Daily routine

[DanielleNZ]

Do you have a daily routine? If so, what does it entail? How do you find the motivation?
We are currently on summer holidays here and our routine has become pretty relaxed over the last month. Ds1 starts school in a few weeks and I'm concerned that our level of stress is going rise hugely unless I implement a routine again.

[incorrigible]

I just move from one thing that needs doing to the next. It happens to form a routine. lol I have to be up in time to see ds off to school. Have to stay up to get dd up and moving, then because ds is back and forth from school (he only attends part time) and wanting to talk at me or have help with his homework. And there's meals and activities and when I finally run out of things that are immediately demanding my attention, I sleep!

Oh, you know what I blogged it in detail recently. If you're interested, I'd be happy to PM the link...but that blog is connected to my real life identity, so I don't want to just post a like here and publicly connect the two. =D

[Mummoth]

We do. Toward the end of summer, the only thing I really do is try and move bedtime earlier again, and make sure everyone gets dressed when they get up for the day. the rest of the details can fall into place once school starts again, but having those 2 habits reformed seems to lessen the chaos.

Anyway, our routine... When I get up, I usually check to see if there's any laundry to be done before I go upstairs. I get the big kids off to school, then change Stephanie's diaper (she wakes up dry but we've been up 1/2 hour by then) If the washer is finishing up while we're down there I move clothes to the dryer. Then I go tidy the kitchen while coffee brews, we have breakfast and then play for a bit. Sometimes Stephanie has a little nap. I make lunch for the big kids and they come home to eat, I do another little run through the kitchen and think about what to make for supper. After the big kids go, Stephanie is usually ready for a nap, so I put a show on or internet while I nurse her to sleep (hi!) Later, we'll diaper change and go get the big kids, who will do homework and have turns on the computer before supper. After supper one of them does the dishes and the other tidies their room (they alternate) I usually do some kind of cleaning task, like tidy the living room or sweep if I haven't already. DH takes care of Stephanie in the evenings and once the kids chores are done he often puts on a TV show for everyone. Once the big kids are in bed, I take a shower.

[DanielleNZ]

Originally Posted by incorrigible 

I just move from one thing that needs doing to the next. It happens to form a routine. lol I have to be up in time to see ds off to school. Have to stay up to get dd up and moving, then because ds is back and forth from school (he only attends part time) and wanting to talk at me or have help with his homework. And there's meals and activities and when I finally run out of things that are immediately demanding my attention, I sleep!

Thanks incorrigible I would be really interested in a link to your blog!
I think our biggest issue is lazing around in the morning after dh goes to work. We just sort of do as we please. But with school coming up that needs to stop.
Probably means an earlier bedtime for me I think!

Oh, you know what I blogged it in detail recently. If you're interested, I'd be happy to PM the link...but that blog is connected to my real life identity, so I don't want to just post a like here and publicly connect the two. =D

[thecherryfarm]

Hi Danielle,

I have been thinking a lot about routine and daily rhythm recently (actually I write a blog post on it as well ;) http://www.thecherryfarm.com/1093/winter-rhythm/).

We are in Ireland so our winter rhythm probably looks quite different to your summer rhythm (oh how I long for the summer!:-)).

I think the easiest thing is to start with a morning and evening routine. I try to put the kids to bed at the same time every night and they get up around the same time every day now too. So that one works quite well now. Now I'm trying to have a certain time for meals every day. I noticed for example that my children were way to tired to eat if we waited for their father to come home.

So instead of having dinner at 7pm we have an early dinner around 5:30pm which seems to work so much better.

I also try and get outside at least once a day (which can be difficult at this time of the year) for a walk or to the playground. After lunch we have our quiet time, when my son (1) naps and my daughter (3) draws or plays quietly or sometimes we all snuggle up together and I might even fall asleep for a little while.

I think we got more into a rhythm over time and the predictability really seems to benefit my children but I don't follow my plan rigidly.

Enjoy the summer!

~Love, Halina

[DanielleNZ]

Thank you thecherryfarm for your reply, it's wonderful to hear that others have also sort some sort of routine in order for a more productive family.
I have to agree a morning and evening routine seems the way to go. Our children have a basic evening routine but I would like to implement a few new things. We have in the past waited for my husband to get home from work before eating dinner, shortly his job is moving very close so he will be home nice and early which is helpful.
I get the winter blues terribly, this year I vow not to let them beat me.

[mommariffic]

We have been sick with the flu post-holidays and than we managed to get a tummy bug so our rhythm is allll over the place

Having one (when we do) is a lifesaver. Our days run much much smoother!

I try to stay home quite a bit. We have plenty to do here (reading, animals to take care of, homeschooling stuff, cooking and whatever else..) I find that when we are running around it can be really overwhelming for myself, and the kiddos. DD is allowed to have two "activities" per season and thus far it's been a drop off homeschool co-op and horseback riding (both those are two days a week..) when the coop ends she wants to try ballet and/or singing so I'm looking into that. We also set aside a day for a playdate, and one "adventure" day where we go to a museum, a park..you get the idea. 

Normally we wake up and have breakfast (it's simple, always..) and than I have my coffee and we have some media time while I check my email. Kids can pick one of the shows I allow, or play Ipad for awhile. Than we get dressed, do chores, and start our day! We sort of have different points through the day where we are active and playing, or having quiet time. We cook, do chores (we have animals and a barn so kids get involved) and there's loads of time for imaginative play. We also have two main "lesson" chunks where we do activities that I have planned for the week. In the winter we are inside more, but like the other momma I do strive to get outside once a day (even if we just go on the deck to bird watch or something..) DS HATES the cold no matter how bundled he is so sometimes that doesn't happen. 

Bedtime routine is simple, and I try to make it same time every night! 

[mamazee]

I try to find one place to go every day - the park, the museum, the library, whatever. But getting out of the house for a bit every day helps us. Then I work around that.

In the morning, I tidy up anything that appears to need tidying. I check bathrooms and make sure they're clean, change the hand towels and at least wipe the sinks/counters, or totally clean them if they look at all messy. I put some laundry in. I do some floor cleaning - vacuuming or mopping - depending on what I've done the day before/what appears dirty. Not everything every day.

We do whatever we do. On the way back, if we need to, we pick up whatever groceries we need.

In the evening, I make dinner, clean the kitchen, and try to make sure everything is tidy again. Change laundry. Fold and put away whatever needs folding/putting away. Not necessarily in that order - the laundry would probably be changed to the dryer in afternoon, and then taken out late afternoon/early evening and folded/put away. I find keeping up on laundry seems to make the whole house run better. Also, we really work here on getting out one toy at a time, putting it away, and then getting out another toy. I've been working on this for years - since they were tiny - so it's the expectation now. It isn't easy to get that going but it is possible if you just stay very consistent and don't turn it into a power struggle. "Oh, you want to play with X? Great! Let's quickly pick up Y and get X out."

I don't know if it's "what to do" or housekeeping you're worried about, but "what to do" seems to be easier if we have an outing each day as there just seems to be less boredom in general, and housekeeping seems to be easier if I keep up on laundry (including putting stuff away!), dishes (esp. emptying the dishwasher promptly so there's someplace to put dishes), and the "put away one toy before getting out another" thing. Focus on those three things and I feel like the other stuff falls into place.