Turning a corner
I've really enjoyed going back and reading my old blog posts from when the kids were younger lately. I've decided I want to try to use this blog as a daily journal (or almost daily). I will post thoughts, what we are doing, Bible verses, and all sorts of things along with the occasional picture. For my first post in my new journal / blog, I wanted to post my typical daily schedule. That way, if I post what I have done in a particular day, I don't have to post EVERYTHING every day.
The alarm goes off in the morning at 7 AM. Usually, Annabelle is already nursing when it goes off, so I am already awake. She typically falls back asleep nursing. Around 7:15 I am done feeding her and get up and get dressed. After taking all my pills that have to be taken on an empty stomach (thyroid, fish oil, etc) I pump any leftover milk for Kezzy. Annabelle typically wakes back up at around 7:45 at which point I change her diaper and get her dressed for the day.
At 8 AM, my 2 daycare girls arrive. Once their mom is out the door, I feed everyone breakfast. As the kids are eating, I quickly down a protein shake or smoothy, and start a load of laundry and load the dishwasher (which Thad has usually just unloaded while he was getting ready for work). After breakfast, the kids have some free play time. At 9, Annabelle is ready for her first nap so I put her to bed. Once she is down, I get morning snack for the kids, then start on school. Everyone who is awake sits at the table for school. The younger kids color, either on paper, or on the chalk board or white board. The older kids do their homework. Everyone but Raquelle is typically done in about 30 min. Raquelle usually takes an hour to an hour and a half. While they are doing school, I transfer laundry and usually start a 2nd load, continue cleaning in the kitchen (a constant thing with a family of 6 plus daycare), and give them instruction and help as needed.
When they are done with their school work, they play again. Depending on how things are going with the youngest 2, sometimes we get to do a special activity during this time. Today we painted. Last week, we made foam birthday hats and foam bracelets. If we don't have a special activity, then the kids play. If the weather is nice, this is their morning outside time. If not, then this is when I get out toys that they don't always have access to, like play doh. After activity / play time, I have them clean up and then put on a video for while I make lunch. Today, they watched Leap Frog Letter Factory. That DVD really help both Raquelle and Titus with learning how to read. Usually they don't finish their video before lunch is ready. While the older 5 eat, Annabelle nurses again. If she isn't awake from her nap by this time, I usually wake her up so she will be ready to go back down when the older kids do.
After lunch, they get to finish their video (depending on the length) and then we have quiet time. Everyone has quiet time whether they sleep or not. Now that Raquelle has her own room, she just has to play quietly in her room. The other 4 rest in the other bedroom. If they sleep, great! The ones who regularly don't sleep get to have a few books or a magnadoodle to play with quietly during rest time. Annabelle typically naps again at this time too.
As soon as all the kids are down for quiet time, I make my own lunch. I usually eat at the computer so I can check facebook. After my lunch, once in a while I get to take some time for myself. When that happens, I usually watch a TV show online (currently Biggest Loser or Survivor). Most days, I still have things to do, so I get to work on my chores....folding the laundry that was washed earlier in the morning, baking, cleaning up lunch mess, canning if I have something that is ripe, tend my garden, pick my ripe produce, and rarely, trying to organize one of my shelves that seem to collect kids color pages and projects.
At 2:30, I let any children who are not asleep get back up. For the first half hour after nap, if kids are still sleeping, those awake are given quiet activities. Anyone sleeping gets up when they wake up. At 3, I get everyone their afternoon snack. In the summer, after snack we play outside again. When the weather is bad, after snack they have free play again. Usually Annabelle wakes up and I feed her sometime between 3 and 4. At 4:00, free play is done and they have to clean up their toys. At about 4:20, my daycare kids get picked up.
Once the daycare kids are gone, if the kids have earned it (finished school work, good attitudes, and helped with cleaning up), then they get to play a game on my iphone. If they haven't earned it, then I get out the big tub of legos instead. While they play, I take a little mini mommy time out and check my facebook and friends blogs....of course with the door open so I can still hear what the kids are doing. At about 5 Annabelle goes down for another nap and I start to work on dinner. If it is just the kids and I, then I whip up something quick and easy like fish sticks and fries, or macaroni, or waffles. If Thad will be home for dinner, then I try to make something nicer.
After dinner, Annabelle starts her evening cluster feeding, which basically means she nurses herself to sleep, dozes for about 15 or 20 min and then wants to nurse again. If Thad is home, I take her back to my room where it is quiet to feed her over and over again. It's a nice restful, relaxing time for me. If Thad is working late, then I put a movie on for the kids, except for Wednesdays and Fridays. On Wednesdays we head out to Awana right after dinner, and on Fridays we have a 2nd afternoon snack, then go to Ballet and eat a late dinner.
I typically put the older 3kids to bed at about 7:30. Annabelle is usually still cluster feeding until about 10 or so. Thad and I do the evening cleaning up...unless I'm stuck nursing the baby again in which case Thad does the cleaning up. Once things are picked up and the dishwasher is started, Thad and I try to spend some time together. Currently, both the men's and women's Bible studies at church are doing the same study, so we do our Bible study homework together in the evenings before bed. We typically go to bed at around 10 PM (unless we are canning. We usually do that at night so we don't risk burning the kids with the boiling water) and then start over again the next morning.
Now that I have my basic routine out there, it will be easier to journal my thoughts and my day without having to re-write what we normally do in a day.
The alarm goes off in the morning at 7 AM. Usually, Annabelle is already nursing when it goes off, so I am already awake. She typically falls back asleep nursing. Around 7:15 I am done feeding her and get up and get dressed. After taking all my pills that have to be taken on an empty stomach (thyroid, fish oil, etc) I pump any leftover milk for Kezzy. Annabelle typically wakes back up at around 7:45 at which point I change her diaper and get her dressed for the day.
At 8 AM, my 2 daycare girls arrive. Once their mom is out the door, I feed everyone breakfast. As the kids are eating, I quickly down a protein shake or smoothy, and start a load of laundry and load the dishwasher (which Thad has usually just unloaded while he was getting ready for work). After breakfast, the kids have some free play time. At 9, Annabelle is ready for her first nap so I put her to bed. Once she is down, I get morning snack for the kids, then start on school. Everyone who is awake sits at the table for school. The younger kids color, either on paper, or on the chalk board or white board. The older kids do their homework. Everyone but Raquelle is typically done in about 30 min. Raquelle usually takes an hour to an hour and a half. While they are doing school, I transfer laundry and usually start a 2nd load, continue cleaning in the kitchen (a constant thing with a family of 6 plus daycare), and give them instruction and help as needed.
When they are done with their school work, they play again. Depending on how things are going with the youngest 2, sometimes we get to do a special activity during this time. Today we painted. Last week, we made foam birthday hats and foam bracelets. If we don't have a special activity, then the kids play. If the weather is nice, this is their morning outside time. If not, then this is when I get out toys that they don't always have access to, like play doh. After activity / play time, I have them clean up and then put on a video for while I make lunch. Today, they watched Leap Frog Letter Factory. That DVD really help both Raquelle and Titus with learning how to read. Usually they don't finish their video before lunch is ready. While the older 5 eat, Annabelle nurses again. If she isn't awake from her nap by this time, I usually wake her up so she will be ready to go back down when the older kids do.
After lunch, they get to finish their video (depending on the length) and then we have quiet time. Everyone has quiet time whether they sleep or not. Now that Raquelle has her own room, she just has to play quietly in her room. The other 4 rest in the other bedroom. If they sleep, great! The ones who regularly don't sleep get to have a few books or a magnadoodle to play with quietly during rest time. Annabelle typically naps again at this time too.
As soon as all the kids are down for quiet time, I make my own lunch. I usually eat at the computer so I can check facebook. After my lunch, once in a while I get to take some time for myself. When that happens, I usually watch a TV show online (currently Biggest Loser or Survivor). Most days, I still have things to do, so I get to work on my chores....folding the laundry that was washed earlier in the morning, baking, cleaning up lunch mess, canning if I have something that is ripe, tend my garden, pick my ripe produce, and rarely, trying to organize one of my shelves that seem to collect kids color pages and projects.
At 2:30, I let any children who are not asleep get back up. For the first half hour after nap, if kids are still sleeping, those awake are given quiet activities. Anyone sleeping gets up when they wake up. At 3, I get everyone their afternoon snack. In the summer, after snack we play outside again. When the weather is bad, after snack they have free play again. Usually Annabelle wakes up and I feed her sometime between 3 and 4. At 4:00, free play is done and they have to clean up their toys. At about 4:20, my daycare kids get picked up.
Once the daycare kids are gone, if the kids have earned it (finished school work, good attitudes, and helped with cleaning up), then they get to play a game on my iphone. If they haven't earned it, then I get out the big tub of legos instead. While they play, I take a little mini mommy time out and check my facebook and friends blogs....of course with the door open so I can still hear what the kids are doing. At about 5 Annabelle goes down for another nap and I start to work on dinner. If it is just the kids and I, then I whip up something quick and easy like fish sticks and fries, or macaroni, or waffles. If Thad will be home for dinner, then I try to make something nicer.
After dinner, Annabelle starts her evening cluster feeding, which basically means she nurses herself to sleep, dozes for about 15 or 20 min and then wants to nurse again. If Thad is home, I take her back to my room where it is quiet to feed her over and over again. It's a nice restful, relaxing time for me. If Thad is working late, then I put a movie on for the kids, except for Wednesdays and Fridays. On Wednesdays we head out to Awana right after dinner, and on Fridays we have a 2nd afternoon snack, then go to Ballet and eat a late dinner.
I typically put the older 3kids to bed at about 7:30. Annabelle is usually still cluster feeding until about 10 or so. Thad and I do the evening cleaning up...unless I'm stuck nursing the baby again in which case Thad does the cleaning up. Once things are picked up and the dishwasher is started, Thad and I try to spend some time together. Currently, both the men's and women's Bible studies at church are doing the same study, so we do our Bible study homework together in the evenings before bed. We typically go to bed at around 10 PM (unless we are canning. We usually do that at night so we don't risk burning the kids with the boiling water) and then start over again the next morning.
Now that I have my basic routine out there, it will be easier to journal my thoughts and my day without having to re-write what we normally do in a day.
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