What's it like working at a drugstore? I'll show you the real daily life of a mom with three boys!

Have you ever felt that way?

I am a part-time working mom raising three boys aged 9, 5, and 2.

After my second child was able to get into daycare, I started working at a local drugstore.

I was anxious at first, but now I've found the perfect balance between work and home and am working at my own pace.

This time, I'll introduce you to my

✔️ very real daily schedule
✔️ and the job duties at a drugstore

✨

“I want to work someday when my kids are a little older.”
“I want to prioritize housework and childcare while working part-time without overdoing it.”
“I'm also interested in the Registered Sales Clerk qualification.”

I hope this serves as a reference for other parenting moms! 😊

🕓 A real day in the life of a mom with three boys

(Working part-time 4 days a week, just within the dependent tax exemption limit)

Below is my daily schedule (my wake-up time doesn't change even on my days off from work)

• 4:30 Wake up. Check and reply to SNS

• 5:00 Turn on the washing machine, start making breakfast and dinner (a 1-hour challenge!). I also make my husband's bento. For breakfast, we eat leftovers or bread.
  

  
  
  

• 5:30~ The kids start waking up. I hand over to my husband and continue with the housework

• 6:00 Breakfast, my own meal, hanging out the laundry (I'm an outdoor drying person)

• 6:30~ Kids' breakfast

• 7:00~ Cleaning up after the meal, getting the kids and myself ready

• After 7:30 Eldest son leaves for elementary school.

• After 8:00
  Drop off at daycare & kindergarten respectively (they are adjacent, which is a huge help!)

• 8:45 AM - 1:30 PM Work (short-time part-time shift), then grocery shopping on the way home.

• 2:00 PM Late lunch, household chores like bringing in the laundry.

• 2:30 PM Eldest son returns home.

• Until just after 3:00 PM Time for social media and writing articles.

• 3:30 PM Pick up kids from nursery school and kindergarten.

• 4:00 PM Arrive home.

• 4:30 PM - Dinner for the second and third sons (since I have a late lunch, I often just have a protein shake for dinner lol).

• 6:00 PM Eldest son returns home, dinner time for him.

• 6:30 PM - Bath time (with the kids).

• 7:00 PM Husband returns home (he's been coming home a bit earlier lately, which I'm happy about).

• 7:30 PM - Tidying up the living room and kitchen, getting ready for bed.

• 8:00 PM Husband puts the kids to bed. The kids love their dad, so I don't need to be there (though my third son, who had a good nap, is sometimes still full of energy 💦).

• 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM Doing yoga or stretching, and writing notes.

Sorry for showing so much of my private life lol

🛒 What is working at a drugstore actually like?

The job duties are mainly like this👇

• Register and customer service

• Stocking shelves and replenishing products

• Ordering and creating sales floor displays

• Creating POP signs

• If you have a registered seller qualification, you can also provide consultations and explanations about medicine.

At first, it's all about learning the register operations.
It's easy once you learn it!
Once you get used to it, you might be put in charge of a sales floor or get involved in ordering.

✅ Points to know before you start working

• You're more likely to be hired if you can work either Saturday or Sunday! (Jobs that are weekdays only are quite rare. I have a friend who was lucky enough to find one.)
  I work on Saturdays.
  
  

• Choosing a kindergarten is super important! Depending on the kindergarten, whether or not they offer childcare during long breaks varies greatly. I didn't do enough research and ended up transferring from a school that was hard to work around to one that was easier.💦
  

• I recommend gathering word-of-mouth information from support centers and local mom friends!
  If you get to know senior moms, you might even get hand-me-down uniforms.🥺

Note: If you are in daycare, be careful because if you quit your job due to a second pregnancy, your older child may also be disenrolled.⚠️
If you are thinking about having a second child, it's a good idea to keep certified centers for early childhood education and care in mind.
(You can attend regardless of whether it's Type 1 or Type 2)

🍚 Why do I make dinner in the morning?

People often say, "Wait, you make dinner in the morning!?" lol
But it saves so much time and is a huge mental relief!

The thing is,my kids' health can suddenly change in the evening, leading to a trip to the hospital...
that happens all the timeso 😭

Also, when I'm tired from work,
I don't have to say, "I'll just buy some deli food for dinner tonight."
It helps me save money too, lol

The peace of mind of having dinner already in the fridge is just incredible.
Once I started this lifestyle, I couldn't go back lol

Being able to just microwave it is a total lifesaver!

Summary

I've revealed my actual schedule lol

I'm working short hours right now, and honestly, I feel like I could work a bit more 😂
But,with events at elementary school, kindergarten, and daycare,
I actually feel like this might be the best balance.(I bow down and worship full-time working moms)

Because parenting is seriously tough!! lol
There's no one else who can replace a mother!

My motto is 50% work, 50% parenting.


I want to save my energy for parenting, which is why I have this schedule.

Also, I get stressed when housework piles up, so I like to keep up with chores too. If the house is messy, I tend to get irritable 😅

But generally,once they reach the age of three or four, their bodies get much stronger.
I've learned that from watching my older kids,
so I plan to increase my working hours in a few years.

・For those who want to change how they work,
・For those who want to return to the workforce while prioritizing their family,
・For those curious about working at a drugstore,

I hope this is helpful for many moms out there!

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment 😊
Thank you so much for reading until the end 🙏

Click here for related articles ⬇️

🍎Please listen to one last thing.
I recently learned on social media that the actress Keiko Kitagawa also wakes up at 5 a.m. to cook dinner.

Wait, I've been on this schedule for years.
Could it be that I'm more Keiko Kitagawa than Keiko Kitagawa herself!?

That's the silly thing I thought to myself~😂

Yes, my apologies.