This list is so long that Jonah had to get his reading specs for it!
Is it just me, or are there other people who would like to step off of the crazy carousel ride that we seem so eager to get onto at first?
I will say that my children do not join every club, team, or sport that comes down the pike. But there are 5 of them, so any little thing that they do is magnified 5-fold.
So here is what a typical week looks like at our house:
Sunday- Church. Always 5- 10 minutes late. I hate to be late especially to church. It seems irreverent.
Monday- 6am, get Jesse going
7am- kiss Jesse goodbye
kiss Sebastian goodbye
Read- preferably my Bible, though admittedly not often enough
7:30 shower, dress, drink coffee
8 am get Caleb, Libby, and Abby going
8:45 kiss Caleb, Libby, and Abby goodbye
get Jonah going
drink coffee
9 am talk to Andreena. This is a standing Mon. morning phone date.
9:30- 3 pm clean house.
This whole day is devoted to sort, wash, dry, fold laundry. When the kids get home they
must put it away.
drink coffee
3:30-4 self serve snack
4-5 pm Homework
5-6 pm Make dinner
6-6:10 devour dinner
6:10- 7 clean the kitchen
7-8 pm Baths and reading
8-8:30 prayers, kisses, much stalling
8:30- 11pm I hide in my office and blog or I watch a movie
11ish drop into bed exhausted.
Tuesday- Much the same until 8:45 am
8:45 am load Abby and Jonah up and go to Mops until about noon. If I am smart, I remember to pack them a
lunch to eat on the way home so Jonah can go straight to a nap and Abby can have quiet time with a movie.
3:30 see above
6:15 take middle 3 to AWANA
7pm- 8:10 catch up on any office work I have missed or any remaining house work.
8:10 leave to pick up middle 3 from AWANA
8:45 return with wired kids
8:50-9:00 eat a piece of fruit or some crackers and get your butts in bed! Oh yeah, I love you.
Wednesday- Same thing as Monday except school starts an hour and twenty minutes late every Wednesday so I skip
the kiss Sebastian goodbye thing.
9 am every other Wed- take Jonah to day care- time is important because that is what time they start their
academic day, and Wed is chapel. On the Wed that he is at daycare Abby goes to school. On the Wed that he
is home so is she. I work in my office the day that they are gone. All day. I emerge when it is time for the kids
to come home. On our "off" Wed we do something fun like go to the library, or every once in a while, treat
ourselves to Starbucks hot chocolate.
Same afternoon routine- except add in an extra child. I babysit for one of my teacher friends while she has a
weekly meeting. Not a big deal. Her son and my son entertain each other the whole time.
Thursday- Same as Monday am routine until 8:45
8:45 take JoJo to daycare- every Thurs. Work until the kids come home from school.
1st Thurs of month 9-12 MOPs leadership meeting
4:15 load every one up to go get JoJo.
Same evening routine
3rd Thursday of the month 5-9 MOPs leadership meeting
Friday- Same morning- except Abby doesn't go to school.
Some time during the day I go grocery shopping. I also strip and remake the beds (This is the only time
during the week that I make my kid's beds. The rest of the week it is up to them- or not. I don't care.) wash,
dry fold, put away bedding.
Same evening. Sometimes we go out on Fri night to play and stay up until really late. This is also the day
the video games come out and they get to stay out until Sun night- absolutely no video games before church.
Saturday- Do the "BIG" clean. AKA all the kids junk gets put away by the kids so that I can clean easier on Mon.
Then play all day. No schedule.
I feel like we are extremely busy all the time. I will admit, though, that unless I am in my office I am not very productive. Aside from all the time I spend chasing Jonah around making him clean things like all the soap he has pumped into the sink, or all the paper he has pulled out of my shredder bin, or all the cards he has spread all over the living room, or all the crayons that he has... I know I spend a lot of time puttering. Not really getting anything done- but busy none the less.
Does any one have a large family and tips for me- especially about how to change my time so that it is more productive and I can be more prepared for when the buzz of kids is all around me? Please let me know.
Is it just me, or are there other people who would like to step off of the crazy carousel ride that we seem so eager to get onto at first?
I will say that my children do not join every club, team, or sport that comes down the pike. But there are 5 of them, so any little thing that they do is magnified 5-fold.
So here is what a typical week looks like at our house:
Sunday- Church. Always 5- 10 minutes late. I hate to be late especially to church. It seems irreverent.
Monday- 6am, get Jesse going
7am- kiss Jesse goodbye
kiss Sebastian goodbye
Read- preferably my Bible, though admittedly not often enough
7:30 shower, dress, drink coffee
8 am get Caleb, Libby, and Abby going
8:45 kiss Caleb, Libby, and Abby goodbye
get Jonah going
drink coffee
9 am talk to Andreena. This is a standing Mon. morning phone date.
9:30- 3 pm clean house.
This whole day is devoted to sort, wash, dry, fold laundry. When the kids get home they
must put it away.
drink coffee
3:30-4 self serve snack
4-5 pm Homework
5-6 pm Make dinner
6-6:10 devour dinner
6:10- 7 clean the kitchen
7-8 pm Baths and reading
8-8:30 prayers, kisses, much stalling
8:30- 11pm I hide in my office and blog or I watch a movie
11ish drop into bed exhausted.
Tuesday- Much the same until 8:45 am
8:45 am load Abby and Jonah up and go to Mops until about noon. If I am smart, I remember to pack them a
lunch to eat on the way home so Jonah can go straight to a nap and Abby can have quiet time with a movie.
3:30 see above
6:15 take middle 3 to AWANA
7pm- 8:10 catch up on any office work I have missed or any remaining house work.
8:10 leave to pick up middle 3 from AWANA
8:45 return with wired kids
8:50-9:00 eat a piece of fruit or some crackers and get your butts in bed! Oh yeah, I love you.
Wednesday- Same thing as Monday except school starts an hour and twenty minutes late every Wednesday so I skip
the kiss Sebastian goodbye thing.
9 am every other Wed- take Jonah to day care- time is important because that is what time they start their
academic day, and Wed is chapel. On the Wed that he is at daycare Abby goes to school. On the Wed that he
is home so is she. I work in my office the day that they are gone. All day. I emerge when it is time for the kids
to come home. On our "off" Wed we do something fun like go to the library, or every once in a while, treat
ourselves to Starbucks hot chocolate.
Same afternoon routine- except add in an extra child. I babysit for one of my teacher friends while she has a
weekly meeting. Not a big deal. Her son and my son entertain each other the whole time.
Thursday- Same as Monday am routine until 8:45
8:45 take JoJo to daycare- every Thurs. Work until the kids come home from school.
1st Thurs of month 9-12 MOPs leadership meeting
4:15 load every one up to go get JoJo.
Same evening routine
3rd Thursday of the month 5-9 MOPs leadership meeting
Friday- Same morning- except Abby doesn't go to school.
Some time during the day I go grocery shopping. I also strip and remake the beds (This is the only time
during the week that I make my kid's beds. The rest of the week it is up to them- or not. I don't care.) wash,
dry fold, put away bedding.
Same evening. Sometimes we go out on Fri night to play and stay up until really late. This is also the day
the video games come out and they get to stay out until Sun night- absolutely no video games before church.
Saturday- Do the "BIG" clean. AKA all the kids junk gets put away by the kids so that I can clean easier on Mon.
Then play all day. No schedule.
I feel like we are extremely busy all the time. I will admit, though, that unless I am in my office I am not very productive. Aside from all the time I spend chasing Jonah around making him clean things like all the soap he has pumped into the sink, or all the paper he has pulled out of my shredder bin, or all the cards he has spread all over the living room, or all the crayons that he has... I know I spend a lot of time puttering. Not really getting anything done- but busy none the less.
Does any one have a large family and tips for me- especially about how to change my time so that it is more productive and I can be more prepared for when the buzz of kids is all around me? Please let me know.
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