School in Session

Every 4-6 months brings about a slight shift in routine. When school starts in September there is a drastic swing towards having more structure. After a summer full of freedom we are thrown into a ridged schedule of school bells, dance lessons, soccer games, and piano practice. As a mom who loves summer time when there are typically 8-10 neighbor kids running in and out of the house and the sprinklers are always on, I must admit I enjoy returning to a schedule. I tend to be so much more productive with a clear-cut agenda.

As I have been working to rewrite my weekly list of things to do now that school is in session I have come up with the following plan.

 From the beginning of my career as a stay at home mom I have scheduled my Monday’s as “Laundry Day” (check out my post on How to Do Laundry). My kids understand that on Mondays their Mom will be in the laundry room and they will be required to entertain themselves. If I start the day early and work until late I can finish all of our laundry in one day. I am a compulsive ironer (if that is a word) so almost everything that starts in the washer ends on the ironing board. Because of this there are times my Laundry day ironing pile spills over into Tuesday, but there is never enough to really interfere with cleaning day.

Tuesdays are cleaning day, always have been and always will be. (check out my post How to Clean Your House like A Professional to see how it works!) As a mother of three young children I am amazed at how messy a house can become in 7 days. I sometimes ask myself if there will ever be a time when my family members will help pick up the house without me nagging them; probably not. The way I see it, I have two choices, I can either be angry and frustrated with the condition of the house or I can accept that the floor may disappear from time to time. Our home is a much happier place to be if I choose option B. My one pacification is to know that my house will be clean, from top to bottom, at least one day each week. This includes bathrooms, floors, dusting, piles of mail, stacks of toys, etc. Tuesdays are the day.  (If you’d like to drop in unannounced, Tuesday evenings or Wednesday mornings are the perfect times!) This is also the day I take a quick trip to the grocery store (yes, I only shop one time per week!)

Monday and Tuesday both have a (C) next to them as they are constants in my life. Unless I am to be out of town I can always be found fulfilling these responsibilities on these particular days.

During my more structured fall/winter plans I will be spending my Wednesdays in the kitchen. I am a terrible baker but would like to improve; this will be an opportunity to practice a bit. I have recently learned to make cheese and have a strong desire to fill up my ‘cheese cave’. My once stocked freezer is running desperately low on freezer meals so this will be a time to stock up.(check out these posts on freezer meals and prep ahead meals: 10 meals in 1 day, slow cooker freezer meals, cheap meals)  The kids love working with me in the kitchen so they are excited for Wednesdays. Nap time is writing/blogging time.

I never fully understood why, but women tend to NEED some creative time, just as men tend to NEED some TV time (or other form of relaxation). My sewing machine has been idle for months now, as my hands have been covered in mud since last March. The scrapbooks haven’t grown even an inch, and my waist line has grown too many inches, as I haven’t been exercising nearly enough. Thursdays have been set aside as a day for action and growth.  Again, nap time is writing/blogging time.

By the end of the week my motivation for projects, cooking, and strict motherly antics is completely gone. I am ready to do something FUN! When the weather is nice we plan to go hiking, or to the cabin. After things cool off a bit we will splash around in the heated pool or visit the warmer vistas of St. George. Or, if we are feeling especially worn out we will simply bombard Grandmas great basement play room or drop in on the neighbors up the street. Any change of scenery will do.

I’m not sure how others feel, but I have learned to never make reoccurring plans for Saturdays because something always comes up and changes whatever plan I had. So the Saturday plan is to make NO plan.

Religion is a major part of my life. I prefer it this way. As a member of a Sunday worshiping religion I have this day set aside for worship and family time.

So there it is; a schedule that is both flexible and structured, a plan to give me something to work towards each week, a method for accomplishing my list of projects.  Organizing your daily activities is a valuable tool when looking for opportunities to be successful. By putting my responsibilities (laundry, cleaning, shopping) at the first of the week I am able to use my time more wisely during the middle and end of the week.  Do you structure your weeks or just take things as they come?