Putting Routines and Systems Together

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Day 26 of #Write28Days Challenge

We have covered a lot in the past 25 days. From knowing our why and adjusting our attitudes towards housework to learning how to set up systems to help us do our jobs better and more efficiently. But we now need to put our routines and systems together.

What I want to do today is share two sample days to give you an idea of what it looks like when everything comes together in our home. One sample shows what life was like when the children were in primary school and younger. Another sample is the current state where only one child is in primary school.

Remember though that not every day comes together perfectly because life happens. But this is the framework we work with and what I aim for because, without a framework, chaos will reign.

Putting Routines and Systems Together

(a) Primary School + Nursing Baby

My Morning Routine

• Wake up with the baby.
• Nurse the baby and then brush teeth and shower.
• Heat up breakfast and give the baby a quick bath. I also shower children who can’t shower by themselves.
• Children who wake before I do do their own morning routine of brushing teeth and showering before pottering around the house and playing by themselves.
• Breakfast is served and eaten.
• Dining table is cleared away.
• School starts with Bible. Baby and toddler may or may not join us.
• Independent children then proceed to do schoolwork assigned to them in their planner either at their desk or at the dining table.
• I nurse the baby and do simple school with the toddlers if they are interested and the pre-schoolers.
• Children finish up their work and hand over to me to grade.
• They go off to play.
• Baby either takes her morning nap or plays by herself while I do lunch prep. Toddler continues with playtime or just wanders around.

My Midday Routine

• Everyone helps to pack up the house while I cook lunch
• Lunch is served and eaten.
• Housework is done according to zones and tasks (eg. Mondays = ironing, Tuesdays = toilets, etc)
• Naptime or quiet playtime for all.
• I do my devotions and then take a power nap.

My Afternoon Routine

• Nap/Quiet time is over and snack is served.
• I grade their work and go through corrections. Homeschool is done!
• Playtime – out of the home or in the home.
• If at home, I start dinner prep while they play. If we are going out, they entertain the baby while I dinner prep and then we all go out.

My Evening Routine

• Dinner is served and eaten. (Husband may or may not join us, depending on his work schedule).
• Everyone takes turns to shower and prepare for bedtime while I wash the dishes and wipe down the kitchen sink and spot clean the kitchen floors.
• I give the baby her bath and shower the young ones.
• Nightly pick up of the rest of the house by the children waiting for me.
• Nighttime prayers.
• Children go to bed.
• I nurse the baby to sleep – hopefully.
• I do a quick vacuum or use the Kao magiclean to “sweep” the house.
• Me time which includes doing a brain dump to prepare for the next day, researching homeschool or health information, reading, watching TV.
• Sleep.

A Terribly Hectic Season

Life is this season was terribly hectic. And I was so grateful for the routines and schedules that I had set up. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to homeschool or even trust God with our family size.

Having a routine meant fewer fights with the children once they realised that the routine was it. Guesswork and decision fatigue are taken out of the equation.

Don’t worry, we still had our occasional spontaneous outings but by and large, our schooldays ran like clockwork.

You probably do not have to be as rigorous as us if you have some help around the house or in your homeschool or if you have fewer children. But if you have four or more children being homeschooled and you run your home and homeschool by yourself, setting up routines and systems will reduce a lot of stress in your family.

Just remember that there will be teething problems when you first get it going. Don’t be too rigid and don’t give up.

More Fluidity

And take heart that as more and more of them hit the Secondary or Elementary School levels life gets a little “easier” because all that consistent training in the elementary years will pay off. Also, they now can handle more things on their own and can keep themselves occupied for longer periods of time as well.

There is a lot more fluidity nowadays. The only things that are fixed are that we start school after breakfast. Then they finish up when they finish up and proceed to do their own thing once they are done.

I only grade one child’s work now but keep tabs on three other children’s work with Abeka. You can say that life has gotten easier indeed. But remember that different seasons bring different challenges.

(b) Secondary School and Older

My Morning Routine

• Wake up
• Brush teeth and shower.
• Heat up/cook breakfast.
• Devotions.
• Children who wake before I do do their own morning routine of brushing teeth and showering.
• Some will choose to start school immediately while others just do their own thing.
• Breakfast is served. Whoever is awake and ready eats. We do not eat breakfast together.
• School starts with Bible for the primary school children. Those using Abeka have their own Bible lessons.
• Finish up work assigned in their homeschool planner.
• I grade whatever work is completed and update Abeka planner.
• All work is handed over to me to grade.
• I grade and go through corrections. Homeschool is done!

My Midday Routine

• Lunch prep by me or one of the children.
• Lunch is served and eaten.
• Abeka work completed.
• Afternoons are left free and easy for everyone. They do whatever they want while I use this time to nap and chores.

My Evening Routine

• Dinner prep is done by one of the children or by me if they are not home.
• Dinner is served and eaten.
• Free time.
• Nighttime prayers.
• Younger children go to bed. The rest go to bed…eventually
• Me time which includes doing a brain dump to prepare for the next day, do the phone scroll, flip the newspapers (yes, we still subscribe to one).
• Sleep.

The Flow of Our Days

Day in, day out, this is the flow of our days. Everyone knows what to do and what to expect. There is less (no?) variation when the children were younger because we were limited in our outside activities since I didn’t have the car and taking the public transport with 7 children alone is a tiring and trying experience. It suited me just fine since I am an introvert.

But if you are an extrovert who needs to get out of the house, then plan for it. Set a time when you will be out of the house, be it a playdate or a co-op class. That will be the flow of your day.

However, now that everyone is mobile and very familiar with public transport, there is a lot more variation in our days. So much so that it makes my brain explode trying to keep everything together.

Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping

When does meal planning take place? I meal plan once a week, usually the day before I go marketing, and we tend to repeat the same meals each week. Boring, huh? Well, you are looking at someone who does not like to cook. Thankfully nowadays we can afford (physically and financially) to eat out more so we have slightly more variety in our meals.

I go grocery shopping twice a week now since I retired my 2 stand-alone freezers some time back although I am tempted to invest in another fridge because I need more freezer and fridge space. But I am holding back for now.

Once a week I head off to the wet market where our butchers and fishmonger will slice and dice my meats for me and pack them into packages. And then I also visit NTUC for other supplies like toilet paper and other supplies not found at the wet market.

On days when I go grocery shopping, I will adjust my schedule to fit it in so that school is not disrupted.

Priority in This Season

My priority in this season of my life is homeschooling. Everything is secondary. I tell myself that I must finish up all homeschooling tasks before I take on or proceed with other tasks.

As I juggle the different balls, my focus is to avoid dropping the homeschool ball. If the other balls get dropped, it is ok.

So the blog will take a backseat if I homeschooling hits an obstacle and requires me to be more hands-on. Housework will also take a backseat, yes, even if I see hair all over the place or clothes hanging un-ironed if a child needs more help with schoolwork. Everything else can wait, everything else is slotted in around homeschooling.

Putting Routines and Systems Together

And this is how I make everything come together in our homeschool and our home back then and now.

Tomorrow I will talk about decluttering and why I did not start with that.

Related Links

Teaching our Toddlers
Struggling to Spend Quiet Time with The Lord?
Another Kind of Busy for Another Season of Life

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