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Our Daily Summer Routine

I love schedules! Probably because a schedule is a game plan and by now I think we all know how I feel about game plans. I love reading other people's schedules and gleaning from theirs. Although there's not a whole lot of change from the rest of the year, our schedule does vary a little bit in the Summer and is a little bit more flexible on the whole. I like to think of a schedule as a budget for my time. It's my ideal, but it's not always perfect, and I tweak it frequently.



Here's what a day typically looks like for us this Summer....

(On Tuesday mornings Kyle wakes up at FOUR THIRTY IN THE AM! because his small group meets and he wants to get in the gym beforehand).
5:15 - Kyle wakes up for quiet time and time in the Word

5:50 - I wake up and get dressed to go running/exercise. This is new. Like this week new. But I've been doing it and even though I do not love the actual waking up part, I do love the actual being awake part. It would be better if I went to bed earlier. #goals

6:00 - 6:30 - Our big kids wake up most days in this time window. They aren't allowed to come out of their rooms until 6:30 though to protect Kyle's time (and now my exercise time!).

6:30 - The kids watch a show while Kyle gets breakfast started and I shower and get ready for the day.

7:00 - Finish up Breakfast, and Kyle leaves for the gym and then work.

During this part of the morning I like to sit with a cup of tea and a book or check social media while the kids are playing or finishing up breakfast.

I help the kids get dressed for the day. For LK, I help her pick out her clothes and she gets dressed and does her "morning routine" (she likes a nice list and game plan too ;). And the same for the boys but I still have to help Fischer and Archer get dressed.

8:00 - I have found this is the "Sweet spot" to get chores done for the day for all of us (assuming we don't have anything else planned). I have the kids pick up their rooms and all of their stuff (read: blankets. They always have blankets EVERYWHERE.) from the playroom and family room. Some days this is worse than others depending on how much we picked up the night before.

If we have things planned out of the house, this typically doesn't happen. At the very least I try to get all of the main areas picked up.

9:00 - Room Time/Independent Play Time for my kids

We have finally dropped Archer's morning nap and transitioned him to Room Time. He's done great! He will still occasionally fall asleep during that time, but I try to be diligent to wake him up when room time is over so that he will still nap in the afternoon.

For the big kids right now, LK is in her room, and the boys alternate days between one being in the play room and the other in their bedroom. For most of the last school year I let them have room time together and then realized it wasn't really accomplishing the point of independent play time since they weren't "independent" of each other. I started to change at the end of the school year since we really need to practice this for Fischer's sake when Shepherd is in Kinder next year. This is just one of the ways we are intentionally preparing him for that big transition.

You can read a little bit more about how and why we do room time here:
Room Time: Independent Play Time

While the kids are in Room Time is when I sit down and have my quiet time and bible study. If it's nice outside, I sit outside or inside if it's too cold or hot or rainy.

10:00 - If the kids rooms are cleaned then I let them have some screen time (for 20 mins) or watch a show. Or I send them out to play outside or play in the playroom. Kyle and I both think that it's ok for our kids to be bored. We want them to learn to initiate creativity and play on their own and if I am constantly preparing things to entertain them, then they won't be able to learn that skill on their own.

During this time I work on the house some more or blog a little. I just bring Archer and some toys with me. This is getting a little bit more difficult to do since he is so mobile and requires more supervision since he is getting into EVERYTHING.

Also, this is the time of day I try to run errands if needed.

11:30 ish: Lunch. Sometimes it's earlier and sometimes it's later.

12:30: I change Archer and get him down for a nap. The big kids have reading time in their beds.

Our room arrangement for naps right now is that Fischer is in his room in his bed, Shepherd is in Laura Kate's room and LK is on her sleeping bag in the playroom.

1:00: Naptime.

LK clearly doesn't nap anymore (although, she still will occasionally if she's really worn out). During naptime she reads, rests and plays quietly. My rules for "rest time" are that the overhead light is off (I will open the curtains or turn on a lamp), you must stay in your bed or sleeping bag, and your activity should be restful like reading or quietly playing. Sometimes at the end of rest time, I let LK get up a little early to help me unload the dishwasher or watch a show that she doesn't have to share with the bros.

Shepherd naps about 50% of the time right now. This was right at how LK did until Kindergarten. More and more this Summer I will try and wean him off of his naps to prepare him for school full time in the Fall.

Fischer is still a champ at napping. He does NOT do as well if I have Shepherd nap in the same room. He protests being by himself sometimes, but he naps for way longer and deeper sleep than when Shepherd is in there.

During naptime is when I blog and work on Scentsy and Travel Planning stuff. I try to consider these my "office hours". Two hours a day isn't a lot for this though and I often work on stuff in the evening for these things too.

3:00-4:00 is when the boys typically wake up. After they wake up, they get to have a snack and some unscheduled free play time. A lot of afternoons we turn the sprinklers on and eat popsicles.

4:30ish I start thinking about dinner. I *try* and meal plan so I know ahead of time what we are having (Meal planning and grocery shopping = such a chore!!).

Kyle gets home between 4:30 and 5:00 and he helps occupy the kids while I cook dinner. This is so needed since Archer really likes "help" me by cleaning out all of the cabinets.

We eat around 5:30-6:00 most nights.

After dinner, I clean up the kitchen and I have the kids pick up the playroom and the family room.

Around 6:30, Kyle gets Archer's bath going and the big kids follow after that. (Don't be fooled that the kids get a bath every day in the Summer! They for sure don't. Some weeks it's only a couple of baths a week. Playing in the sprinkler is the same thing as a shower, right??).

Archer has been going to bed around 6:45-7:00 depending on the day.

7:00 We have Family Worship and then the kids go to their own beds for reading time.

Often, LK goes in to the bros room to read to them during reading time.

7:30 is lights out for the big boys and LK gets to read in her bed till 8:15, although sometimes she chooses to go to sleep earlier.

After the kids are in bed, our evenings vary. Between small group, date nights, and other things that come up, we are often tag-teaming the bath and bed part of the evening. But when we are home we will either read or watch a show or blog, etc. I also have a whole list of craft projects to work on this Summer.

I know all typed out, this seems pretty strict. But it helps me to have a base line... a game plan to fall back on. A lot of our Summer days are watching shows (I'm pretty lax on the shows in the Summer) or playing in the sprinkler or play dates with friends. We often forgo the morning schedule for time with friends or going to the Library or the pool. What do you think? What does your routine look like this Summer?

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2 comments

  1. I could have sworn that picture was of you and little Laura Kate.

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    Replies
    1. I know!!! Right?! They favor each other so much!!! 😍😍

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