If you are a stay-at-home mom, and in particular, a sidetracked one like us, finding a regular routine can be a challenge. While we’re all busy “doing things,” having a routine and methodical progression to the day may be lacking. Sometimes, it is just difficult to feel successful or to see you are making progress when there is not a definite order to the day.

Throughout our careers as stay-at-home moms, our daily routines have changed with the different seasons in our lives. Right now, I only have two of five children left at home–ages 13 and soon to be 15. Faith, on the other hand, has a 9 year old, 6 year old, and one that will be a year old in a couple of weeks. Mornings can look very different for the two of us.

Here’s what a “normal” morning looks like for me in this season of my life:

1. Wake up and pour the coffee, which has already perked because it was prepared and put on a timer the night before.
2. Enjoy coffee for 45 minutes while my husband and I talk.
3. Exercise
4. Shower and get dressed for the day
5. Eat breakfast and then send hubby off to work
6. Have some quiet time, read my Bible, answer emails, and write while my children begin their schoolwork

My morning routine is fairly similar. My hubby and I absolutely cannot start a day without coffee. We like to enjoy it for 30 – 45 minutes every day. There isn’t always a lot of talking going on depending on how tired we are, but just being together and starting the day off slowly makes it special and enjoyable.

Melody usually joins us during coffee time and she’ll enjoy her bottle while we drink our coffee. The boys usually wake up in time to come snuggle up with us before daddy has to get ready for work. I make breakfast for Shawn while he’s in the shower and then send him off to work once he’s kissed us all and has been given Connor’s customary goodbye, “Bye, Daddy I love you unlimited. Love you, hugs & kisses. I love you more than anything in the whole wide world.” Every time one or both of us leaves the house, his goodbye is always the same…and it makes me smile every single time.

Once Shawn is gone I feed the kids and I finish my coffee and eat some breakfast. I check email and putter around the house until Melody takes her morning nap. My new goal is to exercise while Melody is sleeping. It’s working well so far, but once I exercise and get cleaned up and ready for the day, she’s usually back up. Add in a few morning chores and it’s already 11:00am and we haven’t started school yet. So I’m working on the morning routine to get it more streamlined and moving it earlier.

Night-time routines have been pretty much the same for me for many years. It’s a routine I like and it serves me well.

1. As Jim is tucking the children in (and yes, he still does this ) I go to the kitchen to prepare the coffee for morning
2. Start the dishwasher if it needs run
3. Shut down the kitchen, make sure the doors are locked
4. Turn on the alarm and walk down the hallway
5. Finish any work on my computer
6. Get dressed for bed and take meds

I never really thought about the importance of good night-time routine until I joined Fly Lady. It was there that I learned how influential your bedtime routine is for starting your morning off to a good start. She talks about spending some time picking up the main areas of your house so you’re greeted with a clean kitchen and living room in the morning. This makes such a difference to me!

She also suggests starting a To Do list for the next day, gathering items you don’t want to forget, laying out clothes the night before and even setting the table for breakfast. I never would have thought of those things but they can help so much with feeling organized when you are in a hurry.

My favorite part is how Fly Lady makes it a point to tell you to focus on yourself before going to bed. Journaling and nightly bubble baths are part of the  night-time routine. How great is that?!

Whatever your schedule looks like it’s important to find a routine that works for you and your family and stick to it. It helps your children fall into natural habits along with eating and sleep patterns. It also helps so that when you inevitably DO get sidetracked, you know where you left off and how to find your way back on course.

We’re always interested in hearing what routines and schedules work for other moms. Feel free to leave us a comment and let us know what works, and what doesn’t work for you.