Simple Family Schedule Idea for Summer & Back to School

July is going to be a busy month for us. I am already confused about what's going and when and it's only the first Monday of the month. Last year I was inspired by one of my favorite bloggers to start using a calendar. Back when I was a student in college I lived by my calendar so the concept of scheduling myself wasn't foreign to me but I had somehow gotten away from making it a part of my life.

I blame the invention of the smartphone.

I'm one of those people that prefers the old school way of doing things. I like seeing everything written out on a piece of paper. Putting appointments in my phone is a great way to be reminded of what's happening but I have come to realize that I need to be able to see everything at a glance. For me personally, I really need to be able to look at the entire month at one time and see it all.

Looking around the internet and at other blogs I noticed that planners were back in style. I have seen some pretty impressive planners all decked out with different highlighter colors, stickers and everything. They are quite impressive. I tried that last year and failed. My planner never looked pretty and I hardly ever used it so when it was time for me to get a new calendar for the family I decided to take it all the way back to the basics.

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I decided to grab this desk size calendar. Initially, I did have that urge to buy colored sharpies or pens to make this fancy but I fought that urge with a strong, "Nah...". When I got home I got a trusty number two pencil and started filling in all of our July dates. Done and done.

It was easy, effortless and extremely efficient. It may not be the prettiest calendar but it works for me. I am in the process of getting back to a more organized and simple way of living. Pinterest and Instagram will have you all in your feelings thinking you need to do more when you don't. 

Be inspired by this. Be easy on yourself. Sometimes it's really as easy as a pen and paper. Less is really more. I'll continue to share how I'm organizing and simplifying my life over the Summer. My goal is to have everything done before school starts again in August.

How are you keeping up with your family's schedule? Have you found new ways to simplify your life? Share them in the comments!

Preschool at Home: Establishing a Routine for Learning

Whew. Hello. I feel like I have been neglecting the blog a lot lately. A while ago I talked about simplifying our schedule by taking a couple weeks to quiet my life and regroup. That's where I've been the past couple weeks. Quieting our routine so that I can get a good understanding of what can stay and what can go.

The weather here has been beautiful. Hello Spring. We've been hanging out at the playground a lot. Once the triple digits hit in a couple months it'll be hard to get out to play so I'm trying to let Savannah soak up sun while she can...


It has been really great enjoying them. Taking the time to worry less and play more has been a huge sense of relief for me. It also gave me the time to determine exactly what I want our schedule to be going forward. It's hard to revise your schedule/routine when you're always doing something or going somewhere. While all of her activities were on Spring Break last week I took that opportunity to really figure out what's going to work best for us.


I discovered a lot. Mainly that we were not getting nearly as much playtime in as I thought. Don't get me wrong we were going to play dates, classes and dance but my little family wasn't getting much play time together. We were playing with everyone else but each other, LOL!

As Savannah approaches the age of four and BabyM turns one I want us to settle into what I think is going to be the routine that works for us. It's a 50/50 learn and play routine. The best of both worlds. In the mornings we'll do all of our learning and development. When the baby goes down for his nap Sav and I normally eat lunch. Once he's up, we'll play together until it's time to make dinner. We can go to a playground or play some of her board games. Whatever she wants.

handwriting practice. she's getting better. we've got to work on that backwards N though.

During my little hiatus I also figured out exactly what our learning goals are going to be. I know what I want to teach them. I'll share my goals for learning in a different post. So far our new schedule has been working out really well. I still have some fine tuning to do with grocery shopping and housework. It's a work in progress but at least I can say we are progressing.
Have you changed your family schedule lately? Have any plans to?

How to get through the next day after a Sleepless Night...

I can barely keep my eyes open to type this post. That's how sleepy I am. You know how it is with a newborn. They sleep all day and you get minimum sleep at night. This is the part you forget about when you see that positive pregnancy test.

So far this week I think I have gotten maybe a combined total of ten hours of sleep. Yep. You read that right. I think I've slept for about three hours a night this week. Not complaining, just stating the facts. Baby M wakes up every few hours to be fed and changed. That's to be expected. What I didn't expect is for Savannah to start waking up during the night. You remember all the hard work I did to get her to sleep all night after we moved to Texas? Well. This week has been a recurring nightmare of those days.

I think she's a light sleeper like me so she wakes up if she hears the baby crying too loudly. Not only does she wake up but she gets out of bed and comes to check on him. Sweet, right? It wouldn't be if you were me. Last night they were both up for a while and I had this feeling of defeat. They were beating me at my own game. No worries though. I have a game plan that will put an end to all of this night waking. More on that later...

I have been amazed at how easy it's been to still get through the days while I'm past tired. Here are some tips that I've found very useful. Thank you for everyone that made a suggestion via our Facebook page....

~ Stay Busy

As crazy as it sounds staying busy when you're exhausted helps the time fly by. You won't feel as sleepy if your occupied by another task. This is my go-to method for getting through the tired days after a sleepless night. I clean, cook or take the kids out. It helps keep that sluggish feeling at bay until you can actually sleep.

~ Drink lots of water

This may not be true for everyone but drinking ice cold water throughout the day keeps me alert. I have been doing pretty well staying off of caffeine. Caffeine tends to make me feel less energized, or maybe it's the crash from the sugar in a soda. At any rate drinking water has done wonders for my energy level.

~ Sleep while the baby is sleeping

Everyone has heard this. Unfortunately, I've never been a good napper. Napping actually has the opposite effect on me. If you are a person that does well with naps try sleeping when your baby does. Since Sav doesn't take naps anymore I can't sleep during the day, but if you're able to do it GO FOR IT!

~ Don't feel pressured by your checklist

If you're like me you feel the need to get things done during the day. When you're super tired throw that list in the garbage. Take your time getting things done. Ease into your day. Don't rush it. If you can get a load of laundry done, great! If you can't, don't sweat it. Try to keep your day as calm and carefree as possible. Staying in a relaxed state will keep you from exerting more energy. I take the pressure of cooking dinner off of my plate when I'm really tired and it helps me.

~Rest when you can

Try doing some stationary activities with your kids. Read books, color, paint or work on some fine motor skills if they're old enough. If you have a child that will watch a movie throw one on. Even if you can't sleep just sitting and resting does wonders.

I use all of these during the day to help me stay mentally sane after a sleepless night. It's not easy but you can do it. As soon as both kids are asleep at night I go to bed too. A couple hours of sleep is better than no sleep at all.

What are some of your tips for getting through the day after a sleepless night?

30 Things: Describe a Typical Day For You...

A typical day for me is going to sound pretty boring. However, since I am pretty sure most Moms that stay at home have the same type of day I will try not to feel bad when I read every one else's post for this prompt. So. A typical day for Savannah and I goes a little something like this...

(Assuming that the day is completely free of Doctor's appointments)

7:00AM - Savannah wakes up. We head downstairs for breakfast. I turn the TV on nick jr. and we listen to Little Bill while we both make breakfast. She likes to help me cook. We sit and eat and talk about what we're going to do that day.

8:00AM- The kitchen is clean from breakfast and we head back upstairs to get dressed. She brushes her teeth then we pick out her clothes. I get in the shower while she plays with toys and watches Team Umizoomi on my bed. It normally takes me about forty minutes to get us both dressed. (depending on where we're headed)

9:00AM- We are headed to a play date, play group, dance, library or park. 

12:00PM - We arrive back at home for lunch (unless lunch was part of the outing. in that case we're still out riding around and soaking up the summer)

1:00PM - The kitchen is clean from lunch. Now it's time for an indoor quiet activity. She normally paints, colors, creates something with Play Doh or plays with a doll. This is her independent play time. During this time I clean, start a load of laundry and begin to cook dinner. 

2:00PM - We finish cooking dinner together. At this point in the day we normally head to her room and read a couple books before I start doing some teaching. Lately, we've been working on her numbers so we'll sing number songs or read books that reinforce counting. For some reason she can identify numbers but she just doesn't like to count. I'm pretty sure she got that from me.

3:30PM - I fold and put away clothes and do any prep that needs to be done for the next day. We clean up the toys and books in her room and we head back downstairs.

4:30PM - My husband gets home from work. He changes out of his uniform while Savannah gives him a play by play of what happened today. I start setting the table while my husband gives me a play by play of what happened to him today.

5:00PM - We eat dinner and I tell my husband my version of what happened that day. There's a lot of talking at dinner.

6:30PM - My husband packs his lunch for work the next day and he cleans the kitchen. Savannah and I head upstairs for bath time. 

7:00PM - I turn on nick jr. and Savannah gets her TV time before bedtime. I take a shower and get ready for bed. By 7:45 (8:00 at the latest) Savannah is asleep. My husband puts her in her bed. 

8:00PM I enjoy some TV and time with my husband before falling asleep around ten. 

See. Nothing too glamourous but it is a typical day for us.

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