Tweaking The Routines

(© Grace Lee, www.cutecolors.com)

I thought it was about time I posted an update on the Routines here at Lizzie's Home. Things have changed just a little since the last update - that's the great thing about having Routines in place - they're fluid, designed to flex and mould around your own family circumstances.

When I sat down to rejig the Routines the other day I took it one step further and broke my day into 6 distinct blocks - the Morning Routine, Daytime Routine, Afternoon Routine, Dinner Routine, Evening Routine and Late Evening Routine. Surprisingly I've been following this basic daily plan for a few weeks now almost without registering it - a sign of a good set of Routines :) Also, I've mostly done away with specific times and stuck with a 'Routine window', which seems to work better. I have kept times for my Daytime Routine simply because it is so easy to get hyperfocussed on one homemaking task at the expense of other things.

For ease of reading, I'm throwing all six Routines in here, instead of breaking them up into separate posts as I did before. Consequently, this post may be a bit long.

Morning Routine
(6:00 ~ 8:40)

Wake up
Shower
Wake kids, breakfast (7:00)
Run washing machine
What's For Dinner?
Finish lunches
Kids dressed
Kids teeth brushed (J ready by 7:45)
Unload/reload dishwasher
Mum's breakfast & Think About Today
Mum dressed, teeth brushed
Miss Moo's hair (because it is so long, it takes some time to wrestle with before school)
School run (leave by 8:40)

Daytime Routine
(9:15 ~ 3:00)

9:15 ~ Exercise (usually a walk)
10:30 ~ Break, morning tea
11:00 ~ Housework (reboot laundry first)
1:00 ~ Lunch
1:30 ~ Study/Writing
3:00 ~ School run

Afternoon Routine
(3:40 ~ 5:00)

Help the kids get changed
Afternoon tea
Unpack/repack schoolbags (deal with school paperwork)
Read with kids
Kids computer time
Reboot laundry, fold clothes

Dinner Routine
(5:00 ~ 7:00)

Dinner preparation/Break
Set table
Eat dinner

Evening Routine
(7:00 ~ 8:30)

Clear the table
Clean the kitchen
Load and run dishwasher
General tidy
Kids baths, pyjamas, brush teeth
Lay out clothes for tomorrow (Mum & Dad too)
Semi-pack lunches
Load washing machine
Think About Tomorrow (do we have any appointments, are there any special school events etc)

Late Evening Routine
(8:30 ~ 11:00)

Cuppa & Mum's Down Time
Prep for bed (10:30)
Bedtime (11:00)

Cheers,
Lizzie