Q&A Wednesday: My Schedule {right now}

I've been asked a couple of times this week, "What do your days look like?"  My schedule changes often to meet different needs at certain phases in my life, but I'll share with you what my schedule looks like right now, at this stage: a 1st grader, pre-schooler and a toddler (who doesn't toddle).

I'm a pretty routine person, which is one of the reasons I think I get so much accomplished. I'm often asked, "How do you get so much done?" or "How do you have time to blog/scrapbook/bake/cook every night?" Personally, I think it's all in my habits. That and the fact that my hobbies are fairly productive (producing blog posts, producing scrapbook pages, producing homemade bread or producing from-scratch chicken pot pie).  I don't watch much t.v. and I really don't read very often.  And, as much as it pains me, I hardly talk on the phone anymore.

Sorry, back to the schedule...

6:45am - Ryan wakes up; he is a human alarm clock.  He is responsible for doing all of his upstairs chores (make bed, get dressed, PJs put away, pick up room, brush teeth) before going downstairs.  Hearing him up and about usually wakes up Mike and me.  (How pathetic is it that my kid wakes me up every day?  What's worse is that it's at 6:45!  Just being honest. Someday, my goal is to consistently be awake before my household, but that's not how it's going right now.)

7:00am - Drag myself out of bed, put in my contacts, get dressed for the gym, make my bed, quickly check my email.  Once all that is done (about 10 minutes later), I get Jason up and dressed and bring him downstairs.

7:15am - Everyone eats breakfast.  If I didn't make lunches and move the laundry from the washer to the dryer the night before, I do both of those things. We usually do our Bible lesson during breakfast and review our daily Godly character trait for the day.

7:35am - Ryan leaves for the bus stop and Mike leaves for work.  The little kids slowly finish eating while I clean the kitchen, unload the dishwasher and fold the laundry in the dryer.

8:00am - Do Kaylin's hair and check her chores (make bed, brush teeth, vacuum kitchen, wipe bathroom counter).

8:15am - Mondays and Wednesdays we go to the gym at this time.  Tuesdays and Thursdays I play with the kids until 8:45, then drive Kaylin to school.  Fridays, the kids play while I do housework until my friend Alison comes over to work out at 9:00.

9:30am - We're usually getting home from the gym or returning from dropping Kaylin at school.  Jason goes down for a nap until 11:00. On MWF, Kaylin and I have a snack. 

T/Th: When Kaylin's at school, I put Jason down for a nap, then do my Bible study homework and sometimes do the Wii Active. (on the perfect day, I do both) After that, I usually get on the computer; blogging, meal planning, printing coupons, making my grocery lists, replying to emails, scheduling appointments, etc.

M: I host a small ladies Bible study at 10am and our kids play while we go through our lesson.

W: I spend time with Kaylin; do her reading lesson book, color, bake, fold and put away laundry together, cook dinner (if it's a casserole or meatloaf type meal) to stick in the fridge, etc.

F: Kaylin's playing with Alison's kids while we workout in the family room.

11:30am - Jason wakes up and we all eat lunch. (T/Th at 11:30, we pick Kaylin up from school) After lunch, I try to run an errand (Costco, Target, Walmart, the grocery store, etc) to get everyone out of the house and break up the day.  If we stay home, the kids will play together while I do chores or Kaylin and I will make something in the kitchen while Jason tears apart the house plays on the floor nearby.

1:30/2pm - Both kids go down for naps/quiet time in their rooms.  I do my Bible study homework (if I didn't do it at 9:30), then catch up on the computer.

3:00pm - Ryan gets off the bus and has an after school snack.  If Kaylin is awake, she joins us, if not, we talk about his day and go through is backpack.

3:30pm - Jason wakes up and has a snack, Ryan does his homework, Kaylin colors or does her own "homework."

4/4:30pm - I start dinner while Ryan does his afternoon chores (unloads dishwasher/takes out trash and recycle bin as needed, sets the table for dinner). 

5:15pm - The kids and I do a 5-minute pick up of toys and the kitchen before Mike comes home.

5:30pm - We all eat dinner.

6:15/6:30pm - The kids clear the table and Ryan vacuums the kitchen.  After that, Mike does the dishes while the big kids shower and I give Jason a bath.  Then everyone gets their PJs on.

6:45pm - Mike reads the kids stories while I finish cleaning the kitchen, make lunches for the next day, check that Ryan's backpack is ready to go and start a load of laundry.

7:00pm - The kids go to bed and Mike and I collapse downstairs. We spend a few minutes catching up and going over the day before going our separate ways.  This week, we've taken this time to both do our daily Bible reading (we're going through a "read through the Bible in a year" challenge with our church).  After that, sometimes we watch t.v. together, but usually he watches a man show (Myth Busters, History channel, football) while I scrapbook or catch up on the computer.

10/10:30pm - Time for bed!

There are obviously interruptions to the schedule, like volunteering at the kids' schools and during sports seasons.  Kaylin has gymnastics on Wednesdays afternoons, so I have Ryan do his homework while she's in class.  During football season, Ryan has practice one night a week and games on Friday nights so everyone gets to bed later than normal.  Monday nights, we host a couples Bible study for church and I have Bunco a couple of times a month...you know, stuff comes up.

But that's the gist of my life.  Lots of the same, day in and day out.  I like the routine, and when I notice myself getting bored, Jason's nap schedule will change or there will be a school disruption (Spring Break, Christmas break, summer) - it's enough to keep things interesting enough!

Later this week, I'm going to write about priorities.  I was really struck by a chapter in our Bible study book about the topic and I want to get my thoughts out in a post.  But not now...it's time to get ready for Ryan to come home!