The Ideal Schedule

(Note: this post's purpose is mainly to remind myself on those overwhelming days when I feel like I have no control or order that it is possible, and that every day is a new day and a new opportunity to learn. So, just a warning to everyone else, the following will probably bore you to death) 

So I'm reading this incredible book (2nd time over) called "A Mother's Rule of Life (Thanks Em!) It's all about how to 'bring order to your home and peace to your soul" written by a mom of 5 (at the time) who homeschool's her children and now (after years of trial and error) finds time to speak at conferences and write a book!  

So with that in mind, today I experienced a really nice flow to my our day. It was very orderly and quite peaceful. Nothing spectacular, just attending to our needs.

It was a well-balanced combination of physical activity, homesteading, resting and an overall feeling of peacefulness.
(of course this isn't always the case but it can be a good goal to attain!) 

7 am All Rise, Spicy hangs out on mommy & daddy's bed while I quickly get dressed & groomed.

7-7:30 Spicy moves to couch while mommy makes daddy's lunch, grabs Sweets from crib along with breakfast and coffee on the way to the couch to join her. 

All 3 girls enjoy our beverage of choice 

7:30-9 Playtime together. Mommy tries to get really involved and give lots of attention to both girls. Toward the end, girls were playing so well so I grabbed my mount of papers to shred and did a tiny bit of sewing.

9ish-10 Breakfast for the girls, Spicy gets "play clothes" on, brushes teeth and has "solo time" while mommy nurses Sweets in her nursery and puts her down for nap #1

10:30 - 11:30 Outdoor play for Spicy and mommy. Sand/water table, running through the sprinklers (this time, I got my bathing suit on and participated in this activity and let me tell you, it was quite exhilarating), sliding into the sprinklers, hide-and-seek, tag, chalk drawing, and popsicle licking... 

Was also able to sneak a little crafting/painting in...

12noon  Spicy runs inside, announcing something about "rest time" (she's catching on!) and Sweet awakes. Mommy prepares lunch

12:30  Lunch for all

1pm  Bath time due to the highly messy contents of lunch and the sticky bodies from the heat

2pm  Naptime for both girls. Mommy gets a nice break to rest, pick up, do projects (this week's includes putting lots of old pictures from boxes into photo albums), blogging, praying, etc. Oh yeah and prep for dinner, ack!

4:30  Girls awake, daddy arrives home

5:00-5:30 pm  Mommy and daddy eat dinner. 

**Tonight was a special treat, Daddy encouraged me to get out for some "me" time. so, although it was tempting to turn down (NOT!) I took about an hour 1/2 and went to a "really overdue" (in Father Ed's words exactly) confession, then mass and got to enjoy 2 private phone conversations with friends! Daddy was very grateful girls were already bathed and food was in the fridge ready for him to serve.

7-8 Family time, walk, prayers

8pm  Lights out for girls!

8:30pm  Ahhh, the sound of silence. And the clicking of my keyboard. Oh and the tapping of Spicy's foot on the wall. Well, we can only hope she will be in a deep slumber sometime before 10pm!

* a couple of notes/observations: *

- Something I missed today which I am working to make a habit which makes a huge difference in my day and for my personal sanity is setting my alarm to awake at least 15 minutes prior to Spicy for some quiet prayer time. Otherwise, it gets squeezed in amongst too many distractions or by the time naps come around, well, let's just say, I need it well before then. 

- This wonderful schedule doesn't really allow for getting out, errands, fun outings and the like. Which is fine. But usually at least one day per week, I need to get out of the house. So maybe this can be my "default" when nothing spectacular is planned. Also, I've never been one to control naps/sleep times or awake a sleeping child so obviously this will vary based on the girls needs and sleep patterns.

The End. =)