Daily Routine...

[Kate]

I am starting work tomorrow and I will need to start doing things in more of a routine. Having stayed at home for the last year has made it so that we have no routine. I was wondering what your daily routine is like. How do mornings go? How long does it take to get out of the door? How about evenings? Basically we need to change how we operate as a family and I am looking for some insight on how other people do it. TIA!!

[Dennis]

In the mornings, we're out the door in less than an hour. We get up at 6, shower, get dressed and have breakfast. We get Joe and Frances up at around 6:40, get them dressed and we're out the door before 7.

In the evenings, we get home between 4:30 and 5, We have dinner and get them into their bath around 5:45. Then we play and watch TV until around 6:45 and start the bedtime routines and they are usually in bed around 7:15 or so.

The biggest thing with the mornings IMO is getting everything ready the night before. We make lunches, get our stuff together, etc. so it's all ready to go. Also build in a little extra time so if something does come up, you have some time to handle it. I started getting up 10 minutes earlier and it makes a huge difference.

Dennis

[Jeni]

ITA with Dennis! Make sure you have everything ready the night before. I'm lucky that I don't have to get Jayden ready every morning, usually just a diaper change, and MIL dresses him.

Evenings are more hectic, and I HATE having to make dinner and clean it up.......Usually Mike makes dinner, or plays with Jayden while I do. Then I clean up the kitchen while they play, and then It's bath time usually about 7pm and he watches barney at 8pm and goes to bed around 8:30-9pm. Then I finally get to sit down, and relax and I go to bed about 10:30-11pm

[kim]

i don't do anything the night before except set up the coffee.

i get up at 5:30, but since getting pg i stay in bed till 6am ;) .
i shower, get dressed, do my hair all in about 15 mins.
i dress tony (lately i've gotten marc to do this), we go downstairs and i give him a milk and banana.
while he eats i make my lunch and travel mug.

when he's done we're out the door at 6:45ish.

when he was a baby i got up at 5:30 and did all my stuff then woke him at 6ish and gave him a bottle, got him ready. it's much easier now. (when G gets here i'm going to have to do things the night before)

i leave work, pick him up and we are home by 4pm. he ignores me generally, i putz around, start dinner around 5:30ish. we eat, usually marc cleans up, then we do whatever, tony gets a bath and is in bed by 8:30pm at the very latest. i soon follow :lol:

notice there is no housework in any of this. that is done on the weekends.

[bunybomb]

I'm up at 5:30 to go for a walk with the dog. That is my interrupted ME time. It's really the only time I get when I'm not completely exhausted. It does help charge me up for the day.

I'm in the shower by 6:15am and my DH is out the door. Thankfully my kids sleep until about 7. I'm dressed, made-up, hair dried and one cup of coffee is already surging through my body. Dylan is self sufficient, she gets herself ready. I change and dress Alex during a little cuddle time. We brush his teeth and hair and head down for breakfast. I make them each a soft-boiled egg and some fruit. I make myself a shake for the road while they eat. We are out the door at 7:30.

I don't pack lunches. My DD eats at school and DS gets lunch provided by daycare. The only thing I do at night is set up coffee and make sure DD has her backpack ready for school.

The biggest thing I would suggest is NO T.V. in the morning. It's a huge distraction.

[Irish Luck]

Thanks for starting this thread Kate, I'm going from having a live in Nanny to now taking the boys to daycare and any tips will be greatly received.

From the look of it I am going to have to get up about 30 mins earlier than I do now.

The biggest thing I would suggest is NO T.V. in the morning. It's a huge distraction. NO!!!!!!!!!!! this is going to be a killer for my boys in the mornings. I agree though, on the weekends when we are trying to scoot out the door early, Paddy really mucks around if the TV is on.

I already lay my clothes out the night before, I've done this since Paddy was a baby. I just have to get used to getting their baskets packed the night before and I'll probably stick them straight back in the truck. Luckily I don't have worry about food for htem, that's all supplied at daycare.

I'm worried about the other end of the day when everyone is tired and cranky, having to get dinner ready/bath the boys etc. It's only going to be a test when DH is away.

[Lette]

I'm another one that likes to have things ready the night before. Main reason being that my hubby takes care of the kids in the morning since I leave for work before they get up. :)

So I ...

Make sure I have enough formula made
Have lunches ready in the fridge
Pack their daycare bags with whatever is needed
Lay out their clothes (god forbid dh had to pick something out :lol: )
In the beginning, I had a checklist posted on the fridge so I didn't forget to pack anything.

Oh and Jim finds it easier if the TV is on. He'll get my daughter ready and let her watch Wiggles till 8:20 while he gets my son ready. It's nice that it's a short show. :)

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I'll be honest that evenings can be rough sometimes, depending on how much the kids have napped at daycare, etc. My 10 month old sometimes needs another catnap, which helps me get dinner prepared. Other times my daughter skips her nap and is a complete monster... any little thing denied can set her off. :rolleyes: Then there are days that my son only wants to be held by mommy. Ahh.

Timewise, I get home at 5 ish and either pick up the kids or come right home (MIL has them Tues and Thurs). We eat and are usually done by 6:30 or 7 if we get a late start. Then I try to clean up the kitchen a bit and get a load of wash in. By 7 or 7:30 I find it's very helpful to get the kids outside. Ben seems to be much more self sufficient out there. :) (God knows what we'll do when winter comes! ) We're back in by 8 or 8:30 and up for baths and a book and the kids are in bed by 9 PM.

I don't go to bed till 11:30 or later some nights and then the whole day starts over at 6:15 AM.

[Connie1222]

I don't get anything ready the night before either, I'm so lazy in the evenings!

6:00am, get up & take a shower (Jack is usually up by now or by 6:30)
Make Jack's lunch & my lunch (Jack watches TV and/or plays while I get ready)
Get dressed & get Jack dressed
7:30 out the door

Keith picks Jack up at night since he gets out of work at 3pm, so dinner is ready & waiting by the time I get home at 6:30pm.