Summer Survival Series DAY ONE – Set Routines

OH HAY!  Glad to see you’re back!  That means you’ve read yesterday’s post and you’re already pampering yourself and ready to conquer this thing called summertime, yes?  Summer Survival 101 – OKAY!  LET’S DO THIS.

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NUMBER 1. SET ROUTINES 

Set them.  Weekly, Daily, HOURLY schedules that the kiddos can see and actually decipher!  It will keep you sane when they will.not.stop.asking.what’s.next.  I started with this one from Fab n’ Free and added to it along the way. 

Mine is magnetic and goes right on the fridge.  When they ask me when we are going to the pool, I point to the fridge.   If they ask how many more days until the birthday party, I point to the fridge.  WHEN THEY ASK IF THEY CAN HAVE A SNACK…the SCHEDULE tells them they will have a snack AFTER chores and suddenly YOU’RE NOT THE BAD GUY!!! AND BONUS!!!  They’re practicing their CALENDAR SKILLS!!! WOOT! 

 I have learned to stay away from putting too many rules on our summer days. In the past I’ve tried the schedules that include “Make it Monday” and “Water Fun Wednesday.” But when the things we really wanted to do didn’t fit into that schedule, I felt a bit of mom guilt and a smidge of failure.

Nowadays, I lean towards the practice of having a bunch of fun activities prepped and entertaining excursions in mind at the beginning of the week, ready for action when the time is right. 

Summer Survival Schedule

In case you’re interested, here’s our schedule for the summer…I’m super flexible, but this is my baseline.  Like I said, I keep it simple.  

6:30AM  Wake up before everyone else, while the house is still quiet.  Pour a cup of coffee (duh) and have some quiet time.

7:00AM The children start waking up.  Breakfast immediatly or they will most likely die.

7:30AM  Get ready or we will probably never do this.  I take that back.  We will do this 5 minutes before Daddy gets home so it doesn’t look like we spent the day in our PJ’s.

8:00AM  Second cup of coffee.  Do not bother Mommy until this is finished.  They need time to play independently anyway.  It’s SCIENCE.

8:30AM  If we have someplace to go, it probably starts at 9.  So start getting in the car.  This will take FOREVER.  And you’ll be late. Don’t forget to pack a Snackle Box for the trip!

9:00AM  If there’s no outing scheduled, start some educational activities.  These are the things I’ll have planned and prepped before the week begins.  Because if I don’t, I’ll just say EFFIT.  I’ll have more ideas for you soon, so stay tuned!

10:00AM Snack Time, Reading Time (You’ll be reading about my family’s Reading Time in the next few days…)

11:00AM Play some more!!!Have some fun!  Play outside!  Read!  Cook! Make a craft! Experiment!  Exercise together!

12:00PM Lunch Time

1:00PM Chores & Cash in Rewards (I’ll be sharing my Chores, Behavior, and Rewards systems soon!)

2:00PM  Nap Time/Quiet Time

3:00PM Big Kid Fun Stuff (That the nappers can’t do…)

4:00PM Wake up Nappers, Ten Minute Tidy (Have you been doing this?  We’ll chat more about it later…)

4:30PM Daddy Home!

Summer Survival Evening Prep

After bedtime (we start our routine at 8:00PM), I clean the kitchen, do more laundry, get stuff ready for the next day if necessary, take a shower, have more coffee, and unwind.

Summer Survival Tips

I rarely start something new without putting procedures into practice.  It’s the Kindergarten teacher in me. I spent the first TWO WEEKS of school simply practicing procedures, like sitting in a circle quietly, raising our hands, using the restroom.  Basic.  Tedious.  And necessary.  Especially for creating order and peace in our classrooms and in our homes.  

You’re already doing this, or at least you should be.  Do your little ones know what to do when you say, “It’s bed time!” or “Time to go bye bye!”?  If they run for their toothbrush in the first instance, or their shoes and jackets in the second, you’ve set up procedures in your home!  YAY!  If not, I suggest spending the first few days of summer practicing your new routines.

If you truly want to make your life easier, start expecting the same thing from your littles each time you move on to the next part of your day. 

For example, when it’s time for snack, we 1) wash our hands, 2) get our cups, 3) get into our seats, 4) wipe our hands when we are finished, 5) excuse ourselves from the table and 6) clean our spots.  They can do this, and you can, too!

I hope day one of my Summer Survival Series has your wheels turning with ideas of your own on how to put routines and procedures into practice in your home this summer.

Stop by again tomorrow to find out how I’m cracking down on chores, managing the behaviors in my home, and rewarding my little sweet peas for all of their hard work and good choices! ~ Boo