Ordering My Days

I need order in my day. I thrive on it. Annie is the same way. I want to spend quality and quantity time with her, and not be exhausted at the end of the day when the Gent gets home, because I want to invest the time we have to spend together wisely, too. So here's what works for me. I keep a Word document titled "weekly schedule." There are certain things on it for every day, Monday through Friday. I keep appointments and specific to-dos (such as schedule a vet appointment, host a dinner party, shop for a wedding gift for a friend) in my iphone calendar. I usually sit down on Sunday and fill in my weekly schedule with the specifics for that week.

There are three things I do each morning before Annie gets up (from 6am-7:30am): Bible reading and prayer, work out (about 30 minutes, usually weight training or yoga), and read (from a real, printed, grown-up book) while I eat breakfast. I also spend a few minutes feeding the dogs, cleaning out the roomba, and straightening the house.

Annie gets up at 7:30. She nurses and then we get her dressed and go downstairs for her breakfast. Then we take the dogs for their walk. When we get home, I have three chores/goals to accomplish each day. I do these in the morning while Annie plays independently or while she takes her morning nap. I also get dressed for the day at this point, and try to spend at least half an hour playing intentionally with Annie. We read a Bible story, read some other board books, and play together. We usually practice naming or identifying something, like fruit or letters, and work a simple puzzle or shape sorter. She takes a nap from 10am-noon or so.

Monday
Water plants
Laundry and ironing
Blog post

Tuesday
Dust
Brush dogs
Practice piano

Wednesday
Water plants
Clean kitchen and bathrooms
Blog post

Thursday
Clean floors
Laundry and mending
Update budget and pay bills

Friday
Water plants
Blog post
Practice piano

After her morning nap, she nurses again and then we have lunch. We usually go out in the afternoon--to run errands, go to the park or the library, or see a friend. Something to get out of the house for a little while. Some days we just stay home and play (with every single toy she owns!). She takes another nap from about 3pm-4:30 or 5pm. I start dinner, straighten the house, sort the mail, and finish up anything left on my to-do list. Then I usually sit on the sofa with a book and a cup of tea or watch an episode of NCIS. When Annie wakes up, she nurses and then we feed the dogs and check on dinner. Then she plays independently if dinner needs my attention, or I play with her if we're having a casserole or soup or something else that is hands-off. The Gent gets home around 6pm and we have dinner at 6:30. Then he plays with Annie and gives her a bath, and we put her to bed around 8pm.

And at long last we have a couple of hours to ourselves and I get to enjoy adult conversation until we go to bed around 10pm.

So there you have it . . . that's how I manage. For now, anyways!