On School days it is up between 6am & 7am (latest...we have to wake them if they are not up by then). Bathroom and brush teeth. Eat Breakfast (unless someone is moving too slowly then he - LOL, must dress first. I can't let the little one dress first as breakfast will often end up on her school clothing). It took us a while to find this routine but it works well such that I don't have to rush them (most of the time). We leave for school between 7:45 and 8 am. However quickly they get dressed and ready (except for jackets and shoes) determines how much play time they have before school.
Little one comes home for lunch, then quiet rest time (ha...I wish...usually her singing and asking when she can get up and me reminding her she has to be quiet before she can get up from quiet rest time). Most days she doesn't get to sleep as it takes her nearly an hour to wind down and we have to go back to pick up her brother before too long. Some days we will forego the home rest time to go to a park. She really does need it, but I also like to minimize the "car time," when I can.
Evenings we eat dinner together, I wish to be eating by 6 but it doesn't always happen as I loathe cooking and procrastinate too much (or wait for Dh, who loves to cook, to come home to do it). Then depending upon the time they may play or may have to go straight to the bedtime routine. If there is play we try to keep it something calm, but they're like nitro and glycerine together some times. I prefer to have them on an every-other-night bathing schedule so one gets a bath and the other gets a story, but somehow we've converged and right now they're on a same night schedule which means showers and no stories one night, then both stories (we usual split as they're at really different stages). This is not a good thing b/c it seems the showers will just work to wake them up before bedtime, so I need to get us switched back. There is no time for them both to take a nice bath in the same evening. When Ds was an only we would do bath and then story for him, but things are more chaotic now and I've found the best way to minimize the chaos is to try to do less.
So either after story or after bath then it is another bathroom trip and time to get tucked into bed. Sometimes I will tell a story (that I am making up) while helping Dd get dressed if she's having trouble staying calm on a non-story (which really means a story from a book, to them) night.
I also try to keep them from being in the bathroom (they share) at the same time, as they just work themselves up (either happily by being silly, or by fighting). So one will be sent to brush teeth while the other puts on their pajamas first, then switch.
Bedtime is 7:30 pm. Sometimes Ds may get to stay up a little later if Dh is reading to him, but we try not to make it obvious to Dd.
.
I would LOVE my kids to sleep that late! LOL! Mine are up at 7am (have to leave by 8am to take DD to kinde). If I miss DS's nap in the morning I usually wouldn't put him down for a nap after 2, as it might keep him awake. I hear ya about the break - if my son misses his nap, eek! Good luck! x
