Being a mother can be beautiful, stressful, and overwhelming all at the same time. Regardless of the path you take. It’s a roller coaster ride for all of us and we’re all wondering if or when the safety bar will raise during the ride.
Hello there, my name is Kayla, and I am the owner and operator of a parenting blog called mommoments.info. I am guest blogging on Wandering Parenthood to give you a glimpse into my world! The owner and operator of this blog has graciously allowed me to take over her site for one precious day to fill you in on what a week looks like in my shoes.
To give you all some background:
I am a mother of 7 children total. 5 biological and 2 bonus. Two are in heaven, one lives in Kentucky with her mother, and the other four live here in the home with us. Ages ranging from 12 to 2.
I have been married to the man of my dreams for 8 wonderful years.
I have a full-time job in the financial industry, I attend college full time online at the University of Phoenix (currently working on my Bachelors), I run and operate multiple businesses:
- Mommoments.info
- Mom Moments with Kayla — YouTube Channel
- Self-Employed While Parenting — Podcast on Substack
- Parenting blog on Medium.com
- Self-Employment blog on Substack
I also aid to the Amazon Affiliate Program where I promote products for Amazon, create low content books on Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing…. all while still grocery shopping, cleaning the house, helping with homework and making time with my husband. I do what I can to increase my productivity while still being a mom.
I am also a published author; however, I am not working on a new book at this time. I am hoping to begin a new book mid-March of this year.
I’m sure you’re asking yourself.
How in the world are you able to do all that and not go crazy!?
I’m glad you asked. That is precisely what this blog was made for. Let’s dive into a typical week in my shoes to see how I get all of these tasks accomplished. Shall we?
Mondays — Thursdays:
I arise at 6:00 am to begin my day. This allows me one full hour without interruptions to do my yoga create the to-do list in my bullet journal and check on any new comments, emails, or college class updates.
At 7:00 am it’s time to wake the little humans. Well, three of them. The youngest, Leo, can sleep as long as he wants. In fact, I would prefer it. The three oldest, however, must get ready for school. So, it’s baths, brushing teeth, getting dressed, and frantically searching for the shoes they took off the day before.
At 8:00 am the oldest starts his online classes and at 8:30 am the younger two head out to the bus. 8:30 is also the time I begin my regular 9–5 employment. This runs until 5 pm.
(During breaks and lunches, I am able to get some things cleaned up around the house and do a load of laundry.)
Side note: This beginning of my day is the same Monday through Friday.
From 5–6 pm, I come upstairs to the living room. My husband is normally watching television or playing his video games while our children are all doing their own things in their rooms. This is the time I use for college. I will check class announcements, read and respond to class discussions and begin assessments when they are available.
6 pm is time for dinner to be made! One of my favorite times of the night. One of the little ones joins me in creating our meal. The child gets to choose the vegetable for the evening, and we go over healthy ways to prepare food. I feel like they’re more interested in putting something on a hot pan and seeing the steam than they are learning about eating right. It’s a work in progress.
Dinner is normally made and eaten by 7 to 7:30
Next, it’s movie time. Each night we watch a movie after dinner. We get our movie snacks together and enjoy some entertainment. Last night’s movie was an oldie but a goodie. Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark. The kids have the choice of joining us for the movie or playing on their electronics for an hour.
8:30 is wind-down time for our little ones. Wind-down time is something my mother did with my brothers and I to get us ready for bed. We would be able to read a book or watch a tv show for 30 minutes while laying down. This was to get us out of the speedy mode and start relaxing. It worked for her… so now we also use this tactic.
During that thirty-minute timeframe, I sit and have a conversation with my husband about the day’s events, what is coming up for the week and any changes that have transpired. 30 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but it makes a big difference for us.
9:00 pm is lights out for all littles. It is also the time I use for my second hour of study time. Prepping my assignments for their due dates and reading through our textbook.
10:00 pm is my cleaning time. All of the young ones are in bed, and I can get everything back in its proper place. Sweeping and mopping can be done without little ones running around and I can make sure that cleaners have dried before they touch the surfaces in the morning. I wrote a piece recently about the steps I take to overhaul and organize an entire room. However, most days I just need to continue the upkeep on already clean rooms.
11:00 pm — it’s time to lie down. This routine is simple for me. I have a string of pajamas I choose from each night depending on how cold or hot it is in the house. I lay down in our bed and choose a television show to watch if I’m not tired. If I am tired, I turn on an audible book with a 30-minute timer and close my eyes.
When I have time throughout the day, I try to read at least 25 pieces of work from writers on the Medium.com platform to show them my support.
Fridays:
Although Fridays begin the same as every other day… after work is a bit different.
Rather than working on school for an hour when my shift ends at 5:00 pm, the kids and I take time to do a project. We play with air clay and create marble paintings or they take the time to teach me their favorite games. I still have no idea how to play, by the way.
Dinners on Friday are a bit different as well. We do something called Free for All. This is where each individual gets to choose what they would like for dinner. They cannot choose snacks, ice cream, or candy. This is a favorite for the oldest because he gets to invent his own creations for dinner. Sometimes they’re really cool. Other times, they look or sound disgusting. He seems to like them all though.
After dinner is still movie night but there are two different movies planned. One for the kids in the living room and one for myself and my husband in our room. The kids get to watch a movie they have been eager to see, and Derrek and I get to watch something that may not be the best for younger viewers. Everybody wins.
On Friday and Saturday nights, we do not have bedtimes set for the kids. We allow them to go to bed when they wish as long as they are responsible about this. Well, all except for Leo. Truth be told, none of them ever make it passed 11:00 pm.
Derrek and I normally spend our Friday evenings in various different ways. Sometimes we have plans for card games with friends, or we will just sit at home and watch television. I suppose it depends on the day.
Saturdays & Sundays:
The weekends are the busiest time for me. Throughout the week my main focus is my full-time job and college, but the weekends are a whole different story.
Here is an actual photo of my to-do list for this past Saturday.
As you can see, I spend my weekends focusing on my businesses. I write all of my blog posts for my three platforms, record, and edit YouTube videos, record podcast episodes and create at least 3 new KDP books.
This takes me about 7 to 9 hours each day. Roughly until 4 or 5 pm.
After I have worked my hours and created my content — it’s time for fun.
The weekends are a fun time in the afternoon for us. We try to schedule outings once a month with the kids. Chuck-e-Cheese, shopping at the mall or Scene 75 seem to be the favorites among the children. On the weekends we are home we try to play games as a family, make fun dinners or do projects.
Of course, there are times when these events change from time to time. Holidays, family get together and additional plans arise that make us need to shift our regularly scheduled activities. But more often than not, this is the way our weekends unfold.
Wow, putting my entire week schedule out in black and white is an eye opener. No wonder people are always asking how I’m able to get the things I do… done.
Normally my answer is planning, willpower, determination, Monster Energy, and Iced coffee.
Not every day goes perfectly to plan. I’m a human, not a robot. However, I try my best to stick to the schedule to ensure everything I need to get done, gets done. It has been working for me for over a year now and I love it.
If you are looking to get on a plan like this, I have some advice for you.
- Don’t take on more than you can handle: Not everyone thrives with a full schedule. Make sure you start small and work your way up to more tasks.
- Keep a planner: Personally, I have 4 total. One for blogging, one for my physical job, one for family appointments and one for the kids. It’s the way I am able to stay on track with so many things. The planners I have would not hold all the plans in one place. There’s not enough space. These different planners and to-do lists remind me of important tasks, who they are for and when they need to be accomplished.
- Don’t get discouraged if you fall short: Most of us look for quick results. We’re used to our quick computers, Alexas, and cell phones. We have become accustomed to everything happening in an instant and this has made our patience run thin. When you first start something, there are going to be hurdles you must overcome. It is not always going to be easy. Take the setbacks as ways to improve and push forward.
- Use your time wisely: The common thing to do when someone is bored nowadays is to scroll Facebook or TikTok. My mother used to call this, “Filling Time”. Rather than filling time with random cat videos and status updates, take that time to get the dishes done, fold a load of laundry or practice some self-care.
Being a parent is hard enough without everything else piling up. If we can find a way to flow all the responsibilities together, we can come out as the super moms we all know we can be.
I hope you all enjoyed learning about my spastic and crazy, yet rewarding life.
Good luck to you in all you are doing and will do in the future!
If you enjoyed reading my piece, find me and the rest of my work on Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | YouTube | Blog | Amazon | Substack
Huge shout out to Wandering Parenthood, Nikki, for allowing me to take over her blog for the day!
🧡Shine Bright, Kayla
