I like routines. Heck I even wrote a whole post on how to make a schedule. Our old daily schedule went something like this. But then we moved to Maryland and now the Big 3 ride the bus to all day school (previously I was doing drop off/pick ups at the school at 8:30, 12:30, and 3:30) and Greg's home every evening. Five months later I'm still trying to work ourselves back into a good schedule.
"Good" is the key word there. Currently I get up at 7:30, wake the kids, make breakfast and lunches, see them out the door, and plop my butt down at the computer with a cup of tea. Which is why most of my blog posts are time stamped around 8:30am. And depending on the day and emails and new blog updates by friends and IM conversations, I might sit at the computer all morning. Not "good." I lose the entire morning with nothing tangible accomplished. By the time Kyle, Kelly and I are ready and out the door, it's lunch time. So I'm running errands at the same time all the working people are running errands. That totally negates the crowd free shopping privileges I receive as a stay at home mom. Plus being out at lunch time makes it too easy to drive through some fast food place. Damn them taking debit cards... Fast food, not "good."
Then there's the mad dash to clean the house before the Big 3 return home from school. Although if I've been errand running, I'm usually too worn out to give this much effort. If we didn't go out, then I'm probably attempting to plan a Brownie meeting or do one of my million and two craft projects. The Big 3 come home and it's a whirl wind of snack, homework, after school activities, dinner, and bedtime. There are not enough hours between 3:30 and 8:30.
After 8:30, I'm "off" work. Seriously, I try not to do anything work-like once the kids are in bed in order to spend some time with Greg and unwind. Occasionally I'll fold laundry or mop the kitchen floor but that's it. If it's not done, it can wait until tomorrow. The world won't end if the dust bunnies live another night. I use this time to knit or scrapbook (ha!) or read. I think this may be the success to my "super mom act." I plan and cram all the productive stuff into the daytime hours so I can relax when I need to relax the most.
So the part I need to change in my schedule is the "plop butt at computer all morning" time. I can do it when I need to like when company is coming over or I have a deadline project (Christmas dresses, etc). But the other random days of the week? It's harder to prevent.
I want to get in my half hour of exercise right after the kids get on the bus. I want to make an effort to do preschool stuff with Kelly and Kyle (he's been writing the letter "A" and is so proud of himself). I'd like to cut my errand running down to two days a week (one would be fabulous but probably not do-able). It's a bit of curse being so close to everything now, before it was a half hour drive to shop. In Ohio, I did everything all in one big trip and anything forgotten usually waited until next week. Now I think "oh I'll just run out again for one thing" and I lose an hour "for one thing" every day.
24 hours isn't a lot of time. Especially not spreading it out between 5 children, a husband, and a house. Not to mention being a Brownie leader and all the kids' other activities. And those 8 hours of sleep I have to have. Live life to the fullest, squeeze out every drop. Leave the world a craftier place. hehe
So that's the plan, less computer and errand time, more time exercising and teaching the children. Maybe I'll bump my computer time to an hour in the evening. That's actually what I used to do when Greg traveled but now that he's home, I tend to sit with him in the family room instead of at my computer desk in another room (*cough* laptop!).
See I just "wasted" the entire morning on the computer again. But at least I did it with a teaspoon less of sugar in my tea and a bottle of water. Baby steps, baby steps.
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