Let's talk about schedules and routines. Do you have one? Do you stick to it? Does your *child* like it?
I am not a person who is tidy and organised by nature. I have mild ADD and I used to have to do a million things at once, so my work space was often cluttered as a result. I remember when I was working for a small law firm about 12 years ago, and I had my daily routine down pat. I had most of my work done by mid-morning and my filing was under control. It left me plenty of time to handle the "big jobs" my bosses threw at me, often at the last minute. I have Flylady to thank for that. While I never took it as far as she does, I learned so much from her about routines.
When we first moved back to this town a little over four years ago, again, I had a routine, and we did well with it. The housework never got completely out of control, B was 10 months old and we had a busy week with story time at the library, swimming, playgroup, and later, when he started walking, kindergym. It seemed so easy at that point!
Fast forward four years. We have moved into a much smaller house, we now have another child, and our own business, and a fraction of the income we used to have. To say it's challenging to organise life is an understatement. It's also against my nature. I KNOW I do well when I have a routine, but it's hard to get into one for me. I'm SO not a morning person. I mumble along in the morning, throwing food to the lion...er children, and holding my cuppa like it's a life line. On really bad days I start the diet coke right away. :P Somewhere around, oh, 11:00 I might perk up a bit and throw a load of laundry in and make sure the boys aren't leaving permanent marks on each other or any walls. Then I do *something* that needs to be done. Then I'm good. lol
However, in the back of my mind like the nagging wife I am not, is the weekly cleaning routine from the control journal I created years ago. I still go with it, when I am motivated to. Mondays are our bedroom and office. Tuesdays are the bathrooms/toilet. Wednesday is the boys' room and laundry room. Thursday is Bin night, so I clean the kitchen. Friday is...um. Well, something I haven't yet done. lol
This doesn't work if you have a family and a business and lots (and LOTS) of STUFF.
This also doesn't work if you have a child like B that thrives on structure, even though he tends to resist it at times. Everything I have read has stressed routine. Not necessarily minute by minute, but things that happen in a certain order, every day. Meals and snacks at the same time, wake up at the same time, bed at the same time, etc. However B HAS to know what time things happen. Or he asks us eleventy billion times (<-- technical number, that!) and it drive me mental. So I have worked up a routine. I'm not sure who it's going to be hardest on, because I have to drag my bum out of bed BEFORE 7am if I want to get a shower in. *grumble mutter* I thought the whole point of working and schooling AT HOME was to not have to conform to anyone's schedule. PFFT! The things we do for our kids, hey?
Anyway - here is our new routine/schedule, starting tomorrow.
I colour coded different parts of the day - like times we eat (teal), time to play (purple) etc., so B will be able to find them easily. He can read the list, but he's still unsure of himself with reading, and I'm hoping this will help him find things on the list. This one will live on our fridge, but I've also written out some (sloppy) little cards for the mister's and my desks, so he knows where we are in the day, and what needs to be done if I am otherwise occupied. I have made my own schedule as well, for things I will be doing when the boys are having their playtime and nap/quiet time. It's going to be REALLY hard for me to do this, so I could use some moral support/productive vibes send my way! I'm hoping to tackle some of my decluttering/organising projects during this magical "free time" I've scheduled in. That's a topic for a future post though! :)
Routines absolutely ROCK! Except they're way easier to stick to when your kids are little. (And how well does Flylady stick, hey - when I am on holidays from work (and on the odd weekend if I've nothing pressing on), my morning routine magically appears all by itself (eat breakfast, clean the kitchen, chuck a load on, make the beds, sweep the floor, meat out for dinner). I don't think I ever got any of the other routines to stick like the morning one did (although I still always do dishes before bed - but that's way more motivated by ants!)
I'm lucky that I am a morning person - but I am still Little Miss Cranky-Pants until I have my first cup of coffee. Sometimes until my SECOND one.
I am striving to get back to my old morning routine, but it's hard when I just don't get enough sleep, and the computer is so tempting as I walk past it in the morning. lol On auto-pilot I tend to boil the kettle and put the dishes away while that's happening, make my cuppa and throw a load in before heading back to the computer to "check email" for a while.
By working in an hour in the morning for "breakfast" it allows the boys some outside time, and me time to get an internet fix, approve comments, respond to any emails that need attention, and just get a handle on what the day is bringing weather wise and such. It worked well today!