Aspects of the Schedule- My Next Four Items

I had to laugh as I began typing this post.  Do you remember me mentioning in this post that Brian told a nurse at the doctor's office that "Push the Coffee Pot Button" was on my daily list?  Well, folks, here it is!  (He is so stinkin' observant!)

The next four items on my daily schedule are:

• Push coffee button
• Toss 1 load in washer
• Put Brian's lunch in box
• Get dressed

Three of the four items are prepared the night before.  Now before you begin to think that my life revolves around nothing but crossing off items on my lists and constantly preparing and completely missing out on life itself, it is not.  For me, putting in a little preparation the day before actually saves me time the following day.  I'll go through each item listed above and explain how I prep for those the day before and how little time it takes away from my family and from living life itself.

Push Coffee Button- (I'm not laughing so hard now, but, seriously, first thing in the morning sometimes we need reminders of even the simplest tasks)- After Brian and I each take our coffee in the morning, the coffee pot is turned off and allowed to cool down.  As I complete my Quick Clean (another aspect of the schedule), I end up in the kitchen doing a final cleanup of the breakfast dishes and so on.  It is at this point that I wash out the coffee pot, throw away the filter, clean the filter holder, and set the coffee pot for the following day.  Sometimes in the evening, Brian wants another cup of coffee.  No problem.  I just push the button, he can have his coffee (we have been making small pots of coffee lately), and then before bed Brian kindly refills the coffee pot and gets it ready for the morning.  Life is so much easier when all you need to concern yourself with is pushing a little button.

Toss 1 Load in the Washer- I am not a Laundry Day type of girl.  One load a day is perfect for us and our laundry requirements (besides, I can only fit so much on my clothes line). However, our laundry cycle has a schedule of its own.

• Monday- Colors
• Tuesday- Whites
• Wednesday- Bed linens
• Thursdays- Colors
• Fridays- Towels

For us, whites never accumulate quickly, so once a week for them is sufficient.  However, colors are forever needing to be washed.  This schedule has really worked well for us and is very comfortable for me.  I'm sure that with the addition of Ian and his little laundry requirements, I may have to make some adjustments or even add another day into the schedule, but we shall see.

Put Brian's Lunch in Box-  Again, this is something that is prepped the night before.  I usually try to get his lunch prepared right after the kitchen cleanup after dinner since I am already in the kitchen.... and full from dinner so I am less likely to snack on things as I make his lunch.  The non-perishable type foods are laid out next to his box and things that need to stay cold are refrigerated next to each other in a little grouping.  There have been times where he has had to leave the house at 5:00 a.m. and having his things all laid out and grouped in the fridge lets me pack his lunch while half asleep.  Again, an extra five minutes in the evening saves me time and energy in the morning.

Get Dressed- In the evening before I go to bed, I pull out an outfit (maybe a five minute process) to be worn the following day (at this point this is an easy process since I only fit into a handful of things now). I try to also pull out the accessories that I will need to complete the outfit.  In the morning, all I have to do is quickly dress, put on my makeup and comb my hair. During my shower time (another Aspect of the Schedule) I blow dry my hair and use the straightener.  I have found over the last three weeks that this makes my morning hair routine much faster and easier.  Before Brian leaves the house, he can look at a wife that looks sufficiently decent and is ready to "go to work" herself. 

At some point during these four items, this cute little person usually walks into the kitchen holding her ever faithful stuffed dog Taffy, hair messy from a good night's sleep, eyes squinting as she adjusts to the light in the kitchen, and ready for hugs and kisses.  After squeezing her and asking how her night was, she usually asks me where Daddy is.  Then she's off looking for her "best friend" as she has been known to call him.

Something that is a part of this time that is not actually written down on the schedule is Brian's breakfast.  He is not a big breakfast type of person, but I insist that he eat something in the morning.  Depending on the type of morning he is having, I will get him a bowl of cereal, make him a bagel, or give him a muffin or slice of a breakfast type bread (homemade banana or pumpkin).  If he is up early enough and able to sit and relax before heading out the door, then he'll have a bowl of cereal.  All of the other options are for days when he is eating on the run. 

This part of the schedule takes about 45 minutes or less and allows us time to walk Brian out to his work truck, stand there and wave and blow kisses, and gives a little person a chance to wander her way back up to the front door with no pressure on time. 

I've mentioned before, I have become less focused on the clock and what time it is and more focused on segments of time (15 minutes for this or 45 minutes for that). Some days we seem to move faster, some days we feel like we are dragging.  Either way, having time segments works better for me right now.  However, the rest of the world does revolve around time, so on days when we have appointments or we want to participate in Storytime at the library, time becomes more important to me (just so we are able to participate in some fun, outside-of-the-house things). 

Right now is Addie's nap time, and it's during this segment of time that I have to move on to other things now that my blog post is complete.  Have a great day!