One of the most amazing things to me about being a mother is the mysticism and awe surrounding how we get through the day-to-day. Whether we’re a working mom (“How do you do it all!?”) or a stay-at-home mom (“What do you DO all day?!), someone is always looking for us to justify how we are spending our time.

Luckily for me, I have the honor of knowing a virtual garden-variety of mommies- most of whom have kiddos about the same age as mine. This particular group of ladies is amazingly respectful, supportive, apathetic, and eager to share. They were all too happy, then, when I asked for them to share how they spend their days with their 4-6 month old babies. My little jaunt into the enthnography of “Mothers of 4-6 month olds” opened my eyes to the fact that every baby and every family is different. And what’s more- the way that every mother spends time with THEIR child, is right. Also, that Mom-stamina (Can we call it “momina?”) is AMAZING.

I dare you to read these real-life daily schedules and not feel exhausted afterward!

“5:30am-7:15am Wake up, feed baby, pump, dress/change baby, get myself ready, hand baby off to daddy to take to daycare, quick breakfast, feed dogs/take out to potty, load bags & dogs in the car (dogs come to work with me)
7:15am-5:30pm Commute to work, work, pump 4x somewhere in there, commute home, unload bags & dogs
5:30pm-6pm Pick up baby from daycare & bring home
6pm-8:30pm Nurse baby, make dinner, eat once hubby gets home around 6:30, playtime with the little guy, bathe baby, nurse him again, put baby to bed
8:30pm-10:30pm Shower, work on my blog/planning a friend’s bachelorette party/working on projects for a group that I am a chair of
10:30pm- Lose my mind, collapse into bed, wonder how I can go on like this, and pray that baby doesn’t wake too many times to feed overnight
Repeat.”
-Amber K.

“5:30-Wake up, nurse baby to sleep and relax
6:30-Get ready super quiet, get 3 yr old breakfast, iron, have 3 yr old feed dog
7:30 leave for the office
8-5 eat breakfast at work, have way too many meetings, pump 2-3 times, try to sneak in 30 min workout.
5:30-6:30 dinner with family. If class night in class 6-10pm. If not, play with kids.
8 put baby to bed
9 read/homework/remote office work/pay bills/watch documentary with hubby
12Am go to sleep
3 sleep nurse
4 get 3yr old waking up
Repeat.

…honestly I am super thankful to have a stay at home hubby. He cleans the house, cares for the kids all day, takes care of our chickens, trains our puppy, washes the cloth diapers. I wouldnt be able to balance myself without him. Id have to take on much less. Right now I have time to volunteer and be involved in the community. I couldnt do that without him.”
-Lacey B.

“1am breast feed
3-5 am breast feed
7am up daddy gets baby ready so I can wash my face
715 breastfeed and grab a snack
8-10 husband leaves for work and baby and I play for a little bit then naps in my lap (every time I move or leave her side she wakes)
1130-130 (depending on day) get lunch ready laundry dishes
12-2 husband comes home for lunch we will eat and watch baby so I can get dressed and shower.
1-3 husband leaves and I try to get baby to play or we talk a walk or read
3-5 nap and straighten up
5-7 husband comes home and showers. Baby and I cook. Then eat. Spend time with baby and husband read get ready for bed and go to sleep.

During all this add lots of diapers soothing a colic loving baby girl breastfeeding eating when I can.”
-Gabriella M.

“7 am: Half way wake up and kiss my honey as he leaves for work.
8 am: Wake up, feed baby then he falls back asleep not too long after that.
8:30 am until noon: Start laundry, watch tv, maybe eat something…basically just relax.
Noon: Feed baby, a couple hours of playtime/cleaning. Then baby falls asleep.
1pm: I eat lunch and clean some more.
2 pm until 4 pm: Feed baby, clean and playtime.
4 pm: Start dinner.
5 pm: Daddy gets home/feed baby.

The rest of the day is either running around town or hanging out and watching movies, playing with baby, etc.

On the days when there isn’t much to clean I’m extremely bored…lol. Basically I clean and take care of the baby all day.
I wish I could work but I would be working just to pay the daycare costs. It’s so expensive. Going to start watching two children during the day for some extra money and to keep me busy! I admire you workin’ mommas!”
-Chelsey S.

“5:30 – alarm goes off, snooze.
5:45 – pull Benny over to me and feed him
6:00 – 6:15 get in the shower (Benny sits in the bathroom while I shower, helps with congestion and lets his Dad sleep a bit longer.
6:30 – get bottles ready for the day and wash my breast pump. Pack breakfast and lunch. Make coffee.
7:00 – feed Benny again. Change his diaper and get him dressed.
7:15-7:30 – Mike takes benny to daycare. Get ready and dressed for the day (provided I can find something that actually fits, ha!)
8:25 – walk to work (across the street practically)
8:30 – arrive, get my pump room set up for the day. Make my oatmeal.
9:30-10 pump
12 – eat lunch at my desk since I use a lot of time during the day pumping
1:30-2 – pump again
4:45 – leave to get Benny for daycare (Mike and I go together. BEST part of my day!!!)
5:15 feed Benny
6 – watch trashy tv
6:15 – Mike makes dinner (what a doll)
Fall asleep by 8 usually
10 – feed Benny
1:30-3 feed again

Rinse, wash, repeat!!!”
-Kristin J.

“7:30-9 am wake up, take the dogs out to potty, feed Cannon, make breakfast while Cannon plays, and put Cannon down for a nap.
9-10:30 am go back to sleep till Cannon wakes up about 10:30 and then feed him!
10:30-12 pm clean up the house, laundry, make lunch for Dylan and I, watch tv/ play with Cannon and put Cannon down for another nap.
12-4:30 pm Dylan comes home for lunch and we eat, I take the dogs out again, feed Cannon at 1:30, run any errands that are needed, play with Cannon till about 3:30 when he goes down for another nap. Dylan gets home around 4:30 and I feed Cannon again!
5-8 pm make dinner while Dylan has Cannon, hang out with Dylan and then eat and play with Cannon for a bit! Give Cannon a bath at 7! Feed him at 7:30 then read him a book and rock him to sleep!
8-11 pm while cannons asleep me and Dylan watch our shows we have together then I’ll go work out or go for a run. Paint furniture (hobby of mine is to distress furniture). Take the dogs out one last time. Take a shower and get ready for bed!”
-Mackenzie G.

“5.30- hubby goes to work and wakeup begins. Feed baby, the other 2 usually end up in bed with me, watch kids tv while trying to get a few more minutes sleep.
6.45-up, kids breakfast, feed baby again, kids dressed, shower, eat, baby sleeps again
8.30-school run to drop off miss7, back home to clean, do horrific amounts of washing, baby feed and sleep again, miss3 fed and entertained, sometimes coffee with friends, sometimes walk, sometimes visit family
1 ish- lunch, groceries, miss3 sleep sometimes, baby fed and play, any appointments etc
3pm- school run, after school activities, feed 3 kids, homework
5pm begin making tea, takes a while sometimes with 3 kids! Husband usually gets home
6pm baby sleep again! Family tea, baths, books, bed
7.30 wake baby, play, feed, watch tv
9pm tidy up kitchen and any other mess from my mini cyclones
10.30 bed

And I’m secretary of parents club and in another volunteer committee so add that in somewhere”
-Melanie V.

“5.30am hubby leaves for work. Owen awake and I bring him into bed to feed.
7 or 8 I get up and shower and dress – O is either still asleep or I put him back in his cradle with some toys, then I feed him again.
8-9 I have brekky and do washing/ cleaning etc while O usually chats to his grandma who has dementia (we live with my inlaws).
9.30 O has a 45 min sleep often in the car on our way to whatever we’re doing, another feed when he wakes up.
What we do next depends. Monday is groceries. Some days we go to a mum’s group, usually I go to a friend’s house or my mother’s place.
12pm another 45min sleep followed by a feed.
Once we’re back home again I’ll either pop him in his pram and walk the dogs for an hour or we’ll do this around 3.30pm after his next sleep/feed cycle
Hubby gets home 3pm. Play/ grizzle until bath at 5pm
Feed, read a book and snuggle until bedtime at 6pm
…we cook/ eat/ watch tv after O’s asleep and go to bed around 9/10pm
Usually wakes up for one feed around 2/3am.
I’m NOT looking forward to going back to full time work in November I love our chilled out days at the moment.”
-Andrea D.

….Are you tired yet????