Our Schedule

If you remember, back in this post during the beginning of our school year, I gave you a schedule of our day.  As time has gone on, some things have worked and stayed and other things have had to be removed.  One of the benefits we have in running our homes is being able to change and adjust our schedules based on seasons, phases, and life changes.  Through each season we find ourselves, our schedules will change and adjust, and we learn what works best for us and our family.  How freeing is that!

I did wake up at 5:30 a.m. for a month or two.  I think it was in October that I had to stop waking up so early.  Why?  Because by the time we put Addie down for the night, and now it was our time (Brian and me) together, I would fall asleep on the couch completely exhausted.  Brian told me that waking up at 5:30 was great, but he missed having time with me.  Adjust the schedule time!

I now get up at 6:30.  Instead of such a rigid schedule, we have a natural flow to our day... and I think I like that better right now.  When Brian leaves for work, Addie and I sit down for breakfast.  We talk and laugh and get silly.... and I am not watching the clock to make sure we aren't spending too much time on one activity.  After breakfast, Addie watches Sesame Street (thank you, Netfilx!) and I do my quick clean (walk through the house, making sure everything is where it needs to be, beds are made, all clothes are in the hamper or washing machine), hang the newly washed clothes on the line (Addie sometimes joins me outside sometimes she chooses to stay inside with Elmo), and get Addie dressed and ready for the day. 

Then we "have school" as Addie would say.  Some days it is 30 minutes.  Some days it is 45 minutes.  It all depends on Addie and how excited she is about what we are doing.  Right now, school is completely optional (she is only 3) and I want her to view school as a fun and exciting time with Mommy.  When she starts losing interest, we close the books and move on. 

Usually, at this point, Addie goes to play and I clean a room.  One room a day is my motto.  Main rooms are done early on in the week (to help them recooperate from the weekend), and bedrooms are done later in the week.  I also do the window to each particular room when I clean it.  I used to vacuum each room also, but my last time doing that Squishy let me know that it wasn't appreciated, and I spent the next day on the couch feeling very nauseous.  Brian now does the vacuuming on the weekends.

After my room is done, Addie and I play.  We may play a game on the computer or Wii, a round of Go Fish (little stinker tends to win), memory, or dolls.  We may color, do a puzzle, or she'll ask to do more school (I have a Winnie the Pooh workbook that we do for times like this). 

At lunch time, we sit together again and eat.  And talk. And laugh.  Depending on how quickly she eats and if she finishes before her usual nap time, I may let her play for a bit.  I turn on the timer we use and tell her that when it goes off, she needs to take her nap.  And usually, when the timer goes off, she jumps up from what she doing, says, "Mommy, I need to take a nap!", and runs to her room.

This is when I turn on the computer again (it comes on first thing in the morning, and then after my devotions, I check to make sure the blog post for the day came up.  After Brian checks what he needs to, the computer goes off.), check emails, the blogs I follow, and write the blog post for the following day.  I also get a head start on dinner so that when Brian walks in the door, it is ready. Occassionally, I sit and do nothing for a few minutes.... occassionally.

When Addie wakes up, we go back outside to get the dried laundry.  She plays on the slide that an acquaintence so generously gave us or runs around (the pictures from yesterday's post came from one of these times). 

At this point in the day, we really just have to go with the flow.  Brian's arrival time is not always the same.  Spring softball is now up and running so depending on the day, we may end up eating a light dinner (or yes, even a frozen dinner- if Brian is not going to eat, I don't cook a real meal. He is the reason I cook.) and then we are out the door to watch Daddy "hit the ball" and play on the playground equipment.  Or on other days, we eat dinner, I prep Brian's lunch, and then he plays with Addie so I can take an uninteruppted shower... or at least one without an audience.

Once Addie goes to bed, Brian and I have our time.  We may watch a show, read together, listen to an audio book, or just talk.  Then it is time to start our routine all over again.

I think the most important thing for me is being flexible with my schedule.  Some days are busier than others.  Some days are slower than others. Some days we are sick, and some days we have more energy than we know what to do with.  In about five months, our schedule is going to be redefined again as we, as a family, make adjustments for Squishy. 

Make sure that you are going with the flow of your day, and be willing to make adjustments when needed.   Have a great go-with-the-flow weekend!