Do you have a family routine?

[Cathi]

I'm totally stressing out because my son started Kindergarten this week at a really neat charter school about 3 minutes from the house. We just moved in this past weekend so we're not quite set up, boxes everywhere, etc. He's in afternoon K (and wears a uniform to school) so come lunchtime I'm trying to wrangle two kids into clothes and out the door. :

It got me thinking "What would Supernanny" tell me to do? Get a family routine and stick to it. I've always been pretty flexible as far as the clock, but now we're being forced to watch it and go by a time schedule.

Does anyone have a really tight routine? Written down somewhere? Does it work?

I guess I'm kind of sad that now I'm one of 'those' parents rushing their kids here and there and fussing at them about hurrying up. I'm looking for suggestions to ease the midday stress for all of us. I'm beginning to regret the afternoon Kindergarten choice.

[momma2mingbu]

My son went to afternoon KG two years ago. This year he is in 2nd grade, I have another in morning KG and then a 3.5 yo at home with me.

When my son was in afternoon KG, I would set an alarm to go off about 45 mins before we had to leave. (2 mins drive, 8 mins walk for us to school.) This meant time to stop playing, eat lunch and put on his shoes (no uniform). I'd suggest figuring out how much time you need for eating lunch and changing clothes and set an alarm clock to go off every day as the signal to everyone that it's time to get ready to switch gears for school.

We stink at routines too, so that's my best advice. Hope it helps!

[anarchamama]

We have a schedule in the winter that we try to stick to as it makes all our lives easier. That being said I am still flexable with it, and will change it for classes or time out with friends, maybe twice a week.

5am-7am My kids get up insanely early: get up hang out/get dressed/eat breakfast get ready for work (papa) daycare (rohan)
7-8am Walk ds to daycare (taking our time) hang out there for awhile while he settles in, Cormac visits the kids
8am Home for cormacs nap
8-10 I do chores hang out eat breakfast caffinate myself
10-12 hang out with cormac, do any errands we have or walk the dog
12-1 pick rohan up from daycare
1-2 This is the bad hour where things fall apart for me, as I have to get rohan to leave us alone for 15 min so i can pit cormac to sleep......often results in yelling, but what can you do. then once cormac is asleep, i put rohan down for a nap
2-5 hang out in various states of sleep, i often do dinner prep during this time
5-6 papa comes home, takes kids to park or takes everyone out to walk the dog, i cook dinner
6-7 dinner
7-8 bathing/pjing/nursing/stories etc.......if we're lucky we have them both down by 8!

TADA!

[oliversmum2000]

Originally Posted by anarchamama

We have a schedule in the winter that we try to stick to as it makes all our lives easier. That being said I am still flexable with it, and will change it for classes or time out with friends, maybe twice a week.

5am-7am My kids get up insanely early: get up hang out/get dressed/eat breakfast get ready for work (papa) daycare (rohan)
7-8am Walk ds to daycare (taking our time) hang out there for awhile while he settles in, Cormac visits the kids
8am Home for cormacs nap
8-10 I do chores hang out eat breakfast caffinate myself
10-12 hang out with cormac, do any errands we have or walk the dog
12-1 pick rohan up from daycare
1-2 This is the bad hour where things fall apart for me, as I have to get rohan to leave us alone for 15 min so i can pit cormac to sleep......often results in yelling, but what can you do. then once cormac is asleep, i put rohan down for a nap
2-5 hang out in various states of sleep, i often do dinner prep during this time
5-6 papa comes home, takes kids to park or takes everyone out to walk the dog, i cook dinner
6-7 dinner
7-8 bathing/pjing/nursing/stories etc.......if we're lucky we have them both down by 8!

TADA!

i know you werent asking for advice but i just wondered if you had thought of getting rohan to go for his nap first to make it easier to get cormac to go for his nap?

my 3yo doesnt nap but i get him all set up in his room with a snack, a drink of water and his toys, after making sure hes been to the toi;et and all settled i then take dd for her nap - it works for us - for now!!