In Search Of . . . Schedule
At our house, in this homeschool, living this life . . . it seems I am always in search of more routine.
Some structure. A few seldom-changing, set-almost-in-stone daily-weekly-hourly occurrences.
In a word – consistency.
I thought I had that down pretty well back when I had just three kids. Riley was being homeschooled. London and Mosely were toddlers. And I was at my planning prime. (I didn’t know it then, however.)
Our days were organized. The girls were in a predetermined routine. Riley was a diligent student. Mosely and London had blanket time and crib time and play-alone time. I even had a handy, ultra-organized, color-coded chart hanging on the wall that stated specifically where each girl should be at any given moment. And, for the most part, all three girls filled their roles swimmingly.
That level of steady, daily routine ruled our house for a long while.
(Long enough for me to foolishly believe I was in charge and capable of order and structure and consistency. Long enough for me to forget it had ever been any other way and long enough for me to fail to imagine it could ever be any other way in the future. Long enough.)
And I don’t exactly know what happened after that.
You might assume it was the birth of Bergen. (We all know the Bergen stories, after all. But the truth is – Berg was The Model Citizen for his first year of his life. It was as if he was born a part of the schedule already. He slept when I put him in his crib. He ate when I fed him. He played where I sat him. He caused shockingly little ruckus for a very, very long time.)
So – I don’t know what happened.
But that’s not the point.
The point is . . . here I am now. Six kids. Five at home all day. And in search of routine. Schedule. Something that works for us.
I am in mid-process really. Trying this. Rejecting that. Sampling this idea. Pushing aside that one.
You know – experimenting.
And, for us, I have stumbled upon one idea that seems to be helping.
(For now.)
It’s our breakfast routine. Our schedule.
I chose seven meals the kids (at varying levels) all enjoy. And I picked one for each day of the week.
That’s what we have for breakfast. (We were basically eating these same things anyway – now it’s just predictable.)
So if you like muffins – stop in on Friday.
The benefits have already been worthwhile.
London’s nightly question of “What’s for breakfast?” is always answered. Mosely is guaranteed to enjoy her favorite oatmeal every Monday morning. (And I can double the recipe and prepare enough for Otto’s breakfasts the rest of the week.) Supplies are always stocked because I know exactly what to buy at the store. It’s written on the cabinet so whoever is fixing breakfast that morning doesn’t even have to think.
So far – it’s working.
Up next . . . how can I conquer the towering stacks of laundry?
19 Comments
Jill Bennett
I have almost no organizational ideas to offer… Pinterest can’t even help me!
However, with our 6 kids laundry has always been an issue. Impossible to tame. We have had 2 systems that sort of worked. I’ll only share our current system (It’s my favorite). Everyone was given the smaller size, round laundry baskets.(That’s about a load because we tend to be crammers!) Everyone was given a laundry day (which didn’t stick…) Everyone was shown how to responsibly load and use the laundry detergent . Everyone was shown how to operate the machine. Everyone was told how much replacing the machine would cost. Everyone is now in charge of their own laundry. Wash it, dry it, fold it if you like, (don’t wash it if you like– so gross.. But I had to go there). Suddenly I had people taking responsibility for this small sliver of their lives. It has been a game changer. A. Game. Changer. (An older often assists a younger for switching from washer to dryer.) They take it from there! Wished I had started this “system” much earlier.
laceykeigley
Love it.
Our closet situation makes all things laundry a hassle.
But I’ll work on this idea.
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Shelley in SC
Love this idea. And LOVE that cabinet door!!! So cute. I agree, at least if the first thing you do in the day is orderly and pre-planned, it does get you off to a good start : ). (Where it goes from there is anyone's guess!!)
Marie from Germany
hey, i love this breakfast schedule idea. I should keep it in mind … 🙂
my idea for a laundry schedule: choose a colour / certain kind of laundry for every day of the week. then everyone knows, when their favorite shirt will be ready – and you know that you are "lord of the laundry" 😉
laceykeigley
I like the laundry ideas. Now – how do I make myself fold and put it away?
Marie from Germany
well, my idea would be: wednesday pink and red laundry to wash and dry – next day folding. 🙂 or your collect it for 2 days and fold only every 2nd day 🙂 – while the little ones practice reading books aloud 😉
laceykeigley
These are good ideas – and we do own plenty of pink laundry!!!
But the kids reading aloud is fantastic – I will definitely try it. Thanks Marie!!!
Marie from Germany
haha – reading aloud was not actually my original thought. 😉 i remembered my moms childhood: she was responsible for washing dishes. her brother was supposed to read a book and talk about it with his mom (my grandma) because he was lazy in reading books and needed practice. well, it happened that my mom loved reading and strongly disliked washing dishes – so she offered to read the book outloud while my uncle did her job 🙂 🙂 🙂
LaceyKeigley
Seems like a great deal for your mom – maybe less so for her brother.
Kristie
I love your breakfast schedule. I think I am going to use this idea. I totally need more organization in our life!!! I am in search of that every day too.
Stacy Finnigan
My mom is currently trying to figure out how to implement this without my brother noticing…She loves your blog by the way. I got her hooked.
Did I tell you she was being published? Well, she is! Look! http://vanhookhouse.com/catalog
Her's is the first one.
laceykeigley
How cool that your mom reads this!! (Thanks for getting her hooked.) And super cool that she is getting published. I will check it out today!!
Jenny Powell
I think this idea is great! We have the same thing everyday and this would get a little more fun into the routine and be predictable at the same time.
And if you ever have any advice on how to keep a 2 and 3 year old happy while I homeschool the 5 year old that would be helpful!
laceykeigley
Oh – that is a hard thing around here too. Two quick ideas . . .
Do most of your “real” work in the afternoons while the two younger ones are in designated nap or “rest” time. You can get tons accomplished in just half and hour or an hour of uninterrupted time with the 5 year old.
Also I do group things that they can all do – when they are all together- baking (measuring is math).
I will think of some more!!
Sarah W.
I do the same thing, but for dinner. One less thing to worry about…