It’s not shocking that life is hectic. Add in two full time working parents, morning drop-offs at multiple places, afternoon pickups in different places, and side hustles, a typical weekday can be overwhelming. The key to maintaining my insanity is to establish routines that work for my family.
Let’s be honest, it would also be helpful if I could get better at waking up earlier in the morning, but no one is perfect. It’s a work in progress and some days are better than others. In the meantime, I’ve identified a good order in which things need to be done in the morning. Much of it depends on my sons. One wakes up much easier than the other. The other needs more time to ease into the day. One likes to eat cereal and watch a cartoon. The other wants to hang out with me while I get ready. It never quite seems like we have enough time, so I try to optimize the time we have.
After work and school, I take time to connect with each of the boys. We talk about what went well in our day and what didn’t. We go through their backpacks as they excitedly share more about their day. I also make a point to immediately change into my workout clothes. If I don’t, I know I won’t make the effort to do it later. While dinner is cooking, I knock out my workout. The boys hang out with me and play.
After dinner, we clean up the kitchen so we don’t have to do it later. I also put out outfits for the boys, fill out school paperwork for school, and make sure their backpacks are ready for the next day. Nothing is worse than the last minute rush to get things organized as we’re walking out of the house in the morning.
Not every single thing happens every day. Life gets in the way. Our routine is thrown off. But when I begin to feel overwhelmed, I know I can fall back on these basic things to restore sanity.
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Photo Credit: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/preparation-family-breakfast-mother-baby-son-1060111238?src=9INqBw4f7hVi2ZG-XO8nhQ-1-11