The Old School Day Routine

My house is empty.

Both of my boys were whisked away by school buses this morning. Off on their new adventures by themselves. Each at a different school. Each in his own universe. Each with his own goals in mind. Each with his own challenges, triumphs and defeats ahead.

School started yesterday for the boys and I went back to work. It was a big transition for everyone. Matthew started junior high, Steven started Kindergarten and I am working at a different building than last year. All went well, but today and the next few days are the true test.
The first day is always easier- everyone is excited. They get up early and get dressed in new clothes. They put on new backpacks filled with new stuff. They see old friends and meet new ones.

The second day, however, means tired kids hung-over from the previous day's adrenaline high. They don't want to get out of bed. Matthew is already through with his alarm clock and wants me to wake him up every morning. Apparently, the radio blasting out tunes at 6:15 just doesn't give him the jolt needed to snap him out of slumber that Mom's voice does. Steven moaned and groaned like he'd been flogged with a beaded jump rope when I woke him up.

It only gets better from here.

By the end of the week, they'll be pushing that wake-up time to the last possible minute and lolly-gagging around after they finally do climb out of bed. I'll be chasing after them nagging reminding them about getting things ready the night before. They'll try to convince me that candy makes a nutritious breakfast if you drink a whole glass of milk with it.

Good times!

The upside to all of this is the routine that comes with it. A routine makes the day run much smoother and deadlines make you work faster. The routine is what I crave. I function much more efficiently if I have a routine to follow. It takes the thinking out of everything and frees your mind up to concentrate on more important things. It will take a bit for the routine to become a habit for us, but it will be so nice when it does.

I think (HOPE) the routine will fall into place faster this year since Steven is in school everyday. His preschool was two days a week one year and three days a week the following year. Everyday is much easier to adjust to.

I'll be sharing some of our routines with you in upcoming posts and explaining how our routines free us up to do fun stuff. I'd also like to include tips and tricks from other families that may have different needs and situations than we do. What type of routines and habits do you have in place to make sure your day goes smoothly?

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