Oh my schedules...

Okay - so today's post is a little awkard.  But I always have people ask me (especially working moms) if I get bored during the day, staying home.  Once I say NO!, they ask what we do all day.  I remember asking this same thing to other moms before I had Caeden.  Sooo....this led me to post about this topic. As many of you know, I like schedules - I like to tell myself that it was a gift God gave me.  Of course, some of my family members would beg to differ. ;) 

(Quick Story: When I was a little girl and we would go on a 5 hour car trip to see my grandparents, I would write out my own schedule-unprompted by my parents-for the car ride.  It was divided up into time segments and included activities such as "coloring," "family singing," "reading," and "sleeping."  I seriously followed the schedules and even as a little girl I loved it!!!  It was so fun to me!)

So fast forward 20 years, and I still love schedules! I love making them and living them out.  So this shouldn't surprise you that I have a schedule for my week.  I made this several months ago and still do it most days!  I do this for many reasons:
1. It makes my day go by quicker.
2. It gives Caeden (and Ella) structure to their day.
3. It ensures that I have effective learning time in their day (not just random play for 8 hours).
4. It allows me time to get things done, while also knowing I'm spending plenty of time with the kids.

I'm posting our schedule below.  I realize the print is small, so if you really want to read the details, you can click on the picture and it will become larger.  I don't know why I'm posting this - maybe some of you stay-at-home-mom's will want to use part of it??

Just a few clarifications:

• Mom: Morning Routine refers to when I take a shower, make our bed, start a load of laundry, etc.  I just get my quick "morning" things done.
• Mom: Daily Tasks refers to my other daily "chores" I need to get done during the day.
• Structured Playtime is when the child sits with me and we have "learning time."  We are always playing one-on-one during this time, but I intentionally choose toys that I use as teaching tools.  (EX- We will practice counting our blocks, finding colors, jumping, etc.)
• Blanket Time is when that child sits on a large blanket for 15-20 min and plays with toys that I have laid out for them.  They know they are not to get off the blanket until they hear the timer.  This teaches them boundaries, self-control, and is also a useful tool when we're out (ie - in a drs office) and you don't want them running around.
• Table Time is when we have our Bible story time, practice our memory verse, color, do puzzles, etc.
• Just in case you're wondering, the reason there's such a small time allotment for Caeden's nap is because he rarely sleeps any longer than that.  He's never been an exceptional napper. :)  Ella, on the other hand, will sleep 2-3 hours. So Caeden and I have our own playtime while she continues to sleep.
• Couch Time is when Reid and I have our 15 minutes to talk to each other and just share about our days.  We purposely do this BEFORE Caeden is in bed, so he can witness our love for each other and that we are a priority to each other.  He has slowly learned that this is his time to play independently while it's "mommy and daddy time."

Okay - I think that's it!  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't read this and think you should be doing the same thing!  It probably won't work for you!  It works for me because this is how I am!  Plus, your children have totally different needs and are obviously on a different time schedule.  Yes, I am flexible with this if we have a random day with something different to do.  But we really do try to stick to this most days.  You are welcome to take some of these ideas and adapt them to your own schedule.  Hope you enjoyed...and don't think I'm too weird!