A Day in the Life of a Minimalist Mom

I shared what a typical workday looks like for me, but in all honesty, I only have 1 – 2 workdays each week, the rest of the week I’m a stay-at-home mom with a toddler climbing all over me and holding toys two-inches from my face so I can “see” what he’s talking about… So, what does a day in the life of a minimalist mom look like?
I have 6 children, 2 are out of the house and 1 is graduated, living with us and working, so you’ll see in this example, I just mention taking care of 3 kids, ranging in age from 4-10.
I’m a huge proponent of routines, so let’s walk through a typical day in our household:
6:30 AM Wake up

Make breakfast for the kids, unload the dishwasher, make sure the kids pack their lunch and wear the correct outer-wear, etc. Make coffee and scrambled eggs for Brian and me, eat while the kids are getting their stuff together.

For breakfast, I often make large batches of french toast so the kids can reheat them in the toaster over the week with a glass of raw milk. I’ll also give them yogurt and granola or scrambled eggs and sausage. I prefer them eating more protein than carbs for breakfast and I would go broke if I let them eat cold cereal every day – they would eat 2 bowls and then be hungry by 10 AM.

For lunches, the kids make their own sandwich, PB & J or meat & cheese with carrots or apple slices and often a granola bar. They have lunch sacks and their own reusable containers.

7:50 AM Kids out the door for school.
8:00 AM Coffee with Brian

This is our “quiet time” which is not exactly quiet… I read out loud to Brian while he drinks coffee and works on his chain maille (currently reading My Utmost for His Highest, a passage of the Bible, a chapter of Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secrets) and journal/pray. (This my favorite journal.)

Journaling: I am easily distracted while I pray, so I’ve learned that if I write it out, I stay focused. It also is wonderful to be able to look back over my journals and see answers to specific prayer requests.

8:30 AM Kitchen tidy & dishes

Because I’m not in a hurry to get out the door today, I will make sure this my routine is done thoroughly. You can get my free charts for a basic routine here, but this is what I do:

• Dishes loaded in the dishwasher.
• Counters and stove wiped down.
• Sink wiped clean.
• Laundry started.
• Trash is taken out.
• Then I sit down and play candy crush. 😲 😇 😂

9:00 AM Check emails and social media

Generally, I scan for customer service-type emails – if anyone is having issues with downloads, or course members who leave comments or questions on the course site.

I also use this time to check social media and answer any questions in my private communities.

Brian is normally around at this time of the morning to occupy Paul so I can focus.

10:00 AM Hangout with Brian and our toddler.

This time is open. Sometimes I read to Paul, or get out toys or crafts for him to play with. Most often I use this time to do laundry and tidy up the house. For some reason most people that live here in our house (ah-hem) have NOT  learned to put stuff away… so I do it because I don’t want to look at it all day.

11:00 AM Lunch

I don’t want to have lunch this early, but I’ve already said “Wait until lunch” 27 times and by 11 AM I give in and just feed the man-child already.

12:00 PM Random stuff.

I don’t even know what I do for the next 2 hours! Sometimes Paul takes a bath, sometimes we do grocery shopping or hang out with friends but before I know it, the 2 other kids get home from school and the rest of the day seems to be a blur.

3:00 PM All 3 “littles” are home.

When the kids get home, we deal with paper clutter immediately: All school papers are looked over and thrown away, homework is done, anything that needs to be signed and taken back to school is signed and put back into the backpack. Lunch boxes are emptied, containers put in the sink to be washed.

Most of the time, the afternoons low key- looking over school papers, going to the park or library, drawing, playing with neighbor kids, putting laundry away, etc.

4:30 PM Start cooking dinner.

The rest of the night plays out just like my work days, which you can see here.