One of the challenge being a stay-at-home-mom is keeping my kids engaged and active instead while staying on a budget instead of having them glueing in front of the TV screen. Whether I am teaching or not teaching, I still try to have a schedule or a plan of daily routines in the summer with my kids if we are not on vacation. Setting my expectations and boundaries requires reminding my kids of my expectations on a daily basis.

Timing

While timing of some activities are flexible, some are scheduled on a timely matter. It’s summer so I try to take my kids outdoor in the morning and late evening when the weather is not so hot. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner is pretty much on time. My mental break time in my garden is also important.

Summer 2024 Schedule

5-9 AM Workout in the gym and/or play in my garden

• My day with my kids starts around 9AM.
• 9-9:30AM Breakfast
• 12-1PM Kitchen help & Lunch
• 5-6pm Kitchen help & Dinner
• 8pm Down time (get ready for bed)

Art time:

Reading time is at least 30 minutes a day and can be flexible at any time and anywhere.

Handwriting practice usually takes 15 minutes until the kids are goofing off and will redo their work until they take their time wisely. I implemented handwriting practice into daily routines since they my kids turned four-years-old.

30 minutes: Math Practice

30 minutes: Prodigy Time

30 minutes – Writing / Mini grammar lesson

30 minutes – Viet Ngu lesson

Crochet Time, Sewing Time, Craft Time, Painting Time, Constructing and Building Time:

My daughter likes doing paper crafts and yarn crafts while my son likes building structures and railroad.

Building Time with Keva Blocks/stem activities

90 minutes: Clean up & Free Play

5:30 Kitchen Help & Dinner

90 minutes: Catch up & Outdoor Play

8 PM: Downtime and chat with mommy

9 PM: Bedtime

Establishing Expectations and Setting Limits

These are daily reminders to set off the day of my established expectations for my kids. It does help since my kids know there’s consequences for unwanted behavior and they know they don’t get the relax and free play time if they don’t get certain tasks done.

1. “Make sure the playroom, TV room, bedroom, and your bathroom are clean before asking for TV time. Mommy has my own mess to clean up; so you make sure you clean up your mess too.”

2. Kitchen Help – “Be helpful; no one should be slacking off or relaxing while mommy is prepping and cooking for the family. It’s just not fair. You can help wash herb and veggies, marinate meat, crack eggs, peel and cut vegetables, sweep the floor, set the table, rinse YOUR dirty dishes, etc.”

3. “Mommy has zero tolerance for disrespect, lying, and stealing.”

4. “Mommy does not deal with attitude issues.”

5. “No screen time an hour before bedtime.”

6. “TV time is always a privilege earned.”

7. “Mommy off-duty time: When daddy is on duty, report any complaints with Daddy because mommy is invisible in my garden.”

Shared Family Responsibilities:

These are some basic life skills my kids have learned or still practicing. I post signs in designated areas to remind them.

1. Laundry Day: The kids take their laundry out and sort THEIR dirty clothes by white, medium, and dark colors.
2. Cooking Rice: My daughter is in charge of cooking rice on weekdays since she started fourth grade.
3. Dish Washing: Kids are learning to rinse and wash THEIR dirty bowls, plates, cups, and utensils by hand so they don’t freak out without a dish washing machine and panic thinking it’s the end of this world like some people. If they complain, then I will let them experience how I feel when I have to wash everyone’s dirty dishes in the family.
4. Trash Day: Kids collect the trash bag on the bedrooms and restrooms and bring it out for us to empty into the trash bin.