Daily schedule with a Toddler and Infant

I just finished a post with tips for stay at home mom's to stay sane- and one of the tips was to have a daily schedule. As I was looking over ours, I realized it was out of date (I wrote it when my youngest was only 3 months old and now he's 6 months!) The schedule I had before just wasn't working for us anymore and my days spent at home were feeling chaotic. Nap times and feeding times were the biggest changes I had to make. But there were also some other changes I wanted to try to work in, like scheduling time to work out. Having a scheduled time to work-out makes me more intentional in trying to get it done each day.

Being Intentional...

 



Speaking of being intentional, now is a good time to talk about why I value having a daily schedule so much. Here' my analogy for it: I live in California. If I wanted to take a trip to Washington D.C., I would most definitely plan that trip. I would mapquest the distance, estimate arrival time, plan to see awesome tourist attractions along the way, etc. Each day would be planned to lead to my desired destination. Without a plan, I would miss out on a lot of attractions- making the drive laborious and less likely that I would enjoy the journey. As a Stay at home mom, I want to enjoy the journey. I want to intentionally pan things to do with my boys as they will only be this age once! It is all too easy to pass several hours a day reading blogs, watching T.V., and flipping through magazines. Then the end of the day comes around and I wonder: where did all my time go? So I plan.

 

 

 

I just love this quote about being intentional in the lives of our children. I want to be the person instilling these lessons in my boys, not television, peers, or society in general. Each day I take the time to show them what is important to me by the actions I take. Choosing chores instead of watching TV shows I value cleanliness before entertainment. Choosing to read books together versus flipping through my magazines alone shows I value their company (and that reading is fun!). My boys may not understand each word I say, but they definitely understand actions. And this is why I value my schedule- because sometimes it takes a conscious effort to remember that they are learning more from my actions than from my words.

 

Here's a general schedule of what a day at home looks like for us:

 

 

I must emphasize that the schedule is never 100% accurate!! Once again, it is just a guide for how my day runs. But having this guide helps me know what to expect for the day. It sets up goals for me and helps me prioritize.

 

Maybe having a daily schedule is a little too OCD for you. Understandable. I am a little OCD and appreciate the structure it provides. But if this seems too rigid for you, I would recommend making a daily checklist. When we are out of the house for any length of time, this schedule is pretty much out the window and a checklist is the next best thing for me! Again, it's all about being intentional.
 

What about you? Do you have a daily schedule? Do you use a checklist? If you're a blogger I'd love to read a post on how you run your days, leave a comment below!