New Routines

The school year is officially 1 month in and our new routine is in place.  Well, almost.  There is nothing to prepare a Mom for the day when her alarm clock doesn't go off because she failed to set it.  That's me today, but I digress.

Before the school year started, I was in a panic about how I was going to get it all done.  Now, I'm doing okay.  I'm still working out the kinks, but so far it's been going well.

Our day usually begins around 630 (for me it's 6).  Then it's Mommy/Ren time before he heads off to school.  Next up is A and she's so independent she usually appears out of her room completely dressed and almost ready to go.  Her choice of attire isn't always what I would want, but I'm all for expressing yourself so as long as the length of a skirt/shorts is good and it's not showing improper body parts, I'm okay with it.  Even CS is waking up and, get this, going to the potty!!  You know how excited I am about the potty thing!  She's almost mastered the pee portion.  The poo however, is still a work in progress.

Chuck is getting in on the new routine too.  He's begun getting up about an hour earlier than usual and hanging out with the kids or heading to the office early.  I've begun going to the local Y three times a week and am loving the time to myself.  I don't mind a little sweat and breathlessness just as long as I get some time to clean my head!

Speaking of routines, I want to show you something I saw Friday and am doing this morning.  Our friend Cortney over at Evan has Landed posted a calendar idea and I'm in love!  How awesome is that for organizing schedules?  I can't wait to get mine finished and put it up as well.  I'm color coordinating so the kids know who has what on what day.  For example, Ren is blue, CS is purple and A is red.  Family activities will be yellow and anything Mom or Dad related is in green.

Now, I also use a program called Cozi to track things as well.  However, the kids were always asking about practice or games, etc.  I will always use my online calendar because it's easy to keep up with everything (plus the bonus of linking to Outlook and the ability for Chuck to link it to his calendar at his office so he knows what to expect each day), but I'm a hard copy kind of person too.  I like to be able to glance at something and know I have plans.  This new calendar idea fits that bill.

I will try to remember to post a picture when it's finished, but be sure to go and check out the post from Cortney.  Her pictures are great!

Routines, routines...

Do you or your family have routines?  Ours does.  Many of them in fact.  Some were established out of necessity, while others just "happen" over time.  I thought a good way to start off the new year was to make a list of some of the routines we have around our house.  You can decide for yourself which ones are silly, necessary, etc.  Enjoy the list!

• We get up every day (weekends included) at 7AM. 


• The kids clothes are laid out each night.


• I put cereal bowls, plates or pans out for whatever type of breakfast we are having the night before.  Silverware included.


• CS watches Dora every day.  She adores that show and I get to make phone calls and appointments during that 20 minutes.


• Lunch is at noon every day.  The kids eat at the table while I clean up the kitchen.


• Nap/Rest/Quiet time begins at 1PM daily.  Without this, I might lose my mind ;-)


• Dinner is at 6ish.  We sit down at the table as a family and talk about our days events.


• Chuck takes a nap each night at 7 (this is a huge joke!  He goes to watch TV in another room and always dozes for a while!)


• Kids baths and bedtime happen around 8. 

Now, why am I really sharing this?  Well, the past couple of weeks, our schedule/routines have been really off.  Oh, this happens during the holidays each year, but for some reason this year has been especially tough.  I think the older the kids get, the more important our family routine becomes.  Deviating, even for a couple of days, makes them unhappy.  Sleep loss, naps lost, and eating food they normally don't eat is not an ideal situation for us. 

This brings me to last night.  CS climbed up on my lap after dinner and snuggled close.  She has been hit especially hard with our routine upset.  She has been crying a lot, whining a lot and just generally unhappy the last several days.  Anyway, last night while snuggling I ask her what was wrong.  In her little voice she looked at me and ask "When are tings getting back to nomal Mommee?"  That broke my heart and made me chuckle all at the same time.  I told her things would be back to normal by Wednesday (which is when everyone returns to school/work).  She seemed satisfied by this answer and keeps asking if it's Wednesday yet.  ha!

I'm wondering if your schedule got really messed up this holiday season?  Do you look forward to "returning to normal" too?