So, I am going to try again. The reason I want to do this is because there are some things going on that I don't like. First of all, Baby Girl is into everything. It is chaotic because she has very little structured time. Meals and naptime are her only structured time. The rest of the time is playtime which means destruction time to her. Another thing is that ds4 is watching way too much TV. It is so easy to turn on the TV and let him sit there all morning while I chase Baby Girl around and clean up after her.
When we homeschooled, I did not let the kids watch nearly as much TV as I let ds4 watch now. I read to my kids more, we went to the park more, and they did their share of the work around the house. Of course, I was stressed to the max which is why the big kids are in school now. I want to find a way to have the kids in school and have a new baby and a toddler and a preschooler and still do the things I think are important.
I think it is important to do certain things with children while they are little. Things like teaching them to work around the house, playing outside with them, going on walks with them, reading to them, making sure their meals are nutritious and balanced, teaching them scripture, singing with them, and doing fun stuff like picnics and park days, fingerpainting and coloring.
This is what our day looks like now:
~Get big kids ready for school
~Take them to school
~Come home and eat breakfast, then ds4 watches cartoons while Mommy does chores and Baby Girls gets into stuff
~Mommy on computer and kids watch cartoons/get into stuff and have unstructured play until lunchtime
~Eat lunch
~Go down for nap/rest at 12:30-2:30
~Pick up big kids from school
~Play, eat snack
~Help big kids with homework
~Big kids do After School Jobs, Baby Girl and ds4 run around unstructured and make messes and fight until Daddy gets home
What do I want our day to look like?
~Get big kids ready for school
~Take them to school
~Come home and eat breakfast with little ones
~Do morning chores together (Mommy does Survival Morning Routine)
~Take a walk (ds4 and Baby Girl in double jogging stroller and new baby in baby carrier)
~Watch 1 cartoon (I will probably nurse baby during this time)
~Play outside/go to park/do something fun together until lunchtime
~Eat lunch while Mommy reads aloud (they LOVE this!!)
~Naptime/rest from 12:30- 2:30
~Pick up big kids 2:30-3:30
~Snack, play till 4:00
~Big kids do After School Jobs and homework (Assign a big kid to Baby Girl and ds4 while I help with homework- the twins do not usually have homework so they can help with them while I help the older ones with their school stuff)
~One more cartoon
~Daddy gets home and helps : )
My babies nurse every hour the first few weeks and then every 2 hours until they are 1. It sounds like a lot, and it is, but that is how all of my nursing babies have been so I just expect it.
I know I will have to tweak the routine a bit when the baby arrives but I think it will still work for us.
Weekly Schedule
I used to have a job assigned to each day. Monday was Laundry Day, Tuesday was Kitchen Day (clean kitchen and cook stuff to freeze), Wednesday was Office Day (clean up desk, file papers, pay bills, etc.), Thursday was Town Day (run errands), Friday was Cleaning Day (deep cleaning), Saturday was Gardening Day (any outside jobs around the house), and Sunday was Rest Day. I didn't always stick to this schedule, but it was nice to have a focus for each day. I got the idea from Kim at Large Family Logistics.
(I have decided not to have a weekly schedule like this right now. It is one more thing to think about and I don't feel at peace about it. That may sound weird, but I am just not feeling like it is the way I am supposed to structure our week right now.)
Laundry Schedule:
Monday: kids' laundry, uniforms
Tuesday:Mom and Dad's laundry, uniforms
Wednesday: kids' laundry, uniforms
Thursday: Mom and Dad's laundry, uniforms
Friday: kids' laundry, uniforms
Saturday: towels, sheets, Mom and Dad's clothes
I have used this system for a few years. Occasionally (like last Fall until now) I try other systems, but this one always works best for our family. I always come back to it.
Part of my Morning Routine is to do laundry. If I consistently follow this schedule, I will only have 3 loads per day~ lights, darks, and uniforms. The loads are small and it is very manageable that way. I fold the laundry and then the kids put it away when they get home from school. That is, if Baby Girl doesn't get to it first and then I have to fold it all over again.
Of course, this is my plan. It is the ideal. I know kids, and especially babies, do not follow plans very well. There are interruptions and illnesses and all of that. So, this is what I am going to strive for and if it doesn't happen, then that is fine. At least I will have a goal to shoot for.
Another thing I want to change is the amount of time I am on the computer. I have email and blogging time built into my Morning Routine. I am going to take 30 minutes there and then check email again before bed. It is like being on the phone~ my kids get into stuff and bicker when my attention is on the computer.
I do so much better when I have a plan and a goal for the day. I used to feel very guilty and like a failure if I didn't get it all done like I planned. I have gotten over that in the past year. I now am able to be happy and content with what was accomplished. I am able to look forward to the next day without thinking I have to do all the things that didn't get done the day before.
I am more flexible than I used to be. That is what having 6, almost 7, kids will do for you. It will build patience and flexibility! I know that my routines and schedules are tools, not taskmasters. I am able to be flexible and go with the flow more, even while following a routine.
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