Scheduling

Any parent who takes children swimming alone needs a medal...whew what a workout.

Note to self:
Do not tell children the closing time of the local pool is 7pm.
They will beg you to stay right up till closing time.

However I won that argument, and was able to persuade them to leave around 6pm to go home for dinner and the fact that Daddy would be locked out of the house awaiting us. Sad isn't it that my husband doesn't need a key because I am always home?


I am trying to instigate a new routine for this year. Tuesday afternoon outings are part of that new routine. Though this was kinda of the first one - took us a while! The last few months I've noticed the behaviour of my girls waning alittle. It seems you get everyone happy then they descend into crazyiness all over again. Way to keep you on your toes! Parenting is NEVER DONE!

I've noticed then when I really participate with my children they are better behaved. OH boy does that attention make so much difference. Why oh why can't I just send them out to play, read a book or just go and do something alone?

I feel guilty that my kids don't have tonnes of (paid/formal) afterschool acitivities to do or that we are too tired and grumpy (that would be me and the baby)  to go to the park or do little outings after school.

But no more.

Our new schedule is
Monday : Fancy Dinner Restaurant Night/ Family Home Evening
Tuesday:  After school outing
Wednesday: Activity Days at church every second week and babysit neighbour
Thursday: Only day allowed to watch TV
Friday: Little Athletics/ Family Night Movie Night in the off season


Our ideas for Tuesday outings are:
Museum and art gallery (which my kids love), trips to different parks the older ones miss out on while at school, swimming, visit to friends and cousins, bike ride, bush walking.

What other ideas do you have? Preferably ones that aren't too expensive.


The other new addition to our schedule is Mummy daughter time. Now my girls LOVE their Daddy Daughter dates, but since he has every saturday squared up spending time with them one on one , I wondered when I would fit mine in.

I read somewhere (sorry can't remember where) where a mother of 5 children scheduled a night of the week to each of her children. When the others had bedtime, one child was able to stay up with the mother and do something together for half an hour. Things such as read a book, snuggle and talk, bake, get bread and milk from the local grocery store, do a craft etc.

This sounded like the answer I needed. I even liked that this womans children were now all grown and moved out of home and she STILL used their assigned days of the week to CALL THEM! She knew on Monday night she rang this child, Tuesday night the next child etc!!

I am really hoping these changes to our daily/weekly/monthly schedule will provide some of the much needed changes I see that our family needs.

I've already seen benefits.