Howdy friends! Here we are entering another school year. My oldest was in kindergarten last year so this was our first summer that was a true summer (aka break from school) and it was delightful. Slow mornings, tons of days at the pool, days spent in our PJs – just what I imagined and hoped !
We were lucky that we only drive to school two days a week so we can be lazy the other mornings. I have a whole post on hybrid school coming soon if you’re interested so check back. Anyways – even if we aren’t leaving the house or doing anything I have a weekly barebones “schedule” I developed this summer. I had basically been doing all of this anyways but I needed to write it down to get it out of my brain.
I should warn you that I am pretty type A when it comes to my home and schedule. I cannot wake up without a general idea of the next day – maybe chores I need to do, what we’re going to do with the kids, etc. Some people can’t decide until they wake up what they will do and I just want to say that does NOT work for me. I completely understand shifting plans if kids wake up in horrible moods, but if you’re the type of mom who wants to decide what to do at 830 AM and then expect me to just join in…probably not going to work. Sorry!
I say this because recently I’ve met a few moms who said they couldn’t commit to a plan (or didn’t even want to make a plan!) until seeing how their kids are when they wake up. That just doesn’t work for me and my personality. Also, if you’re just going to back out of a plan I would rather plan with someone who I know will come (barring extreme circumstances). Sounds harsh but it’s how I feel. I digress…
Back to the weekly schedule! Or routine! One final note before I share it.
I do NOT use naptime or after bedtime to get this stuff done.
The key to a better day is doing this when your kids are AWAKE and then resting when your kids are napping or in quiet time. And I do this all with no screens. Yes, I can hear the groans but it is totally possible. Especially with some training of your kids. Depending on screens will make your life harder in the long run, trust me. Just let your kids be bored and you’ll be shocked with what they do! In a good way! That way you can use your time without kids to do what you want (like exercise or nap) instead of wasting it cleaning.
Here is my broad outline for the week:
Monday
- big kids school day
- clean bathrooms
- vacuum upstairs (it’s carpet so we use our big Miele vacuum which I love. It’s just hard to bring out for every quick clean. We use our cordless Dyson probably twice a day)
- grocery pickup
- recycling gathered and outside
Tuesday
- homeschool day
Wednesday
- big kids school day
- all trashes emptied (trash day tomorrow!)
Thursday
- bible study for the kids and I
- homeschool day
- vacuum upstairs
Friday & Saturday
- meal plan for next week, start grocery order
- meet up with friends!!!
- make sure uniforms are ready for next week
- finalize groceries for the next week
Sunday
- church and brunch – we go out to breakfast after mass each week and it’s one of our favorite family traditions 🙂
- No chores!!!
As Needed
- unload dishwasher – son’s chore
- laundry – kids will put their clothes away. My daughter (6.5) folds towels and any kitchen/general laundry.
- make beds daily
- kids set table for dinner
- vacuum family room, kitchen, and dining room
- 3x strength workouts, 5x walks for me
Does this look overwhelming or helpful to you? It’s so helpful to me so have a general outline for the week. I know when I want to schedule playdates, when we can easily fit in a doctor’s appointment, and when we need to be home to just focus on school.
Also I truly believe that the kids need to contribute as much as they are able to the household. That means age appropriate chores and no they do not get an allowance. They have everything they need and virtually everything they want and I take them shopping for fun clothes, shoes, toys, just randomly. If I want to go to the mall we are probably all going to leave with a new outfit 🙂
All that to say: they do not need money to get fun things. I provide for their needs so they don’t need money for food so we don’t do an allowance – we all contribute to the running of the house and we all have jobs to do. Let me know if you want more of my thoughts on allowance, chores, etc!
This structure to my week really helps me feel like I’m productive, can keep the house running, and have breathing room in my schedule. When I’m cleaning I power through that so it’s off my plate. When I’m grocery shopping I just focus on that until it is done. Less multitasking, more working as quickly and efficiently as possible so I can enjoy every moment of freedom and quiet.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
