So, why is it that learning to wait is so difficult? Is it just me, or is it fairly common? I don't really see myself as an impatient person, more like I want to get busy accomplishing the things I feel the Lord has for us to do. I am a do-er, this I freely admit. But this season of my life is definitely a "waiting" season. There are several new things on the horizon, all of which involve lots of work, but I can't yet move on any of them. So here I am, waiting...
For a person who is a do-er, this is the difficult part. I am definitely a "Martha" when it comes to personality. You know, "cumbered about with much serving" and wondering why her sister is just sitting. (Probably because she left nothing for her to do--at least that's what I usually end up doing!) So, I have been trying to remember the Lord's words to Martha lately and trying to "choose that good thing." But it is difficult for me to have this mentality without feeling that I am wasting time. Things to be done, time to do them, yet I am waiting.
So, I have been trying to keep busy with the other, everyday things that we have going on around here, and to remember that waiting on the Lord is the time to renew our strength, like the Bible says in Isaiah. Because I know soon it will be time to run the race, and now is the time to prepare. But no one ever said the preparation was exciting! :)
So, else has been going on around here? Well, we have been pretty busy. Last week we had a couple of fun things to do as a family. I took the boys bowling for the first time. That was a hoot! They really enjoyed it...even Stitch! He was so cute in the tiny bowling shoes! We also had a trip to the local science museum last Friday. We brought some friends, so we had a big group of people with us. It is always a great time for all. I should be posting the pics from the trip on Facebook soon.
Our weekend was busy too, with a Scout fishing trip early on Saturday morning. Daddy woke the boys up early and then they headed to the lake. They came back with sun-burns (even though I sent sun block!) and had lots of fun. Then when they came home, I left with my mom to get some shopping done. I got Hubby a tool box for Father's Day, which he has been wanting for a while. I hope it will help with the problem of "Do you know where I left my _______?", but I don't hold out hope for that...
Well, that about wraps it up for doings around here. I'm trying to learn to wait, and trying to keep busy while waiting! Does that cancel itself out? :)
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Don't Forget Dad!
This Sunday is Father's Day. So, I thought I'd put down a few thoughts that I've had lately about our dads and how important they are in our lives, and the lives of our kids.
I am so grateful for my own dad. He has always been the best example of Christ-like giving that I can think of. When people talk about generosity, or selflessness, it is always my dad that I think of. Because he will literally give you the last of whatever he has without thought for himself. I hope to be as giving as he is one day. I am also grateful that my dad is still around, because a year ago he almost wasn't. During the scary time of his cancer battle, I always had peace that God would bring him through. I am glad that this Father's Day, he is here and healthy!
I am also grateful for the Godly husband I have, who does his best every day to be a great dad to our sons. He is tough, yet loving, and that's what boys need the most! He is so great about spending time with them, doing Legos, teaching them to ride bikes or plant a garden, and instructing them in how to live in the right way. I hope my boys will grow up to be great dads--just like their dad was for them!
I found a poem the other day in a book I have, and I just thought I'd share it. It was written by Edgar Guest, and I found it in The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett. It really exemplifies what being a dad is about to me; the sacrifice, commitment, and courage it takes every day to be a father.
I am so grateful for my own dad. He has always been the best example of Christ-like giving that I can think of. When people talk about generosity, or selflessness, it is always my dad that I think of. Because he will literally give you the last of whatever he has without thought for himself. I hope to be as giving as he is one day. I am also grateful that my dad is still around, because a year ago he almost wasn't. During the scary time of his cancer battle, I always had peace that God would bring him through. I am glad that this Father's Day, he is here and healthy!
I am also grateful for the Godly husband I have, who does his best every day to be a great dad to our sons. He is tough, yet loving, and that's what boys need the most! He is so great about spending time with them, doing Legos, teaching them to ride bikes or plant a garden, and instructing them in how to live in the right way. I hope my boys will grow up to be great dads--just like their dad was for them!
I found a poem the other day in a book I have, and I just thought I'd share it. It was written by Edgar Guest, and I found it in The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett. It really exemplifies what being a dad is about to me; the sacrifice, commitment, and courage it takes every day to be a father.
"Only A Dad"
Only a dad with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little gold or fame
To show how well he has played the game;
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come and to hear his voice.
Only a dad with a brood of four,
Of ten million men or more
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and scorns of life,
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.
Only a dad, neither rich or proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd,
Toiling, striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Silent whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.
Only a dad but he gives his all,
To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing with courage stern and grim
The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen:
Only a dad, but the best of men.
Happy Father's Day! We love our dads! :)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Bits & Pieces
Well, since I posted "business" stuff recently, I thought I'd do a "fun" post today! Just a few little things to give you a peek into what's been going on around here lately...
One thing we are excited about around here right now is our new way to keep cool. It has been exceptionally hot since the beginning of June. (This is the weather that makes you believe in "global warming," haha!) So last weekend, Mommy and Daddy discussed our "keeping cool" situation. In the past summers, we have gotten those little plastic pools and just let the boys have fun. But the bigger boys are getting, well, too big for them now! So, we talked about getting a larger above-ground pool. But the thought of this makes me a nervous wreck, especially since there isn't a ladder out there that Stitch can't climb, and a cover that he can't open!
So, we decided on a...sprinkler! Cheap, fun, easy to get out and put away, and best of all, no one ever drowned in a sprinkler! The boys have been having lots of fun, and Mommy has been getting lots of pictures! (If you're my FB friend, head on over there and check 'em out!)
The boys aren't the only ones feeling the heat. Our little garden is thriving, despite the nearly triple-digit temps outside. I am especially happy about this, since I have been the one (mostly) who has been trying to keep it going. And you may not know this about me, but I cannot keep plants alive. I mean it. Not even desert plants like aloe vera. Hubby took the aloe plant that someone had given us to work with him to "save it." I think I inherited this from my grandmother (on my mom's side) who has the same problem. My mom and my other grandmother are great with plants. Not me...black thumb all the way! Which is why when I saw our first little tomato, I just had to take its picture...
Isn't it cute? :) And since then, it has been joined by more tomato friends and a few baby bell peppers!
Since it's summer, we've had lots of extra time to play with Legos, and since we've had some birthdays, we've gotten a couple of new sets. First-Born saved up some money and got an Egyptian adventure set, complete with obelisk and flying mummies! (That's right...flying mummies...how else could they catch the plane?) Here some pics of the finished products...the bi-plane for escaping with the jewel from the obelisk...(although I have to admit, the wing of the plane doesn't seem like the safest place for it...)
Here's the obelisk and the flying mummy...
Middle Biscuit got a Cars Lego set with some of his birthday loot. He got a Lightening McQueen and a Tow Mater. Unfortunately, he build them and un-built them so quickly I couldn't get a pic of them! If he gets around to putting them back together I'll try to snap one; they're really cute! He did build this for me though...he called it "Mommy in the Park." (Not sure why I have on a dr.'s outfit...)
I also added a piece to the Harry Potter stuff I've been building. It's "The Burrow", which is the family home of Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's best friend. It has lots of little fun details, like owls, food, and Mrs. Weasley's clock.
Well, that's some fun stuff from around here. Hope you all have a great weekend with your families! :)
One thing we are excited about around here right now is our new way to keep cool. It has been exceptionally hot since the beginning of June. (This is the weather that makes you believe in "global warming," haha!) So last weekend, Mommy and Daddy discussed our "keeping cool" situation. In the past summers, we have gotten those little plastic pools and just let the boys have fun. But the bigger boys are getting, well, too big for them now! So, we talked about getting a larger above-ground pool. But the thought of this makes me a nervous wreck, especially since there isn't a ladder out there that Stitch can't climb, and a cover that he can't open!
So, we decided on a...sprinkler! Cheap, fun, easy to get out and put away, and best of all, no one ever drowned in a sprinkler! The boys have been having lots of fun, and Mommy has been getting lots of pictures! (If you're my FB friend, head on over there and check 'em out!)
The boys aren't the only ones feeling the heat. Our little garden is thriving, despite the nearly triple-digit temps outside. I am especially happy about this, since I have been the one (mostly) who has been trying to keep it going. And you may not know this about me, but I cannot keep plants alive. I mean it. Not even desert plants like aloe vera. Hubby took the aloe plant that someone had given us to work with him to "save it." I think I inherited this from my grandmother (on my mom's side) who has the same problem. My mom and my other grandmother are great with plants. Not me...black thumb all the way! Which is why when I saw our first little tomato, I just had to take its picture...
Since it's summer, we've had lots of extra time to play with Legos, and since we've had some birthdays, we've gotten a couple of new sets. First-Born saved up some money and got an Egyptian adventure set, complete with obelisk and flying mummies! (That's right...flying mummies...how else could they catch the plane?) Here some pics of the finished products...the bi-plane for escaping with the jewel from the obelisk...(although I have to admit, the wing of the plane doesn't seem like the safest place for it...)
Monday, June 6, 2011
The Schedule: Friday
Well, it's finally here...Friday! We use Friday for a "fun day" in our house! This is the day we plan field trips--the zoo, a musuem, the park, or something like that. Or we stay home and do something fun around the house--art project, extra outside time, games, etc. We have worked hard all week, and love to have our "Fun Fridays!" :)
Friday
(Fun Day!)
7:00-7:30 - Wake up and make beds.
7:30-8:15 - Make and eat breakfast.
8:15-8:30 - Get dressed.
8:30-9:00 - Morning chores.
9:00-9:15 - Devotions. (No workbooks on fun days!)
9:15-1:00 - Fun time. (If we are out somewhere, we
usually eat lunch out too, or bring a
picnic. If we stay home, lunch is at the
regular time.)
1:00-3:00 - Nap/rest time. (Like on errand day, I try
to be home by nap time. It makes the
rest of the day run much more smoothly
when you don't have to deal with cranky
kiddos! Plus, they are usually extra
tired after all that fun!) :)
3:00-3:30 - First-Born's TV time.
3:30-4:30 - Middle Biscuit and Stitch's TV time and
afternoon snack.
4:30-5:30 - Outside play time.
5:30-6:00 - Make supper, inside playtime, piano
practice.
6:00-8:00 - Eat supper. (A lot of Friday nights in our
house are "pizza and a movie" night.
So, sometimes, depending on the length
of the movie, we are up past bedtime
some Fridays.)
8:00-8:30 - Get ready for bed. (Jammies, teeth
brushed, vitamins.)
8:30-9:00 - Family Bible-reading and prayer time.
9:00 - Lights out!
Well, there it is...our week! Our weekends usually don't have much of a schedule...I think it's because Daddy is home! :) Hope this was a help, and if you have any questions or extra ideas, post them in the comments! :)
Friday
(Fun Day!)
7:00-7:30 - Wake up and make beds.
7:30-8:15 - Make and eat breakfast.
8:15-8:30 - Get dressed.
8:30-9:00 - Morning chores.
9:00-9:15 - Devotions. (No workbooks on fun days!)
9:15-1:00 - Fun time. (If we are out somewhere, we
usually eat lunch out too, or bring a
picnic. If we stay home, lunch is at the
regular time.)
1:00-3:00 - Nap/rest time. (Like on errand day, I try
to be home by nap time. It makes the
rest of the day run much more smoothly
when you don't have to deal with cranky
kiddos! Plus, they are usually extra
tired after all that fun!) :)
3:00-3:30 - First-Born's TV time.
3:30-4:30 - Middle Biscuit and Stitch's TV time and
afternoon snack.
4:30-5:30 - Outside play time.
5:30-6:00 - Make supper, inside playtime, piano
practice.
6:00-8:00 - Eat supper. (A lot of Friday nights in our
house are "pizza and a movie" night.
So, sometimes, depending on the length
of the movie, we are up past bedtime
some Fridays.)
8:00-8:30 - Get ready for bed. (Jammies, teeth
brushed, vitamins.)
8:30-9:00 - Family Bible-reading and prayer time.
9:00 - Lights out!
Well, there it is...our week! Our weekends usually don't have much of a schedule...I think it's because Daddy is home! :) Hope this was a help, and if you have any questions or extra ideas, post them in the comments! :)
The Schedule: Thursday
Thursday
(Shopping and Errand Day)
7:00-7:30 - Wake up and make beds.
7:30-8:15 - Make and eat breakfast.
8:15-8:30 - Get dressed.
8:30-9:00 - Morning chores.
9:00-9:15 - Devotions. (So it won't be too late when
we start our errands, we don't usually
do workbooks on Thursdays.)
9:15-11:15 - Run errands. (This is mostly grocery
shopping, but can side trips to run
other errands as needed.)
11:15-11:30 - Come home and put away groceries.
(Sometimes, if errand running gets
late, we will grab lunch out. This is
dependent on the behavior of the
boys, which is also an added incentive
during the shopping!)
11:30-11:45 - Make lunch.
11:45-12:30 - Eat lunch.
12:30-1:00 - Extra playtime, and clean toy room.
1:00-3:00 - Nap/rest time. (Even if we eat out, I try
to be home by this time for naps.
Usually Stitch will be asleep in the
car if we've eaten, so he just gets
"transfered" to his bed!)
3:00-3:30 - First-Born's TV time.
3:30-4:30 - Middle Biscuit & Stitch's TV time and
afternoon snack.
4:30-5:30 - Outside playtime.
5:30-6:00 - Make supper; inside playtime; piano
practice.
6:00-6:45 - Eat supper.
6:45-7:15 - Clean kitchen for the night.
7:15-8:00 - Free time.
8:00-8:30 - Get ready for bed. (Baths, teeth brushed,
jammies, vitamins.)
8:30-9:00 - Family Bible-reading and prayer time.
9:00 - Lights out!
(Shopping and Errand Day)
7:00-7:30 - Wake up and make beds.
7:30-8:15 - Make and eat breakfast.
8:15-8:30 - Get dressed.
8:30-9:00 - Morning chores.
9:00-9:15 - Devotions. (So it won't be too late when
we start our errands, we don't usually
do workbooks on Thursdays.)
9:15-11:15 - Run errands. (This is mostly grocery
shopping, but can side trips to run
other errands as needed.)
11:15-11:30 - Come home and put away groceries.
(Sometimes, if errand running gets
late, we will grab lunch out. This is
dependent on the behavior of the
boys, which is also an added incentive
during the shopping!)
11:30-11:45 - Make lunch.
11:45-12:30 - Eat lunch.
12:30-1:00 - Extra playtime, and clean toy room.
1:00-3:00 - Nap/rest time. (Even if we eat out, I try
to be home by this time for naps.
Usually Stitch will be asleep in the
car if we've eaten, so he just gets
"transfered" to his bed!)
3:00-3:30 - First-Born's TV time.
3:30-4:30 - Middle Biscuit & Stitch's TV time and
afternoon snack.
4:30-5:30 - Outside playtime.
5:30-6:00 - Make supper; inside playtime; piano
practice.
6:00-6:45 - Eat supper.
6:45-7:15 - Clean kitchen for the night.
7:15-8:00 - Free time.
8:00-8:30 - Get ready for bed. (Baths, teeth brushed,
jammies, vitamins.)
8:30-9:00 - Family Bible-reading and prayer time.
9:00 - Lights out!
The Schedule: Wednesday
Wednesdays are very busy in this house because I clean, but we also have church in the evening. Here's how we try to get it all done! :)
Wednesday
(Cleaning and church day)
7:00-7:30 - Wake up and make beds.
7:30-8:15 - Make and eat breakfast.
8:15-8:30 - Get dressed.
8:30-9:00 - Morning chores.
9:00-10:00 - Devotions and workbooks. (After help-
ing the boys with their devotions, I
begin my cleaning. I try to get done
what I can while still helping them
with their workbooks.)
10:00-10:30 - Snack time. (I keep cleaning while
they eat. Usually have the kitchen
floor mopped, and have started on
cleaning the bathrooms at this point.)
10:30-11:15 - Outside playtime. (Since they are out-
side, I try to finish up all the bath-
rooms, and start the vacuuming.)
11:15-11:30 - Inside to clean toy-room so Mommy
can finish the vacuuming.
11:30-11:45 - Make lunch. (I've usually finished the
majority of the house by now.)
11:45-12:30 - Eat lunch.
12:30-1:00 - Extra playtime and put away any toys
left out before nap.
1:00-3:00 - Nap/rest time. (I use this time for prep
for our kid's program at church, and
for a kid-free shower!) :)
3:00-3:30 - First-Born's TV time.
3:30-4:30 - Middle Biscuit & Stitch's TV time and
afternoon snack. (Usually pretty light,
since we eat an earlier supper. I am
usually doing supper prep work now.
First-Born is doing his piano practice
now also.)
4:30-5:15 - Outside playtime. (I'm cooking at this
point. Supper on Wednesdays is not
very complicated--just quick!)
5:15-5:45 - Eat supper.
5:45-6:00 - Clean kitchen.
6:00-6:30 - Get ready for church.
6:30-8:30 - Church.
8:30-9:00 - Get ready for bed; family Bible-reading
prayer time.
9:00 - Lights out!
Wednesday
(Cleaning and church day)
7:00-7:30 - Wake up and make beds.
7:30-8:15 - Make and eat breakfast.
8:15-8:30 - Get dressed.
8:30-9:00 - Morning chores.
9:00-10:00 - Devotions and workbooks. (After help-
ing the boys with their devotions, I
begin my cleaning. I try to get done
what I can while still helping them
with their workbooks.)
10:00-10:30 - Snack time. (I keep cleaning while
they eat. Usually have the kitchen
floor mopped, and have started on
cleaning the bathrooms at this point.)
10:30-11:15 - Outside playtime. (Since they are out-
side, I try to finish up all the bath-
rooms, and start the vacuuming.)
11:15-11:30 - Inside to clean toy-room so Mommy
can finish the vacuuming.
11:30-11:45 - Make lunch. (I've usually finished the
majority of the house by now.)
11:45-12:30 - Eat lunch.
12:30-1:00 - Extra playtime and put away any toys
left out before nap.
1:00-3:00 - Nap/rest time. (I use this time for prep
for our kid's program at church, and
for a kid-free shower!) :)
3:00-3:30 - First-Born's TV time.
3:30-4:30 - Middle Biscuit & Stitch's TV time and
afternoon snack. (Usually pretty light,
since we eat an earlier supper. I am
usually doing supper prep work now.
First-Born is doing his piano practice
now also.)
4:30-5:15 - Outside playtime. (I'm cooking at this
point. Supper on Wednesdays is not
very complicated--just quick!)
5:15-5:45 - Eat supper.
5:45-6:00 - Clean kitchen.
6:00-6:30 - Get ready for church.
6:30-8:30 - Church.
8:30-9:00 - Get ready for bed; family Bible-reading
prayer time.
9:00 - Lights out!
The Schedule: Tuesday
Tuesday
(Library Day)
7:00-7:30 - Wake up and make beds.
7:30-8:15 - Make and eat breakfast.
8:15-8:30 - Get dressed.
8:30-9:00 - Morning chores. (Clean bedroom, wipe
table, feed cat, empty dishwasher.)
9:00-9:30 - Devotions; workbooks.
9:30-11:15 - Trip to library. (And run any necessary
errands in town.)
11:15-11:30 - Come home and read new library books.
11:30-11:45 - Make lunch.
11:45-12:30 - Eat lunch.
12:30-1:00 - Extra playtime and clean toy room.
1:00-3:00 - Nap/rest time.
3:00-3:30 - First-Born's TV time.
3:30-4:30 - Middle Biscuit & Stitch's TV time and
afternoon snack.
4:30-5:30 - Outside playtime. (Supper prep work.)
5:30-6:00 - Inside playtime; First-Born piano practice
Mommy makes supper.
6:00-6:45 - Eat supper.
6:45-7:15 - Clean kitchen for night. (Wipe table,
sweep floor, load dishwasher, take out
trash.)
7:15-8:00 - Free time.
8:00-8:30 - Get ready for bed. (Baths, teeth brushed,
jammies, vitamins.)
8:30-9:00 - Family Bible-reading and prayer time.
9:00 - Lights out!
The Schedule: Monday
Well, here it is...my weekly summer schedule! As unlikely as it may seem, I have had requests for this from several people, so I thought I'd put it on my blog. If schedules are weird and scary to you, feel free to skip these next few posts...I'll post fun stuff later! :) So, here we go!
MONDAY (Laundry Day)
7:00-7:30 - Wake-up and make beds.
7:30-8:15 - Make and eat breakfast.
8:15-8:30 - Get dressed.
8:30-9:00 - Morning chores. (Clean bedrooms, wipe
table, feed cat, pick up stray
toys, vacuum living room, sort
laundry--the boys do all this except
vacuuming. I dump the clothes on the
floor of the living room, set
out baskets, and they sort the clothes
into the different loads. They
think this is a great "game!")
9:00-10:00 - Devotions; workbooks. (I like the boys
to practice the things they've
learned through the summer, so I
generally have them do some
educational workbooks during the
summer. Right now we are
doing some from Rod & Staff, and
some others I got at the Dollar
Store!)
10:00-10:30 - Snack time. (If you have boys, you
know how important regular
"feeding" time is!) :)
10:30-11:15 - Outside playtime. (If it's not raining.
On rainy days, we would
probably play a board game, or do
Play-Do, or an art project.)
11:15-11:30 - Inside cool-down and playtime. (This
is usually the boys playing
in their rooms on their own. I think
it's important for kids to be
able to entertain themselves too.)
11:30-11:45 - Make lunch.
11:45-12:30 - Eat lunch. (We listen to a CD a lot of
times while we eat; Patch
the Pirate is popular, as is Veggie
Tales!)
12:30-1:00 - Extra playtime and clean up toy-room.
(This is usually when I am
cleaning up the kitchen from lunch,
and folding the loads of
laundry that I have finished so far.)
1:00-3:00 - Nap/resting time. (Two of the boys still
sleep during this time. I tell
all of them that they must stay in
their beds until our "quiet time"
CD (a long classical music CD) is
over. Then they may get up, but
must keep doing quiet things.)
3:00-3:30 - First-Born's TV time. (Each of the boys
has 30 minutes of TV time to
use as they choose. First-Born usually
plays video games for his.)
3:30-4:30 - Middle Biscuit and Stitch's TV time and
afternoon snack time.
(I usually combine these two things
and they eat in front of the
TV. I am usually folding more
laundry at this point. The older
boys put away their own clothes and
I do the rest.)
4:30-5:30 - Outside playtime. (I am usually trying to
finish up the laundry and
begin supper preparations at this
point.)
5:30-6:00 - Make supper. (I have the little boys
playing in their room usually,
and First-Born is practicing his
piano while I am cooking.)
6:00-6:45 - Eat supper.
6:45-7:15 - Clean kitchen for the night. (Wipe table,
sweep floor, load dishes
into dishwasher, take out trash.)
7:15-8:00 - Free time. (Usually Daddy is home by
now, so this time is usually
spent having playtime with daddy
and the boys.)
8:00-8:30 - Get ready for bed. (Clean up toys,
jammies on, teeth brushed, eat
vitamins.)
8:30-9:00 - Family Bible-reading and prayer time.
(After this, when the boys are
in bed, Daddy will sometimes read a
story to them from a "big"
book. They recently finished "Davy
Crockett" and are now in "The
Hobbit.")
9:00 - Lights out! :)
Well, there's Monday! This is very simply what works for us. I know everyone's family dynamic is different, but I thought I'd share the basic guidelines so you could use them if you wanted to, and adjust them to fit your own family's needs. I'll be posting the other days soon... :)
MONDAY (Laundry Day)
7:00-7:30 - Wake-up and make beds.
7:30-8:15 - Make and eat breakfast.
8:15-8:30 - Get dressed.
8:30-9:00 - Morning chores. (Clean bedrooms, wipe
table, feed cat, pick up stray
toys, vacuum living room, sort
laundry--the boys do all this except
vacuuming. I dump the clothes on the
floor of the living room, set
out baskets, and they sort the clothes
into the different loads. They
think this is a great "game!")
9:00-10:00 - Devotions; workbooks. (I like the boys
to practice the things they've
learned through the summer, so I
generally have them do some
educational workbooks during the
summer. Right now we are
doing some from Rod & Staff, and
some others I got at the Dollar
Store!)
10:00-10:30 - Snack time. (If you have boys, you
know how important regular
"feeding" time is!) :)
10:30-11:15 - Outside playtime. (If it's not raining.
On rainy days, we would
probably play a board game, or do
Play-Do, or an art project.)
11:15-11:30 - Inside cool-down and playtime. (This
is usually the boys playing
in their rooms on their own. I think
it's important for kids to be
able to entertain themselves too.)
11:30-11:45 - Make lunch.
11:45-12:30 - Eat lunch. (We listen to a CD a lot of
times while we eat; Patch
the Pirate is popular, as is Veggie
Tales!)
12:30-1:00 - Extra playtime and clean up toy-room.
(This is usually when I am
cleaning up the kitchen from lunch,
and folding the loads of
laundry that I have finished so far.)
1:00-3:00 - Nap/resting time. (Two of the boys still
sleep during this time. I tell
all of them that they must stay in
their beds until our "quiet time"
CD (a long classical music CD) is
over. Then they may get up, but
must keep doing quiet things.)
3:00-3:30 - First-Born's TV time. (Each of the boys
has 30 minutes of TV time to
use as they choose. First-Born usually
plays video games for his.)
3:30-4:30 - Middle Biscuit and Stitch's TV time and
afternoon snack time.
(I usually combine these two things
and they eat in front of the
TV. I am usually folding more
laundry at this point. The older
boys put away their own clothes and
I do the rest.)
4:30-5:30 - Outside playtime. (I am usually trying to
finish up the laundry and
begin supper preparations at this
point.)
5:30-6:00 - Make supper. (I have the little boys
playing in their room usually,
and First-Born is practicing his
piano while I am cooking.)
6:00-6:45 - Eat supper.
6:45-7:15 - Clean kitchen for the night. (Wipe table,
sweep floor, load dishes
into dishwasher, take out trash.)
7:15-8:00 - Free time. (Usually Daddy is home by
now, so this time is usually
spent having playtime with daddy
and the boys.)
8:00-8:30 - Get ready for bed. (Clean up toys,
jammies on, teeth brushed, eat
vitamins.)
8:30-9:00 - Family Bible-reading and prayer time.
(After this, when the boys are
in bed, Daddy will sometimes read a
story to them from a "big"
book. They recently finished "Davy
Crockett" and are now in "The
Hobbit.")
9:00 - Lights out! :)
Well, there's Monday! This is very simply what works for us. I know everyone's family dynamic is different, but I thought I'd share the basic guidelines so you could use them if you wanted to, and adjust them to fit your own family's needs. I'll be posting the other days soon... :)
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