It's taken some time for our family to find a good rhythm. Just when we think we have something figured out or are in a good flow, life happens and we find ourselves at square one again. This is part of the reason why I like routines as opposed to schedules. For me, schedules leave little room for error and don't bode well with my perfectionist tendencies. I've noticed that when I have tried to stick to a rigorous schedule, I'm oftentimes left feeling discouraged and unmotivated after about 2 days. But ROUTINES, on the other hand, give me the "wiggle room" that I personally need while my kids are the ages that they are. It's easier for me to have goals instead of "deadlines", if you know what I mean, when it comes to the daily grind of mommyhood. SO, with that being said, here is our current routine that seems to be working great for our family! You will notice that other than bedtime (the one time we actually strive to not deviate from), there is lots of room for adjustments and spur of the moment outings and changes of plan.
6:30am-7:30am- Wake up. I leave an hour for this because depending on how our nights go (if both kids sleep all the way through, sickness in the house, teething etc.) the kids (or me) may need a bit extra sleep. When the kids wake up, they join us in our bed. Even if we are all up at 6:30, we tend to lay their and snuggle, read books or just flat out stare at the ceiling until 7:30ish.
8:00am-9:00am- Breakfast time. Again, I leave an hour because sometimes I get delayed switching over laundry, making up beds or doing something way less productive (ahem...pinterest). The kids also will play for a bit too while I get breakfast ready.
9:00am-10:00am- Devotions/Morning reading time at the kitchen table. I (or daddy depending on which day of the week it is) will usually read a short scripture passage with the kids and then pray with them while we are at the table. They also pray if they choose to. Then I put a series of worship songs on my phone and read my Bible by myself while Noelle and Vivienne both "read" (meaning flip through the pages or occasionally rip them if you'er Vivienne lol) their little storybook Bibles and sing along to the worship music. If the wheels aren't coming off, we then will read a few books of their choice.
10:00am-11:00am- I do a quick clean up from breakfast, get the girls dressed, then get them situated in their bedroom (so I can close their door to keep my Vivi from getting into things lol) and let them play together while I get dressed.
11:00am-12:30pm- Vivi takes her first nap and Noelle and I do her homeschooling "lessons" (blogpost about what we are doing for pre-school homeschooling coming soon :))
12:45pm-1:30pm- Lunch and story time at the table.
1:45pm-3:45pm- After cleaning up from lunch, this time slot is usually used for running errands, playdates, outdoor play for girls while I do housework/chores, the park etc.
4:00pm-5:00pm- Vivi takes her final nap of the day, I start making dinner and Noelle either watches a show/movie of her choice or engages in a quiet time hobby (coloring, crafting, board games etc.) She also will usually join me in the kitchen to help prepare dinner (home economics, people lol)
5:00pm-5:45pm- I put finishing touches on dinner, lay out everything needed for bath time/bedtime (pajamas, diaper, towels etc.) and the girls help me do a quick clean up of the living room and their bedroom. At some point during this time, daddy gets home and plays with the girls as well!
5:45pm-6:30pm- Dinner at the table as a family. Everything gets turned off and we all tune into each other to close out our night. My husband will usually read a bit more scripture for all of us and bless the food before we eat together as well.
6:30pm-6:45pm- Daddy monitors bath time and tells stories while I clean the kitchen.
6:45-7:00pm- Lights get turned down while my husband and I get the girls all dressed and ready for bed. We then all snuggle up together and sing a few hymns (there's just something about singing them at bedtime, knowing that Christian mommas of old have more than likely sung them over their littles for centuries) as a family. Come Thou Fount is our current favorite. Daddy then prays over them, we exchange an endless amount of hugs and kisses and...
7:00pm- Bedtime for the girls! We try really really hard to stick to 7pm. There are nights when we have community group at church or decide to go out somewhere and we push it back, but most nights it's 7 sharp. We also will let Noelle stay up a bit later on Friday or Saturday night sense she's the BIG sister lol.
So there it is! Most of our days in a nutshell. Like I said before, we are not rigid with this routine but rather use it as a general frame work. There's always room for spontaneity and deviation, which is what our family needs with two young girlies!
If your looking for a routine, try this out! Let me know how it goes!
Bryt xoxo
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