Weekly And Daily Routines (that are not so routine)
I wrote an entire post last week whining about how hard it is to be consistent with our routines.
Turns out, I am not alone in this quest to figure out how to maintain the flow of our days.
Many of you asked for more information about what our routines are, no matter how bad I am at keeping them consistent.
I get it.
Sometimes, the best way to get our day back on track is to read about someone else’s.
I am hesitant to share this, only because our routines are unlike any other family I know.
We have differences that necessitate this, to be sure.
But the truth is, these are our routines because they work for our family (including me and my husband) – differences or not.
They may not work for yours. In fact, I suspect for many of you, they won’t at all.
I am sharing this level of detail only in the hopes that it motivates and encourages you to find what does work for you and yours.
Because the only thing worse than your own routine not working, is trying to make someone else’s routine work for you.
Our Routines
It is really, really easy for our days to get derailed around here. For me, the best routine is simple and realistic.
I have a weekly list of activities that changes each day and a daily list of activities that are the same every day.
Weekly
Our weekly routine includes:
Monday –
Morning Homeschool Focus: Nature Study
Afternoon: Medieval History Class For My Oldest
Tuesday –
Morning Homeschool Focus: Music and Math
Afternoon: Equine Therapy For My Youngest
Wednesday –
Morning Homeschool Focus: Science Experiment
Afternoon: Medieval History Class For My Oldest
Thursday –
Morning Homeschool Focus: Hands-On History
Afternoon: Doctors and Therapy Appointments For My Youngest
Friday –
Morning Homeschool Focus: Poetry Tea Time (still a work in progress but I love this Brave Writer idea!)
Afternoon: Art Therapy For Both Boys and Movie Night prep
I have one weekly item for each morning, and one for each afternoon. Any more than that, and we are all overwhelmed!
Daily
Our daily routines are similar but do not change from day to day. I basically have a list that we work through every day, in the same order.
Our daily routine includes:
- Setting Up Our Day (My oldest calls this making our map for the day. I think it’s a great description)
- Breakfast
- Meds Taken
- Outdoor Time
- Reading
- Snack with Protein
- Special Interest Time (Both of my boys have special interests they voraciously pursue. I have learned to just include this time in our routine.)
- Weekly Focus (from list above)
- Lunch
- More outdoor time
- Weekly Afternoon Activity (from list above)
- Free Time
- Dinner
- Family Time
- Bed
I think it goes without saying that this is a plan that never really goes as planned. (After all, I did just write a post about letting my son watch SpongeBob all afternoon and I am pretty sure that is not listed above!)
It is, however, a great place to start.
It keeps me focused.
It allows the boys some dependability in our days with plenty of flexibility.
And for the most part, it works.
Hi Shawna, I would love if you would write a little bit about how you include routine of self-care in your day and week. The demanding schedule for special-needs homeschooling and life makes it really hard to find time to do basic things for me. I’m not talking 30 minutes soaks in the tub or hiking or manicure pedicure. I’m talking finding the time and energy to get showers done and dressed in something other than yoga pants. Have you found what works for you in the schedule?
Hi Melinda!
Here is my most recent post about self-care.
http://nottheformerthings.com/2016/09/26/self-care-caregiver/
I think it’s a great idea to share how I incorporate this into our schedule. The truth is, I am really, really bad at it!