Saturday, December 18, 2010

How do we do it?

Someone asked me awhile back "How do you handle 5 kids, 2 girl scout troops, a house and everything else that comes along with life. Two things come to mind that are huge in making sure everything gets done. A fantastic husband, and time management. Both are very important in making our house run as smoothly as possible. I wont lie when I say sometimes the house becomes a disaster, the dishes pile up, the laundry is a mile high and I have somehow managed to wash all the bedding in the house. But that is what our weekends are for. So here is a small glimpse of our scheduled day. Enjoy!

7:30-9:30am-Kids start to wake up. Most days they sleep in late, so on school days it requires a wake up from Jason or I. Feed everyone breakfast (bottle for Oliver), change diapers, put in a load of laundry and run the dishwasher.

8:40am-Jason takes Emma-James to school (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday) as well as Olivia.

9am-9:30 or 9:45am-I finally (on most days) eat my breakfast, put in 30 minutes of Wii time while Owen and Ezme play. Oliver usually falls asleep for a quick power nap or watches the big kids play.

9:45-10:45am-I clean up the kitchen, tidy up around the house, put load of laundry in the dryer, play with the kiddos, update both websites, write parent letters, organize for Girl Scouts. Odds and ends.

10:45am-Shower to get ready to pick-up Emma-James for 11:15am

11:00am-11:20am-Pick up Emma-James from Pre-K (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday) These days we run errands, visit friends, go on play-dates, have lunch with daddy, anything that gets us out of the house.

Tuesdays: Is my planning day to get anything I need done for Tuesday and Thursdays Girl Scout meetings.

1:45pm-2:45pm-On Tuesdays Emma-James has "extra" school

3:15pm-(EVERYDAY)-Head to the bus stop to pick up Olivia

4-5:30pm-(Tuesdays) 4-5pm-(Thursdays) Girl Scouts

6:45pm-9pm-(Tuesdays) once a month I have a girl scout leaders meeting
6pm-8pm-(Thursdays) once a month I have PTO at Olivia's school

3:30pm-5:30pm-Depending of if its a Girl Scout day or not, Olivia comes home, everyone has a snack and they can choose either an hour movie or two 30 minute cartoons.

4:30pm-I start supper, Olivia starts homework

5:00-5:30pm-Everyone eats supper

5:30-5:45pm-Kids finish up supper, everyone gets ready for bed, PJ's, brush teeth, bottles, diaper changes, etc. Teeth brushed and everyone picks out a book. Load of laundry in washing machine. Sundays and Wednesdays are bath/shower days.

6pm-Lights out for Emma-James, Owen and Ezme.

6:00-8:00pm-Olivia does any and all homework, reads for an hour and gets 30 minutes of Computer time or a favorite show.

8pm-Bedtime for Olivia, Oliver gets a bottle

8:00-9:00pm-Pick up around the house, dishes in dishwasher, another load of laundry. Check Olivia's homework. Pack lunches, snacks and put out kids clothes for next day. Make sure diaper bag has everything it needs for next day, etc.

9pm-I finish up whatever I need to do computer wise. I usually end up folding laundry while watching a few of my favorite shows. Sometimes Olivia is "STILL" up so we do some extra "homework" or write sentences. Oliver gets one last bottle and then he goes to bed.

10pm-Everyone is sleeping, Jason goes downstairs to work and I usually am in bed for the night. Watching T.V. or reading a book.

10pm-7:30am-Sleep, wake-up with whomever is sad, needs a bottle, diaper change, pacie, etc.

This is probably a good look into our day. Just add in doctors appointments for everyone, dentist, PTO responsibilities, soccer in the fall, swimming lessons, etc. etc. For instance I was Olivia's choir teacher for the schools Christmas concert so Jason was sweet to work from home the days I had practice. Also add in days that Emma-James has something extra going on at school were we are invited or Olivia has something where parents are invited as well. I am sure I am forgetting so much. I am just lucky I have a terrific husband that gives me the blessing everyday of being home with our kids. Most of all, he is a part of their lives as much as possible while still working a full time job, and taking on side jobs just to make ends meet. Things would be much more different if we weren't able to have him home. With no one around for a baby-sitter on days when we might need one, Jason and I have come to find a way to relay on each other. It makes me happy knowing that we have managed to work out a way to both be a part of our kids growing up without needing the resources of outside help. I am sure as the kiddos get older, things will become more harder, but we are always up for a challenge. They only are little once.

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