Updating Routines

If there is one constant in life, it is change.  Life is always evolving and we need to adapt as change happens.  When changes in our lives happen, I find that my old routines often don't work anymore.  We have experienced some changes in the past month so I thought I would talk about how I have updated our routines.

The biggest change that has happened is that my oldest daughter has started kindergarten.  She goes to school for full days.  Kindergarten school days start an hour earlier than her playschool days.  Another change that is that I have started taking online courses, as I am working towards a different career path.  I have to be intentional about designating time to work on my schooling.

With these changes our morning routine and my evening routine has changed.  We have also developed an after school routine.  When working on new routines it is important to establish what you need to accomplish and the time that you need to do that.  I try to always allow for extra time.  With kids, I find that I need it!

For example, I need to have my daughter at school for 8:30.  I know that before school I need to do my morning routine, both kids need to get ready, we need to eat breakfast and walk to school.  It takes me about an hour to get my routine done and hour to get my kids out of the door.  I add a 15 minute buffer to my kids' morning.  It can take up to 15 minutes to walk to school.  With all this in mind, I start my mornings at 6:00 a.m.  My kids get up at 7:00.  I get my daughters ready and then we head to the breakfast table.  I make my oldest daughter's lunch while the kids eat.  Depending on how much time this all has taken, we either get our shoes on and head out the door or my kids can play for a few minutes.

Routines can't be rigid as life changes constantly.  With little tweaks and adjustments, everyone can feel comfortable and know what they are expected to do.  I will continue adjusting our routines this week as we get used to the changes in our schedule.