote their days to helping their children battle severe illnesses through frequent doctor appointments, therapies, nutrition efforts, and extensive research. Others are super involved in their kid’s school. These mamas participate in PTA, plan fun events, bring snacks for the whole soccer team, plan events, chaperone field trips, and ensure that their kids are involved in the best extracurricular activities. There are all kinds of ways a stay at home wife and mother might spend her time.
No matter how different we are, many of us mamas have one thing in common. We desire to give our kids a balanced childhood and we prioritize the wellbeing of our children. Mothers are often the ones who keep their eye closely on the pulse of their family, ensuring that their kids are hydrated, well rested, and getting plenty of sunshine.
We give our kids opportunities to play with peers, see new places, and try new things. We take our kids to appointments and ensure that they get the nutrients they need from homemade food. We take walks and bike rides with our children to keep their hearts healthy. We ensure that our kids have plenty of time to play, rest, and read. We help them with school work and teach them life lessons that extend far beyond the classroom.
On any given day, I find myself filling the role of a librarian. I provide each one of my children with the very best books I can in order to light up their interest in reading, give them a wide view of our big world, and set them up for academic success. Like a librarian, I seek to stoke the fire of independent reading in my children’s lives. I initiate various reading challenges with charts and prizes and help my kids set up books club calls with friends and family. On a daily basis, I hold story hours in my home in which I provide food and read aloud delightful books to my kids. I personally believe reading to my children is one of the best uses of my time as a stay at home mom. My kids love it, my husband appreciates it, and we’ve seen incredible fruit in their lives from the stories we’ve hidden in their hearts.
Another of my major roles as a stay at home mom is to be a teacher. I teach my children proper hygiene, communication skills, healthy conflict resolution tactics, math facts, phonetic sounds, how to manage their time wisely, what a balanced meal looks like, how to structure a five sentence paragraph, science facts, important historical figures, why we wash our hands when we come home from outings, how to tie their shoes, all about the world wars, and so much more.
I am a homeschooling stay at home mom with elementary ages kids, a preschooler, and a toddler. Every day is a little different, but many things remain the same. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into how I spent my time and served my family on a random Monday as a SAHM.
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