Organize It - Creating a Routine

I have been a stay at home mom for 8 years. I have spent most of those years feeling like I was barely keeping up. Sometimes I knew what we were having for dinner, other times I didn't have a clue. Sometimes everyone could get dressed because their clothes were neatly put away in the closet, other times they were digging through piles of clean laundry hoping to find a clean pair of underwear and matching socks. Sometimes my house was really clean, and there were times that I would hope that no one showed up at our house unannounced.

I finally realized one day that the reason I always felt like I couldn't keep up with cleaning, laundry, cooking, activities, and homeschooling was because I didn't have a plan. I also had expectations that were too high. I felt like if I couldn't do it all every day, then there was no reason to try.

I had to create a plan, and create some structure for our day. I started by making a list of things that needed to be done and just played with them on paper to create an order that seemed like it would work and make sense. Once the order came, I was able to decide on times to aim for.  It took some time, and some tweaking to get it right, but it has made a HUGE difference in my productivity, and the boys like knowing what to expect through out the day.

 This is what a perfect day would look like at our house. Please know that every day doesn't look like this. I am still working on the things that happen before 7 a.m. They are not routine just yet, but they are important to me, and I am working towards them. I have been doing well getting up and dressed before we start school, which is an accomplishment for this night owl that likes to sleep in. One of the major perks of homeschooling is the flexibility that comes with it, but I have learned that for us, routine is key. When we start adding lots of play dates, and extra activities before school is done for they day, it makes it really hard for us to finish what actually needs to be done. I do not like to get behind. It just isn't fun.

Do you have a routine, a strict schedule that you follow, or do you just wing it every day?

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