Just When You Get the Hang of Things…

Just last week, I talked about how a simple schedule saved my sanity. I mean, I was so excited (as was my husband) to finally have our schedule down pat. And then as the weekend rolled around, I realized that we needed to create and practice a new schedule because we now have two pre-schoolers that started this week! Well as you very well know, any time you have to change your schedule (or any habit for that matter), it takes some getting used to. To say I am utterly and completely exhausted (after only a few days) is an understatement. But the kids are beyond excited to be in school so it makes it all worth it. 🙂

Since our son has a “late” birthday (according to Maryland state standards), he has to wait until next year to start kindergarten even though he turns five on the 24th of this month. So to give him more of a kindergarten experience, we I opted to have him do a half day Pre-K program at two different schools. He’s been going to one school for the last two years, which we absolutely love. And even though he’s only been going part-time, he’s learned so much already. So he is now in school full-time, and our daughter just started Pre-K so she goes with him to this school three days a week.  We are only in week one of trying out a post summer schedule, but here is a glimpse of what our test run looks like…for now anyway.

My babies and some of their pre-school friends 🙂

The new school schedule:

7:00 AM – Daddy gets home; I wake up, make breakfast (if it’s french toast or eggs or something similar) and get dressed.

7:45 AM – I wake up my son…he needs a good 15-20 minutes to wake up cause he loves his sleep like momma.

8:00 AM – I get my son downstairs to eat and my youngest wakes up, so I get her a bottle and (hopefully) lay her back down; if she doesn’t go back to sleep, I pass her on to daddy.

8:00 AM – I make sure both of his backpacks have what they need in them; if both girls are up, we change diapers, use the potty and wash faces & brush teeth.

8:25 AM – I make sure my son washes his face, brushes his teeth and gets dressed.

8:45 AM – I get my son and we head out the door to take him to school A (he really wants to ride the school bus but we’re not quite ready for all that yet, so driving it is).

9:15 AM – I get back home and get breakfast for the two little ladies (and maybe myself if I’m lucky), so the hubby can get a nap in.

10:00 AM – I get the girls washed up and dressed, make my son’s lunch and pack snacks for the girls for later. As I started to make lunch, I realized we ran out of bread. So had to leave a few minutes earlier so we could stop and grab some lunch.

10:45 AM – I would normally use this time to throw a load in the washing machine and/or put dishes away and wipe down the kitchen. But this got thrown out the window since we had to make a lunch run (guess I’ll start making lunch the night before).

11:30 AM – After grabbing lunch, we head over to go pick up big brother from school A…only as were about to walk out of the store, big sister needed to use the potty at the same time baby sister needed a serious diaper change…I’ll spare you the details on that one.

11:45 AM – By the skin of my teeth, we make it in time to pick up big brother and head down the street to school B.

12:00 AM – We get to the parking lot and eat lunch in the car.

12:30 AM – We drop off big brother and sister at school B then head back home (on Tuesdays & Thursdays, big sister doesn’t have school, but she tries to sneak into her classroom on those days anyway).

12:45 AM – We barely get home and baby girl has fallen asleep in the car.

1:00 PM – I get her out of the car and and in her crib.

1:10 PM – I wipe down the kitchen and put away the dishes.

1:30 PM – I can now throw that load of clothes in the washer, check e-mails, tweet & post on Facebook.

2:30 PM – I attempt to fold a load of laundry from the day before (and I really do make an attempt here).

3:00 PM – I get the baby ready and we head out to pick the kids up from school.

3:30 PM – We pick up the kids and head back home (or on nice days head to the park).

4:00 PM – Daddy is awake and ready to take on the kids (YAY!).

4-6:00 PM – This is my time to work on blog posts or do any other business related work.

6:00 PM – I get dinner prepared/started/cooked.

7:00 PM – We sit down to eat dinner.

7:40 PM – Daddy gives the kids a bath while I lay out/iron their clothes for the next day.

8:10 PM – The kids are in full bed time/wind down mode.

8:20 PM – Lights out, kids are in the bed (Hallelujah!).

8:30 PM – I put away the food and pack lunch for hubby; then check school bags for any paperwork I need to fill out/send back.

8:45 PM – I pack the kids’ snacks (and now lunch) for the next day; hubby leaves for work.

9-10:00 PM – Quiet house = MEEEEEEE TIME 🙂 🙂 🙂

10-12:00 AM – I’m reading, researching, and working.

12:30 AM – I’m in the bed…still working on this one but I am getting much better at it. I’ve only seen my clock hit past 1:00 AM once this week, so anyone that knows me, knows this is a BIG accomplishment (no more staying up  until 2/3AM)!

I’m sure this schedule will get tweaked/changed a few times over the next few weeks, but for now, it’s a good start.

How has your back-to-school schedule changed with the kids? What makes it more or less challenging?

Finally, I HAVE to leave you with this hilarious video that I posted on my Facebook page of the mom who was literally dancing in the street as her kids got on the school bus. Enjoy! 🙂

 

 

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3 Comments

  • T. Espi
    September 9, 2012 at 1:32 AM

    I really need to work out a schedule and try to regain MY sanity! That video was hilarious. Seriously.

  • Budusie
    December 28, 2015 at 12:52 PM

    What type of planner/journal/calendar do you use to keep the sanity? I think I have about 4 strands of hair left! LOL!!

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