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| Photo by pat_makhoul via Creative Commons |
After the first couple weeks of school, I thought I had my our family routine figured out. Then we had a long 3 day weekend. I don’t understand why kids can’t go back to school after the Labor Weekend or maybe start sooner than the week before. Resuming our routine after a long weekend was rough for everyone. Sophia and I dragged ourselves out of bed (thanks for the wake up call hubby!). Jaxson rolled over and went back to sleep. I think he woke up 15 minutes before we had to head to the bus stop.
My husband doesn’t have a consistent schedule, so our family schedule is different week to week. At first I planned to wake up at 6:30 every morning to get the kids ready for school and take Sophia to the bus stop. Last year, my husband would take over morning duties when he didn’t have to catch his bus at 7AM.
After two weeks of trying to wake up at 6:30AM, I gave up. The schedule I wanted was not working out for me. I was super sleep deprived and cranky. We discussed how to make school mornings flow better.
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| Photo by Vicki’s Pics via Creative Commons |
Here are some things we’re trying that fit our family’s schedule and lifestyle. Maybe some of them can work for you.
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Go to bed earlier. As hard as this is for me, I’m trying to complete my work or stop working by
midnight. One o’clock. Most nights I force myself to go to bed by 1AM. I’m allowed to do a bit of reading in bed, but no more work. - No more late night coffee. Just like I cut the kids off of screen time after dinner, the rule is the same for me and coffee. I used to sit down with a cup of coffee after the kids were in bed so I could power through my work at night. Some mornings it seems like my body has developed a resistance to caffeine, but I notice that I can fall asleep more easily if I haven’t had any coffee. I’ve been sticking to tea.
- Make a to do list. Yes, I have my editorial calendar that I write out every Sunday night. I find that if I don’t write down at least 3-5 to-dos then I get stuck in email hell. I know that I have blog posts to write (the number depends on the day of the week), but I also have back end stuff to do: invoices, pitches, inquiries, etc.
- Cook two meals on Sunday. Sunday is officially lazy day for our family. Well, except for my husband, who works on Sundays. We stay in our pajamas all day and I let the kids watch tons of television. However, I try to catch up on laundry and dishes that day too. While the kids play, I will either cook a double batch of dinner or cook two dinners. One for Sunday evening and another for Monday. Tuesday can be repurpose or leftover day.
- Take naps. I’m giving myself permission to take naps. If I fall asleep putting Jaxson down for his nap, I’m not going to feel guilty. Or if I’m exhausted, he can watch PBS Kids while I take a 20 minute nap. A sane mom is a good mom, right?
- Make time to draw. I miss creating things because of work. Because I’m tired. So I’m trying to sneak in 5 minutes here and there to sketch and paint. Sketching and painting puts me in a happy place.
Keep in mind that this is still a work in progress for us. How do you find a schedule that works for your family? And for you? Share your tips!