How We Get Through the Week

The internet is full of people sharing helpful tips like how to be efficient in the morning, how to get your 'quiet time', how to schedule your lives to the nth degree, and as helpful as those things are, there are some of us who are just going through it, some weeks more than others.  At a bare minimum, people are fed and we are on time for things.  As a bonus, sometimes we have more elaborate meals, rooms get cleaned, we spend extra time on school work and music practice, and we have free time to watch a movie.

Meal Planning and Groceries - This is the best way to make sure people are being fed.  On the weekend I’m usually able to plot out our meals for the week, making adjustments for our plans, and then go to get groceries or place an order for pick up. 

Family Calendar - We have a physical calendar posted in the kitchen (or rather on the way down the stairs to the basement) where everyone can check to see what is on the agenda for the day.  I try to get everything on there as soon as I find out about it to reduce forgetting.

Lunches - I make Q’s lunch in the morning, and usually get something for E to take along most days, although I am not packing the typical bento box style lunch for him now that he’s in high school.  Lunches are kept pretty simple nowadays - frozen pizza, pasta with cheese, and bagels.  

Workouts in the early morning - If I want to get a workout in the only way is to set my alarm for 5:50 and go down in the morning for a quick 30-45 minute workout.

Laundry on the weekends - Each person’s laundry is done separately and it may or may not make its way out of the dryer, into a basket, and then into a drawer folded (hopefully!).  

I feel like we are in a time of life where we take it each day at a time, without being able to plan too far in advance and each day is a little hectic.  Somehow birthdays and holidays are planned, we make plans to hang out with friends, trips are taken, sports equipment and clothing for growing boys is procured, and bills are paid, but in no way do I feel like these things are carefully curated. We scramble and fit in what we can as we go. The word “routine” should not be taken literally. I know that as the kids get older, our time will even itself it out and we will be able to be more deliberate about how we do things, but for now, we embrace the chaos :)