It may be hard to find alone time as a stay-at-home mom, especially if you homeschool. After all – home is your job! Here are a few ways you can find alone time as a stay-at-home mom.
My children are very young, which means they still need help completing almost all of their tasks. Everything from going to the bathroom to falling asleep. I need to be there!
Most days, it feels like there isn’t enough time to get everything done, let alone get any quality time for myself!
As I grow in my motherhood journey, I’ve learned a few things about how I can carve out some alone time for myself. In this blog post, I’ll go over my tips, a stay-at-home mom schedule you can adapt to fit your own needs, and other routines you can implement to get some alone time.
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Homemaker and Happy’s Tips for How to Schedule Alone Time as a Stay-at-Home Mom
My tips stem from my journey as a stay-at-home mom. Much of which I wasn’t prepared for!
Luckily, there are life lessons you can teach your children and other things you can do to get a little bit more alone time in your schedule.
Implement a Morning Routine
My kiddos are early risers, just like their mama. So imagine my surprise when I began trying to have a few minutes to myself to enjoy a cup of coffee and both my children would be ready to greet the day with me!
I quickly realized I needed to implement a morning routine.
For us, that looks like me getting up at least half an hour before my children to have a few minutes of quiet time. As my children wake, I serve breakfast, we enjoy our time together, and everyone gets ready for the day.
When we’re dressed, my children are encouraged to play independently while I clean up breakfast and prepare activities for the day. If we’re going grocery shopping, I’m reviewing my grocery list. If we’re staying around the house, I’m compiling any supplies I may need for our activities that day.
If my children are still playing, I take that opportunity as a moment to myself. I enjoy my coffee, read a book, or finish my Bible study.
Notice I said morning routine and not schedule. Nothing I do as a stay-at-home mom falls during the same time every day.
There are days when the family may be sick or recovering, and we need rest. So I’ll let my kids sleep in.
There are other days when activities aren’t what we need to keep us occupied because the weather is simply too good to pass up. So we spend the entire morning outside!
If you have older kids who are school-age, you may choose to do free time later in the day instead of in the morning.
What I love about being a stay-at-home mom is the flexibility to meet my family’s needs based on the season we’re in. I hope you do the same!
Encourage Rest Time
Nap time is huge in our house. But when children age out of taking a nap, relying on nap time as a rest time for mom can be hard!
So I encourage my children to take rest time, too.
If we’re having a particularly hard day as a family, that may look like 5 minutes where everyone is playing independently in their rooms. On a rainy day, it may look like an early nap time.
And as a mom, I’m taking full advantage of this time my kiddos are resting! I’ve got my feet kicked up with a cup of coffee and a good book.
If I’m going to encourage rest time, I need to model it!
Encourage Free Play
Free play is a play that the child is in complete control of. They get to choose the toys, the location, and how they would like to play with those toys.
In our house, we have times of free play, but we still implement some limitations. For example, crayons and markers are to be used on paper only and must be used at the table. Markers are not allowed in bedrooms.
Whatever free play is to you, it can simultaneously be alone time for Mom.
Get Outside!
I am to get outside with my kiddos multiple times a day. Since I’ve implemented outdoor play regularly, my kids look forward to it!
The benefits of outdoor play are also incredible. Children are naturally curious, and this allows them to explore whatever they want.
Outdoor play also encourages things like gross motor skills movement, builds immunity, and encourages creativity.
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Include Your Children in Household Chores
My daughter can clear her dishes from the table, put away most of her laundry, clean up her room, and unload part of the dishwasher. She’s also able to help me with the laundry and retrieve ingredients for recipes from the refrigerator and pantry.
Children are wildly capable if we just take the time to teach them these things!
The bigger lesson they’re learning here is how to share the load of caring for the home. And in our house, that’s expected.
I’m not going to carry Bible bags, put away every sock they own, and make sure they clear their plates. As I teach them those things, they can start to understand everything that truly goes into making things run smoothly in our home.
Today, I can ask my daughter to clear dishes from the dinner table. Next year, she may be able to load the dishwasher. The year after that, she may be able to properly start the dishwasher.
All of these tasks build upon each other. And outsourcing those tasks to my children as they grow older is a great way to find those pockets of alone time as a mother.
Outsource Common Tasks
If laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, and cooking are a part of your daily routine, it may be hard to find a way to step away from those things. Especially if you’re a one-income family like we are!
Outsourcing common household tasks may not be a reality for all, but it’s a great thing to consider if you want more alone time as a mother.
Hire a Family Member as a Babysitter
Retired grandparents are a popular pick for free babysitting. But if you don’t live near your parents, you can always look at siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins!
Hiring family is also a great way to enrich the familial bonds between your family members and children.
Hiring a babysitter is also a great way to introduce guilt. But there’s nothing saying you should keep grinding away when you feel like you need a breather.
Choose guilt over resentment. There’s no shame in needing an hour or two for a cup of coffee in peace.
Swap Days with Another Mom
If you’re strapped for cash or not around family, exchanging babysitting days with a fellow mom is a great way to get out of the house and save money!
Spending time with other children can also be enriching for your little ones.
Finally, you don’t have to leave your children with another mom during the day. This can be a great system to implement for free babysitting on date nights!
This could also be beneficial to homeschooling moms. Is there a mom in your area who excels in a different topic than you do? Can they play an instrument and teach your child about it? Do they have specialized education you can use in your homeschool? See if they’ll exchange lesson days!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many hours does a stay-at-home mom work?
We’ve seen the statistics everywhere. “A stay-at-home mom works two, full-time jobs.” A stay-at-home mom works 15-hour days.
It’s easy to see the workload of a stay-at-home mom. Thus, it’s important to see why a little bit of alone time every day may be beneficial.
Schedule a Specific Time Out of the House
If you have a reliable schedule for the entire family, schedule intentionally time away for yourself!
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” may not have been coined by a stay-at-home mom, but it sure should be a part of our vocabulary!
Time away from your kiddos can give you the clarity and refresh you need to return with joy, patience, and peace.
Time away could look like time with a friend, a vacation with friends, or a day trip with your husband.
I think it’s important to note that time away from your children doesn’t have to be a weekly occurrence. It also doesn’t have to be as extravagant as taking a vacation. “Time away” may look like running errands for an afternoon.
Sample Schedule for Daily Alone Time
Where would you find pockets of alone time in this day?
7:30 to 8 am – Children are awake
8 am – Breakfast
8:30 to 9 am – Get dressed for the day
9 am – Begin morning baskets/morning menus
9:15 am – Read aloud, playtime activities
10 am – 10 minutes of independent play
10:10 am – Outside time, snack time
11:30 am – Lunch
Noon – Arts and crafts
12:30 pm – More read-aloud time
1 pm – Outside time
2-2:30 pm Naptime
4 pm – Snack time, TV time
5:30 pm – Dinnertime
6:30 pm – Outside time
7:30 pm – Begin bedtime routine
8 pm – Bedtime
Other stay-at-home mom routines to implement
Time alone as a stay-at-home mom is the goal. But when we consider everything we truly balance as a stay-at-home mom, we quickly realize it could be a by-product of what we’re doing!
Especially if you’re in a season of life with small children or an infant.
Here are a few ideas for routines you can implement in your home that may give you alone time as a stay-at-home mom.
Cleaning Routine
My cleaning routine tackles a load of laundry every day and a load of dishes every day. I also dedicate a room in my home to one day of the week (for example, I’ll tackle the bathrooms on a busy day of the week and wash towels).
Whatever you’re cleaning routine looks like, the added organization can give you direction for your day. You can both accomplish something and see where you may be able to snag a few moments to yourself during the day.
Family Time
My toddlers are much more willing to participate in independent playtime if they have connected with me at some point during the day.
That looks different every day! Some days that means watching a show with them. On other days that means working on educational activities together, like learning to write out letters or learn the lifecycle of a plant.
Family time can also look like a family trip to the library, getting a cookie from our local bakery, or playing at the city park.
Are you looking for family activities you can do? I have blog posts for every season! Check out my Family Tab for those blog posts. I have more than 150 activities you can choose from!
Laundry Routine
Keeping the laundry from getting out of hand is something I’m always striving for. Are you? Comment on this blog post and let me know!
Creating a laundry routine was something that helped me greatly as a SAHM. I do at least one load every day, and I get started the night before.
I simply load my washer with tomorrow’s laundry and make sure the dryer is open and ready to go. I don’t have laundry dedicated to a certain day. And I’m able to keep a flexible schedule to make sure I don’t get overwhelmed with things like errands or days spent out of the house.
If you’re looking for laundry hacks that will impact your laundry routine for the better, I have 30 tips for you in this blog post!
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Implement Your Home Management Routine
Finding time may be as simple as scheduling in time. But alone time may come from getting other areas of your home under control!
My home management system came from what I needed to get done every day for my home to run smoothly. I found I did need a laundry routine, a meal plan, and a way to keep everything organized.
I started asking myself a few key questions about what my family and my home truly needed!
To see what questions gave me the direction I needed to organize my own home, check out How to Create a Simple Home Management System!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a stay-at-home mom considered a career?
YES!
The work you do as a stay-at-home mom is benefiting your family in more ways than you know. You’re fostering connections between family members, creating a peaceful environment, and keeping things running smoothly.
A SAHM mom is a position with more than full-time hours.
What is the basic concept of home management?
Home management at its core is administrative. This is the technical side of homemaking some people don’t like to deal with, because technical doesn’t tend to be fun.
However, it’s necessary! Properly managing your home is something to be proud of. Don’t let the technical side of things diminish that!
If managing the technical side of things isn’t your favorite, deal with them weekly to keep them from piling up and becoming unmanageable.
More Tips for Alone Time as a SAHM
Don’t forget about these ways to find alone time as a stay-at-home mom!
Schedule Your Alone Time
At the end of the day, I always like to take a look at my planner. I see what needs to be done, whether or not I need to make adjustments to my meal plan, and gather any supplies I need for the following day.
This is also a great time to look ahead in the week. Is there a moment I can sneak away while a sitter watches my kiddos? Is there a chance to get together with a friend for a quick phone call?
I keep a pretty flexible schedule. But in busy seasons, I’m always willing to pencil in an appointment that simply can’t be moved – mommy’s alone time!
Even if it’s a month or two out and I don’t know what’s coming. I can’t miss my mommy’s alone time appointment!
If you aren’t able to get away, consider doing something like self-care at home!
Is there a day of the week you can consistently do something like take a bath or watch a movie by yourself? You can always work with your husband to dedicate a day of the week he puts the kids to bed independently while you have alone time.
Keep a Flexible Schedule
I have already talked a bit about sneaking in alone time in your day. When your children are playing and when you’re enjoying a cup of coffee, that could be your alone time for the day!
However, you could also read a few pages of a book while you’re children are playing outside. Or perhaps your errands run late, and you decide to order a cup of coffee while your children nap in the car.
If your schedule is flexible enough to accept those nuances, finding alone time as a stay-at-home mom will be all the easier.
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Keep a Physical To-Do List
Are you easily overwhelmed by everything that’s being asked of you? I have found to-do lists can help me in times of overwhelm!
I’m also able to prioritize what tasks have to be done. If I have a sort of deadline or prior engagement, I refer to my paper planner. If my to-do list isn’t already there, I will write down my to-do list among my daily tasks.
Are you looking for a paper planner? My favorite planner is linked on my resources page!
Finding a Quiet Moment Can Be Hard…
A child’s needs should always take priority to a mom’s needs. And that can be hard to manage! That’s why intentionally sneaking in some alone time as a mom can be so helpful.
So whether or not you schedule your alone time or you work it into the natural rhythm of your day, I encourage you to look at ways you can get some self-care in today!
Who knew time management may prove to make for a happier mom?
More from Homemaker and Happy
Starting your journey as a stay-at-home mom is one of the best things you will ever do. Don’t let social media or stories on the internet steal your joy, or give you a false sense of reality. This is hard work, but it’s worthy work!
If you are just starting your journey as a homemaker, you can check out all of the other homemaking content I produce on this blog! My Homemaking Tab is chock full of information about homemaking hacks, routines, and other activities.
One of my favorite posts looks at what a homemaker is. What does God say about this vocation? What are the duties of a homemaker? Am I financially ready to be a homemaker?
I address all of these questions in What is a Homemaker? Here’s God’s Job Description.
If you already are a homemaker and you’re looking for ways to encourage family time, check out my Family Tab! I have more than 150 activities you can do with your family for every season!
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