For this post, I'm going to disclose to you a typical day of my life as a stay-at-home mom. I look after our 2-year-old son. He's not in daycare. At the same time, I work-from-home, part-time, as a Software Automation Engineer.
Come, take a peek. Here's A Day In The Life of a Stay-At-Home Mom + A Habit I can't Live Without. Read until the end...
[photo source]
My Day Typically starts at...
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Noon or Before Noon
lol. I know I know. My day starts late. Our son wakes up earlier than me, so the hubby prepares breakfast for him before driving to work. Our little boy normally plays on his own or take videos using my phone while waiting for me to wake up.Most of the time, he'd simply
- Lunch
Make lunch. Meals. Wash dirty dishes. After our move to Ottawa, we no longer have the luxury of owning a dishwasher. Boo!
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Work
I do my IT-related work for 2 hours in the afternoon and then put the babe to sleep around 3-4 pm. Once he's asleep, I write. I make sure to hit my self-imposed quota of at least 300 words per day either for this blog or for this one here.
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Evening Grind
I continue my IT-related work for another 2 hours until 10:30 pm. I work for 4 hours M-Th. On weekends, I use this time to take and/or edit photos or improve my old blog posts.
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Bedtime
Toddler bathtime. Afterward, relax with a cup of oatmeal or hot choco (here's a current favorite). Shower.We aim to be on the bed at around 11pm for the toddler's sake. Then mind-storming. I read the Word, journal, write my thoughts, ideas, insights, plans for tomorrow, lessons learned. Read a book until the first rays of light break the stillness of the night. Oh gosh, I forgot to sleep!
***
After purging my social media time out of my system (not entirely though; I do have an FB page for this blog or a private Instagram account for family news), I discovered a gold-mine of FREE time.
(UPDATE: I now added an Instagram account for this blog. Since then, my social media time has ballooned. Oh, dear! lol)
What you see documented above are the typical things I do on a given day.
When we don't go out for dinner or groceries or leisure or church, I'd habitually used my free time writing some more, reading, cuddling or watching nursery rhymes with the little boy, Pinterest (gosh!), daydreaming, staring blankly at the wall, or reading manga. lol.
I'm no angel, okay. I have my multitude of faults too!
The One Habit I Can't Live Without
After moving West, the constricted feeling of being locked inside the 4 corners of a house 24/7 is daunting. Due to circumstances, there are things I can't do. It's like submerged underwater with enough allowance for the head to surface. I used to live my days in gray and gloom - hopeless, depressed.It took me long before I realized... though I was limited in many things my mind is FREE.
That one sentence up there liberated me! Sorry, no more pity parties. (I hope.) Because of that, I endeavor to use my free time expanding my mind like how the universe is constantly advancing. It doesn't matter if it only increases 1mm per day as long as it's advancing.
The end goal is saturating the mind with good thoughts and hope once again!
What brings you joy? Do it! For me, it's pleasurable to create, to accomplished tasks/goals, to feel a little smarter compared to the day before, to move forward.
It doesn't mean, I don't stumble. Heck, I do! But I stand up, again and again. A new day is a gift to start fresh, to begin again.
And that my friend is how my typical day looks like -- A Day In The Life of a Stay-At-Home Mom. In line with the realization shared above, I've also developed this one habit I can't live without...
Learn something new every day!
Okay, I can actually live without it! But If I stop opening myself up to wisdom, the darkness inside me would grow even worse.
Eventually, when you stop building yourself up, death begins. People perish for lack of knowledge! Everything that stops moving is dead!
Well, what do you make of a zombie? Living dead!
It doesn't have to be something consequential. It can be learning a new word, insight, thought, taste, or an idea caught from a conversation. As long as it's new to you. Easy right? Anyone can do it!
What I've shared above is actually an idea gleaned from The Templeton Plan by Sir John Templeton.
That's how progress is achieved, friend. What you do overtime builds up like a small seed, growing to a mighty tree!
What we do shape our lives!
I know I talk a lot. Now your turn. What's your typical day like? Is there a habit you can't live without?
Well, I wish you have an awesome day then! Talk to you soon. ;)
