Without a daily routine nothing
would get done around here. I've changed our routine as the
kids have gotten older and we have a longer drive for errands and
work commute. The girls each have daily chores to do, but
their schedules are a bit looser than they used to be. I am
still working as a substitute teacher for the schools, have a Girl
Scout troop and actively work with our area service team. I
also run a small eBay business and several yahoo groups (girl
scouting and homemaking). I use a great group called Motivated
Mom that sends out daily reminders on specific chores, but I also
have several of my own that I throw in. Some days I get
everything done (and what great days those are!) but some days I
don't. If something has to get overlooked for the day it gets
moved to the next day's routine. Since my work outside the
home is unpredictable (very rarely do I know I am working until 30
minutes before I need to be there), my routine is also looser than
it used to be.
Our current schedule is first,
but I have kept our two older versions for anyone who might find
them helpful.
| Sydnee's Daily
Chores |
Krista's Daily
Chores |
| Feed the animals (AM) |
Feed the animals (PM) |
| Take out trash |
Load dishwasher |
| Clean room |
Clean room |
My Daily Routine
5:30 - 6:00 get up
6:15 wake up girls
6:30 DH leaves for work
7:40 leave for school (if I'm not working the girls may ride the
bus)
8:00 - 3:30 Work (if I'm not at school this is house and web work)
3:30-4:30 Homework (on days we have to pick DH up from work we leave
at 4:15)
5:00 start dinner
6:00 dinner time
7:00 bath time for girls
8:30 Sydnee's bed time
9:30 Krista's bed time
10:00 Mom's bedtime
My Daily Chores
Laundry
Basic Clean Up
Cooking
Dishes (Krista does them once a day, I make up the rest)
Check eBay and complete anything required
My Weekly Chores
Clean Bathroom
Grocery Shopping
Wash Sheets
Extra Stuff
Thursday Girl Scout Meeting
Monthly Service Team Meeting (1 1/2 -3 hours)
Monthly Newsletter Updates (yahoo groups)
Thursdays Only
I use this day to run errands and go grocery shopping.
Since I drive back to the town where DH works we will usually have
lunch together. Thursdays are also my weekly GS troop meeting
nights. I do both of these on the same day so that I can get
any last minute necessities for our troop meeting. I always
have a "back pocket" meeting planned that does not require any
additional supplies for those Thursdays when I work. Since we
have troop meetings in our home I also use Wednesdays and Thursdays
to clean house really well.
Older Entries from early 2005 and 2006
We
have made the girls responsibility charts to hang on the back of their
doors out of poster board and construction paper. Each child
has their own chart with pockets for each responsibility.
Morning routines are yellow pockets, before bed routines are blue
pockets. Each of their responsibilities are on a 3x5
card that slides into the pockets. After each is completed,
the kids can flip their card over. The kids have just started
working with routines so they are pretty basic, but as we keep
working and getting these down we will add more responsibilities.
Here are the responsibilities for our children (notice how we don't
call them chores, the kids really enjoy getting responsibilities, it
helps them feel that they are an important part of our family).
The girls have really enjoyed decorating their charts and cards,
Krista (was 9) got to make and color her own pictures and Sydnee (was
4) had
a little help with the drawing and she colored all the pictures.
|
Sydnee's
Daily Routine |
Sydnee's
Night Routine |
Krista's
Daily Routine |
Krista's
Night Routine |
|
Get Dressed |
Pick up Toys |
Get Dressed |
Pick up Room |
|
Make Bed |
Pack
Backpack for School |
Make Bed |
Pack
Backpack for School |
|
Eat
Breakfast |
Take a Bath |
Eat
Breakfast |
Take a Bath |
|
Brush Teeth |
Put on PJs |
Brush Teeth |
Put on PJs |
|
Feed Bobber |
Brush Teeth |
Feed Kitty |
Brush Teeth |
|
Put
silverware away |
Lay Out
Clothes |
Take Out
Garbage |
Lay Out
Clothes |
Recently I started working for
the schools part time and became the co-leader of another scout
troop. In the process I lost quite a bit of time and have
found a new system that works better for me. I joined a yahoo
group called Motivated Moms (MM). Each day a simple daily
chore reminder is sent out with a standard list of everyday things
(like loading the dishwasher). Then another reminder is sent
out each day that has special jobs for that day. It's a plan
based on an entire year, not a week so things like mailing Christmas
cards are right on the list!
I don't use the everyday chore
list that the group sends out, but I have made one of my own with
the daily things that have to get done on it. On days I don't
go to work I try to get a special focus clean done or run errands.
I've also started going to be a lot earlier, and I feel a lot better
too. I'm up at 6 am, but now I'm going to bed around 10 or 11.
I work as a sub for the school so I don't know if I'm going to work
until about 7:20, so I spend the first part of my mornings in my pjs,
no since in getting dressed up for work if I'm staying home that
day!
This is my new "work" day schedule
6:00 am Alarm
Make coffee
Plan dinner
Check email & calendar
Make Breakfast
7:00 am Kids Wake Up
Breakfast
Daily Reminder List (MM)
7:20 Get dressed
7:30 Hubby goes to work
7:40 School Run
---------------
4:00 Start dinner
5:00 Dinner
5:45 dishes
laundry
6:30 bath time for kids
fold laundry while Sydnee plays in tub
8:00 Sydnee's bedtime
9:00 Krista's bedtime
10:00 mom's bedtime (c:
This is my new "home" day schedule
6:00 am Alarm
Make coffee
Plan dinner
Check email & calendar
Make Breakfast
7:00 am Kids Wake Up
Breakfast
Daily Reminder List (MM)
7:20 Get dressed
7:30 Hubby goes to work
7:40 School Run
8:00 Start laundry
Make to-do list
Focus Clean (pick an area)
9:30 Gilmore Girls
10:30 web work
11:30 plan lunch
12:00 lunch (hubby comes home)
1:00 hubby goes back to work
wash lunch dishes
1:30 laundry
2:00 run errands
3:00 pick up kids
homework
4:00 Start dinner
5:00 Dinner
5:45 dishes
laundry
6:30 bath time for kids
fold laundry while Sydnee plays in tub
8:00 Sydnee's bedtime
9:00 Krista's bedtime
10:00 mom's bedtime (c:
On scout days (Tuesdays for Krista, Fridays for Sydnee and two
Mondays a month for adult meetings) I have a lot less time (and
energy!) in the evenings (Tuesday meetings are 6-8, Friday
meetings are 3:30-5:00 and Monday meetings are 6:30-9). Those
nights I plan a crock pot or oven dinner (I put slow cook oven
dinners in on my lunch break if I'm working so they are done when we
get home). This has been a real money saver, especially when
everyone is hungry as soon as we get home! We are not going
out for dinner nearly as much and we are eating a lot healthier as
well.
This is the old schedule I kept, I've left if here for anyone who
may find it useful.
My daily
chore is
Monday: Focus Clean/Zone Work
Tuesday: Kitchen check up (cabinets, fridge, etc.)
Wednesday: Errand day
Thursday: Free day
Friday: Focus Clean
Saturday: Kid's rooms/extra laundry
Sunday: Family day
7:00 am Get up
Straighten our bathroom
Set out meat for lunch
Empty dishwasher
Make breakfast for kids
Take laundry to the basement
Check calendar/update to do list from the night before
Load dishwasher
8:00 am Make school run
Eat breakfast
Check hot spots (it's a fly lady thing)
Move laundry to dryer and start a new load
Family Time
Make Lunch
Eat/Pack Hubby's lunch for work
Clear table & load dishwasher
Move laundry to dryer
Fold and put away dry clothes
Family Time
Unload dishwasher
2:30 pm Get Hubby off to work
Declutter (27 fling boogie)
2:45 pm Make school run
Snack time
Clear table & load dishwasher
Homework Time/Fold & put away laundry
Play Time/ Zone Time (fly lady)
Check Email
Start dinner
Eat
Clear table & load dishwasher
8:00 pm Bath time/hot spots
Free time
9:00 pm Bed time (kids)
Exercise
Declutter
Free time
11:30 pm Family Time/Hubby's home from work
12:00 am Start tomorrow's to do list
1:00 Bed time
