It started last week. I finished the day having been incredibly busy and accomplishing nothing. I was irritated, and exhausted, and had nothing to show for it.
I’m usually fairly productive during the days, but I have a lot on my plate. Because my husband travels a lot for work I manage 99% of our household: food, laundry, vehicles, finances, taxes, pets, urchins…eh children, etc.
I’ve been pretty good at winging it every day, but since adding the 5th human member to our family a year ago, I’ve been chronically late, our house is chronically messy, and I’ve been chronically tired.
3 strikes and something tells me that my “system”, or lack thereof is no longer working.
So, I’ve put us on a schedule. The word itself irks me a bit, because I like to be free, and I also can tend to be a bit of a tight a** when it comes to someone messing up my schedule.
However, having only implemented our new schedule for one day, I have been surprised to find that we have actually more freedom within the day.
I’ve prepared and cleaned up 2 meals, the house is clean, the babies are down for naps, I’ve done 2 loads of laundry (and they are put away, as opposed to how they usually end up for dayyzzzz.) Anyone else do the laundry shuffle?? i.e. move from bed to couch for sleeping, oh crap people are coming over, move back from couch to bed, and repeat.
Anyhow, Henry and I are now having tea while I write and he does some schoolwork. I’ve got meat thawing for dinner, and I’m surprisingly full of energy. I think my body knows that A. there is a plan of action and B. there is an end in sight and so I’m able to relax within each time frame. I’m also learning not to multi-task. As in, keeping this scenario from happening:
take load of laundry in to laundry room, oh, look, the vacuum was left out, oh, I’ll just vacuum this one room…oh, now I’m noticing that the cabinets need to be wiped down, I’ll just organize this one pantry shelf, I need to start dinner, oh, we’re out of onions *write that down*, oh, I can’t forget to get vinegar at Costco tomorrow, when is my membership up? *checks calendar* Oh, look! It’s my sister’s birthday, I’ll give her a call…what was I doing??
And by the end of the day i’ve done 15% of 45 things and nothing is finished.
We’ve always had bed times for our kids, and had a general rhythm to the day, but I can say that having “starting” and “stopping” points within the day has changed my life for the better already!
I frequently have readers ask what my days look like and my response is something like:
drag self out of bed, nurse baby, make coffee, gulp coffee…make meal, clean up meal, kids laughing, kids playing, kids crying, make meal, clean up meal, kids screamingbutit’sokbecausetheyarehavingfun, make meal, clean up meal, mooorrre coffee, kiss a boo boo, wipe a bottom, fold 1/2 load of laundry, clean up kitchen, kids to bed, crash on couch for 2 mins, clean up house, write, edit, post, fall into bed…and repeat.
If I didn’t mind having a messy house, or leaving dishes dirty in the sink, or if I fed my family fast food a lot this might be easier. But I’m of the personality that can’t really relax when the house is a mess, or dishes are piled up, and I enjoy cooking and also value the health factor of eating at home.
So, I give you, my new source of sanity:
Bentley Family Schedule
6am Wake up (me) & work out (starting a new workout! I’ll give more details soon as well as asking you all to join in with me if you want!!)
7-7:30 Shower & dressed
7:30 Kids up
7:30-8:30 Breakfast
8:30 – 10 Play time with Etta, dishes, chores or errands (depending on the day)
10 – 11:30 Etta nap time, boys outside play time
11:30-12 Lunch
12 – 1 Dishes/play time
1-3:30 Etta & Miles nap, Henry school
4:30 – 5:30 Prep dinner, kids clean up the house
5:30 – 6:30 Dinner
6:30 – 7:30 Baths (only 3x/weekish), story, get ready for bed
7:30 All children to bed (and amen)
7:30 – 8:30 Dishes, clean up house, game time with Henry
8:30 – 10 Me time, free time, wine time, hubby time,writing time
10:30 Bed/wind down
11:00 Sleep
There ’tis. I’m so excited. Oh, and I had promised my most ridiculous/lazy purchase ever. Here it is:
MY POT FILLER! I mean, these may go the way of the intercom systems from the 70’s, but for now, I freaking love this thing. No, it’s not necessary. At All. But I made mashed potatoes last night, and I gotta say, filling that big pot right there on the stove was kinda brilliant. It also makes making kombucha easier too. It only felt right putting one in since A. we were running new water lines anyway, and 2. We have a whole-house water filter now!
Ahh…my kids are sleeping. So, I’m gonna go do something. Don’t know what, but it will be amazing, something like staring off into the distance for 15 solid minutes.
much love.
