This summer has been so much more organized than usual, in terms of what we do day to day. Nothing external has changed...my kids are not in school and I am actually working more, but it seems like I have more time. I finally, finally got a routine down. This is a "big picture" routine to dictate what days we go to the library, do grocery shopping and meal prep, etc. (Hey, I know this is like Mommy 101 but to actually DO this was big for me) I still have to work on the daily routine and get these kids locked into doing things like brushing teeth and getting ready before a certain time.
Before I had these things written down, I would try to avoid certain tasks (what laundry?), just never do them, or do them in some crazed way that brought discord to the household. As a mom, I just have to accept certain things. I have to accept that my kitchen will always look messy if I cook 3 meals a day. I have to accept that eating in 5 days a week takes planning and prep work. I have to accept that being at home more often might make the place look more messy than if we were out all day. I have to accept that as much as I want to visit the library multiple times per week and then take the kids to the playground right before dinner, the level of practicality in relation to food preparation was not working.
My priority is my children, and I am not willing to completely ignore them just to make my kitchen look perfect.
So I finally wrote a rough weekly routine. Its not so over planned that I freak out if we are not doing something, rather, it is a loose plan that I am actually able to stick to. Its great because I know what to expect, the kids know what to expect, and in my messy disorganized mind being able to say "Friday is library day", etc really helps.
Now that those things are all put in place, its been easier to concentrate on developing my schedule for the upcoming fall. I had a goal to start my son "officially" doing Kinder homeschool work by June 1 (I am notorious for pushing things back), but it looks like I will have everything together by next week! We have already started our reading lessons because I have the materials on hand. Because hey, who says we have to start everything all at once? Maybe easing into this is good for me and my son.
Yes! Our whole Kinder year was about trial and error--and we didn't have a baby coming, either. Finding a rhythm is the best part; enjoying your own life at the pace that works best for you (and the kids)!
ReplyDeleteI've been at this parenting thing longer than you (my kids are 6 and 9) and I'm still figuring out what our routine should be so, good for you! ;) It can be tough to accept that we have limitations (esp. the clean kitchen/house thing - that's an issue of mine too) but when we put the priority on our kids (and set aside some time, too, for ourselves), things usually do fall into place pretty well.
ReplyDelete