Not as planned but still working!

Last week's schedule posts did not go as planned.  But here is the good news, we are up and running this week!  I really do love having something to shoot for each day.  It helps keep my life a little more calm and organized.  I said a little.  I do have 5 kids ya know. 

 

Here is the list for my week.  I didn't do a blog for Friday and I don't even remember why now.  Hahaha.  But this is it compiled.  

 

Sunday: 

This is a project day

I also like to get a jump-start on laundry

 

Monday:

Big laundry day

Weekly bread baking

deep-cleaning goal: the fridge

 

Tuesday:

Finish laundry (clean up laundry room and family closet)

Shopping day-groceries, Sams, ect...

deep-cleaning goal: car

 

Wednesday:

Bake/cook ahead for freezer

vacuum and dust

deep-cleaning goal: windows

 

Thursday:

upstairs-kids rooms and bathroom

wash sheets

deep-cleaning goal: kitchen (wipe down cabinets/appliances

 

Friday:

Bathrooms :(

Floors-wood and kitchen

Bake challah for Shabbat (Sabbath) meal AKA. our celebration of God's day of rest!

 

Saturday:

REST!!!  This is a day to spend time with our family.  Cooking is kept to a minimum and we try to keep from doing any unnecessary work.  It is really nice, after a busy week, to have a day with no pressure.  Life being what it is, we usually have an activity to go to at some point during the day.  But they are things we enjoy together.

 

That is it!  Of course there is a lot that goes on that I don't write down.  I am pretty much constantly tidying.  If I don't, it will overwhelm me.  I do dishes several times a day.  I also cook meals.  That is a big part of my day. 

 

It is also very important to me to spend time playing and hanging out with my kiddos.  I try to include them in my activities as much as possible but that is not always easy!

 

In addition, I love alone time!  So I usually end up staying up late to get a little time to just decompress.  I have been trying to make time for the treadmill during nap time but that has been on and off.

 

Whew!  It sounds like a lot but my days are manageable.  This would not have worked for me when I had more littles at home.  Having bigger kids makes a difference.  They help out a lot and have their own responsibilities in our home.  I rarely have to put dishes away or take out trash anymore.  And they take care of all our animals.  My oldest helps a ton with the baby when I need to cook or take a shower.  It is a group effort!

 

So that is my hope and goal.  Flexibility will dictate what actually gets done.  But I will be happy with that.  

 

It is Wednesday so I am off to dust and vacuum!  Let me know if you have any success with a schedule.  I am always interested to see how others manage their homes.  I would love to hear from a working mom!  I don't know how you girls do it! 

 

 

  

Worst week to be organized.

Yes, I picked the worst week to start a new schedule.  It has not been a "normal" week.  With a sick baby, a day away from the house for me and some winter-weather issues, no day has gone as planned.

 

I intend to carry on.  Here is my schedule for Wednesday and Thursday.  We did not actually follow it this week for various reasons but still got some things done!

 

Wednesday:

 

My plan for this day is to focus on vacuuming and dusting the house.  These two just go together to me.  It is fairly easy to do and the littles can even help me.

 

I was not home yesterday.  The kids stayed with Daddy.  I am pretty sure Daddy did not follow my schedule.  So the vacuuming and dusting will have to wait for another day.

 

The other thing on my Wednesday schedule is to bake/cook ahead for the rest of the week.  I will use this time to make muffins or breakfast breads to have on busy mornings.  Or if the freezer is full of bread, I may try to get some dishes prepared ahead of time or pre-cook some meat, beans or broths.  It really helps with evening meals to have a plan and to have some things already prepped. 

 

Daddy didn't clean, but he did make some bread.  Pretty good Daddy!

 

Thursday has been another story.  Wednesday afternoon we discovered the 5 degree temperatures had frozen our pipes.  We still had cold water in the bathroom but had no hot water at all.  This makes things a little more difficult. 

 

These pots on the stove are my hot water today.  I use them to make a sink of hot water to wash dishes or to make warm water to brush teeth and wash faces.  The cookies?  They are for moral support.  (And for the kids who stayed home from school in a non-sanctioned snow day.) 

This is my rinsing bucket.  It really works great!  Of course this was Daddy's idea.  I am surprised how little water I actually need to use to do my dishes.  It makes me want to conserve more in my usual routine.

 

On my schedule for Thursday is cleaning the upstairs which is where the kids bedrooms are.  They are responsible for keeping their rooms clean.  But it is good for me to go up once a week to make sure the clothes are out from under the bed and that the bathroom is really clean.

 

Also, I have everyone strip their beds to wash sheets. 

 

If I have time, or if little hands need to be busy, we also try to wash a few windows. 

 

Today has been a challenge with everyone home and no hot water.  But my heart is thankful because we are taken care of.  Our needs are met.  Sometimes losing a convenience really helps with appreciation of what we do have. 

 

Enjoy the day where you are.

 

This is our day from the kitchen window.

 

 

See you on Friday!

 



Tuesday

Remember that whole flexibility thing I was talking about?  I have had to employ it already.  On Tuesday.  That is Mom life.

 

  My little Birdie was feeling like this today.

She was so sad and sleepy.  She felt a bit hot to me but not enough to worry about. 
I think it might be canine teeth.  Those hurt!  So we cuddled.  It was lovely.  I have no regrets!

Our outside looked like this today so motivation was not my friend anyway.  Luckily, I had clothes that still needed to be folded from yesterday.  So we finished up laundry and cuddled.  What a glorious day!

I also had tortillas to finish.  While my baby slept, I rolled.  They are soooo good.

 

So my day was not really that productive but I have to be ok with that.  My babies are my first priority.  Normal Tuesdays should look like this...

 

-Finish laundry

-Grocery shopping/errands (This includes going to multiple stores and putting all of that stuff away. That is a huge job!)

-Catch up day

 

So Tuesdays are pretty flexible anyway.  If I have no shopping to do then I have a chance to catch up on small projects at home.

 

See you tomorrow!

 

 

Our weekly schedule...at least for now.

When Matt started his new job 2 weeks ago, I began to alter my days to fit his.  (It is part of what I do as a stay-at-home wife and mom.)  I started playing with a new schedule for myself.  It interested me to see how other families order their days so I thought someone might be interested to see how we order ours.

 

My hope and goal for my days at home is to have each day filled with activity that will help our lives run smoothly.  I thrive on order but my life is not full of order.  It can cause me to get cranky.  My attempt at feeling a bit in control each day is to have a schedule or a set list of daily goals.

 

This is my first week implementing this with Matt working his new schedule.  So we will see what works and what does not.  As always, there must be some flexibility in all I do.  I want to have the freedom to sit with a sick kid or to go visit a friend or even just to read a book and drink coffee if I need a break.  So there is no guilt here, just guidelines for myself.

 

Here is our first Monday.

 

Monday is traditionally a laundry day for me.  I try to get most of it done on Monday but it usually spills over into Tuesday.  Some people prefer to do it all week long.  I would rather get it done in one day and then do a load here and there if need be.  I like to do laundry as little as possible. (Also, I didn't think a picture was necessary.)

 

 

I usually make bread on Mondays.  We had lots of bread left over from the weekend and from our Bountiful Baskets order so I decided to make tortillas.

Tortillas are very forgiving.  They may not always end up perfectly round but roundish still tastes good.
 

 

You can roll a few tortillas out at a time and keep the dough in the fridge or you can roll them all at once.  (The liquid gold in the jar is chicken broth.  I love to can my own and cook with it all of the time!)

The babies (who are 4 and almost 2) and I played with some fun pompoms and pipe cleaners.  We made all sorts of things!

This sweet girl showed up at our house last night.  It was just too cold to let her wander.  We brought her in and bathed her.  She is a very good dog but I know she belongs to someone.  We are hoping to find her owners soon!  This was not on my schedule for Monday. ;)

 

And for lunch, leftover posole with our tortillas!  The kids wouldn't eat this but PBandJ's don't photograph well. :)

 

This all has to be done before the kids get home because then the evening duties start!  Also, through the day I try to keep up with dishes so they aren't piled up.  I pick up things as I walk around the house too.  It is a lot of work but it is better than feeling overwhelmed at the end of the day.  I don't always keep up but it feels good when I do! 

 

I have down days.  Days when I just cannot do another dish or cook another meal.  Those are days I really have to focus on what I've been called to and to remember God's grace for mothers.  That helps.  Other days, well, I might just watch a movie with the kids and cook frozen pizza for dinner. 

 

See you tomorrow!

 

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