The Wrench

Lately I've been pretty happy with our daily routine. I like having Nicky in school because it gives our days structure, and I function a lot better with structure (summer nearly killed me with all of that unstructured time and excessive daylight. Ugh!)

This morning I was thinking about our schedule and contemplating what changes will occur when we throw a wrench in it (i.e. have a baby) in two(ish) weeks.

[Via]

Here is how our days go right now:

Waking Up

I always prefer to wake up before  my children, but that rarely happens. Nicky and Daisy usually get up around 6:30. Daisy wants immediate attention, so the first thing she does is come into my room and make sure I'm awake. Then she makes whatever demand suits her fancy for that morning - 90% of the time she asks if she can have a treat. Naturally, I say no and tell her I will make her some breakfast. She folds her arms and "hmph"s and tells me she doesn't want "beskfist!"

"Beskfist"

Breakfast is nothing fancy at our house. We usually have Cheerios with sliced bananas, toast, pancakes, eggs, or yogurt with fruit and granola. I've found that no matter what my kids eat at breakfast, they still end up hungry at the same time, so I've given up on trying to keep them full until lunch. Nicky is great with breakfast - he eats what he needs, and then he cleans up after himself (joy!) Daisy, though, is a fighter. Some people do not believe in organized religion; Daisy does not believe in organized meals. It doesn't matter if breakfast is hand-picked by her majesty - she will not eat it. So everyday I explain to her that she does not get any food until lunch, and everyday, I fight the hideous battle that goes along with it. I literally lock her out of the fridge and pantry, and I leave her breakfast sitting out and direct her to it each time she asks for food. This makes for a very long morning!

While the kids eat breakfast, I usually check my e-mail, load the dishwasher, and start a load of laundry. I also eat breakfast, myself. I'm just significantly better at it than they are, so I have a lot of time left to wait for them to finish. Sometimes, when I need to go somewhere immediately after Nicky leaves for school, I shower while the kids eat, but usually I wait and shower later.

Getting Ready for School

Nicky is a champ at getting ready for school. When he started Kindergarten, I hung the following check-list on the front door:

• Get dressed
• Brush teeth
• Comb hair
• Eat breakfast
• Take vitamin
• Pack backpack (Monday: Reading Record, Friday: Show & Tell)
• Family prayer

Every morning I have Nicky go over the check-list and tell me what he still needs to do. He has been awesome about getting up and getting ready without having to be nagged. Our only downfall is that we are such early risers that we always a lot of time to get ready, which allows for "distraction time." I intend to have Nicky do the entire check-list from start to finish as soon as he gets up in the morning, and then he can use the leftover time to play, but I just haven't gotten around to enforcing it yet. I just want him to be in the habit of getting ready all at once rather than little bits at a time as to help in the future when there is less time to get ready and more to do.

Off to School

The last thing we usually do before Nicky leaves for school is say a family prayer. One might think this is a special event, but really, it is one of the most dangerous things that happens in our house each morning. As soon as I call the kids into the living room, they start fighting over who gets to say it. I try to have them take turns, but I feel terrible for Nicky because whenever it's his turn, Daisy will either start saying her own prayer, louder than his, or she will run up to him while his eyes are closed and smack him in the face. There are many tears shed and punches thrown during family prayer.

At 8:00, my sister-in-law picks up Nicky and takes him to school. Then it's just Daisy and me for the next three hours.

Just Daisy and Me

Usually after Nicky leaves for school, I put Daisy into a Dora-induced coma so I can read my scriptures and shower. When I'm ready for the day, I do a few chores around the house. Daisy is usually my little shadow during this time. She follows me around and helps me a little here and there. She likes to put clothes in the washer, and she LOVES putting the soap in. She continues to beg for snacks and treats. This is no exaggeration, I'll bet she asks for food every five minutes during the three hours Nicky is at school, save for the time she spends watching Dora, in which she asks every fifteen minutes.

Places to Go

I occasionally go places while Nicky is at school. We have a few routine destinations each week:

• Monday - library (sometimes I wait until Nicky gets home so he can go with us, it just depends on the day)
• Wednesday - play group (it starts while Nicky is at school, and I leave to pick him up then come back so he can play, too)
• Thursday - grocery shopping
• Friday - class volunteer (I go help in Nicky's classroom every-other Friday)

After School

I pick up Nicky and my nephew, T-Bone, from school every day. As soon as we get home, I fix lunch, and the kids play for a while until someone comes to get T-Bone. After T-Bone leaves, I try to engage my kids in some sort of activity that will wear Daisy out so she will take a nap. She's in that awful phase where she still needs a nap every day, but she won't go to sleep on her own until 5:00 p.m. I usually end up putting the kids in the car around 2:00 in the afternoon and going for a nice, long drive. I hate doing it because it's a waste of time and gas (plus Nicky whines like crazy about it), but it's the only way I can get Daisy to fall asleep. If she doesn't nap, the hours from 1:00-8:00 p.m. are complete torture. From 1:00 to 4:00 she throws hideous tantrums, and she and Nicky fight like rabid dogs. Then from 4:00 until 7:00, I have to fight to keep her awake. Then at 7:00, she gets super hyper. 

So... naps are pretty important, but also very inconvenient.

Bed Time

Bed time is rough right now because Scotty gets home from school after the kids should be in bed. I always have this awful internal conflict: Do I put the kids to bed when they need it the most? Or do I let them stay up for an extra 30 mins-1 hour so they can see their dad? What's more important? Sleep or Daddy? 

Most days, Daddy wins. 

I try to have the kids bathed and pajama-ed when Scotty gets home (although I've been really bad at it lately because I'm very pregnant and very tired and I can't stop watching Dancing with the Stars). When Scotty gets home, he eats dinner and talks to the kids for a while. Then we start the bed time routine.

We've had a pretty consistent bed time routine since Nicky was a baby. We brush teeth, then the kids take turns picking songs (three songs each). If they misbehave during bed time routine, they lose a song. Then each kid says prayers (please refer to the family prayer description above for an idea of what this is like). Then we sing two "family songs." The "family songs" tradition started a long time ago and has evolved a little bit over time. We used to always sing "Families Can Be Together Forever" every night before we kissed and hugged our kids goodnight. Then we added "I am a Child of God." Then we ended up adding other songs that the kids were singing in Primary that we wanted to help Nicky learn the words to, and we ended up singing WAY TOO MANY songs every night. So Scotty and I picked some songs that we think teach important concepts and doctrines, and we have a song schedule with two songs for each day of the week. We end our bed time routine by singing those two songs (there is a chart hanging above Nicky's bed, and he is in charge of checking it each night and telling us what songs we are singing that day). I'm pretty sure this makes us nerdy Mormon parents or zealots of some sort, but here is our song list:

Sunday

"I am a Child of God"

"I'm Trying to be Like Jesus"

Monday

"We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet"

"Praise to the Man"

Tuesday

"Families Can be Together Forever"

"Search, Ponder, and Pray"

Wednesday

"I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ"

"We'll Bring the World His Truth"

Thursday

"The Books in the Book of Mormon"

"Teach me to Walk in the Light"

Friday

"Called to Serve"

"Choose the Right"

Saturday

"The Spirit of God"

"Book of Mormon Stories"

After our "family songs,' we hug and kiss the little people, and they go to sleep. Or not. You know how it is...

Sadly, we usually crash right after we put the kids to bed. 

The Weekends

There aren't very many "routine" events for the weekend other than on Sunday. Right now we have church at 9:00. I used to put the kids' clothes out on Saturday night, but since Daisy will never wear what I put out for her, I stopped doing that and just let her pick her dress out in the morning. She always picks the same dress (seen here). If I want her to wear something else, I simply have to suggest that dress before she picks it herself, and she'll refuse to wear it. 

We start getting ready at 7:00. Scotty makes a German pancake most Sunday mornings. Everyone is fed, showered, and dressed. We pack a church bag, and off we go! Our kids fight over who gets to open the door at the church. Once we get inside, we pick a seat, and the kids go visit Sister Argyle to get some Smarties, then they go get a tithing slip from the bishop's office.

After church, we come home and have lunch, then we try to get Daisy to take a nap. Later in the afternoon we go visit Scotty's mom. She usually has some sort of baked good for us to enjoy.

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I can't wait to meet our little wrench, but I think it's going to take some time to figure life out all over again. There will be more frequent doctor visits, diaper changes, and feedings. There will be more night wakings, less room in our car, and more equipment to haul everywhere. 

I've done it before, and even though it all comes back in one way or another, it's still amazing how much you have to re-learn when you start from newborn again.

Here's to life changing!