We had our LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! last Friday and it's time to let the summertime fun roll!!! :) Sort of. I'll be home this summer with my son, and as much as I'd love to just "go with the flow" each day, that doesn't really work for us. We pretty much do that on weekends and I cherish those days. In fact, on Saturday we stayed in pj's until 6pm when we had to get ready to attend a dance recital. But, on the weekdays, there is still a lot going on, like PTO meetings, swim and karate lessons, my Dad's doctor appointments, workouts, and my blogs to take care of. Not to mention all the regular household chores and duties.
I remember reading
Jen's (I Heart Organizing) Summer Schedule post a couple years ago when my son was just about 2 years old. I loved that she had a general routine for the day, because that's what works best for my son and our family too. I haven't written out a schedule specifically for my son, but I was getting a little freaked out about how I would fit everything in this summer and juggle it all, so I found a great weekly planner that I can write out all of our appointments for the week on, and then I can see where the "downtime" is and we can relax and enjoy those times.
Since I'm still working out with my trainer Monday - Friday mornings, and there is no daycare at the gym, my son will go to a day-camp with lots of his preschool friends in the mornings in June. This camp was highly recommended by friends of ours who have gone there before and I'm sure my son will have a great time playing with his friends in the morning, and then I can pick him up around lunchtime and be home with him the rest of the day.
We don't have a particular schedule for the afternoon, but I have complied a list of activities that I think we'd enjoy if we need something "to do." I asked my son what HE wanted to do this summer and he said, "go to the park, have a picnic with a big tree and shade, play soccer and basketball" and then he lost focus and started telling me about storm troopers. So is life with a 4 year-old. Later, (especially if he doesn't go to camp in July or Aug) I may pick specific outings and calendar them in advance . . . but not just yet. I also have a few bigger projects around the house I want to complete this summer.
How many calendars/schedules can one person keep? In my house, I use (gulp) FOUR:
1. One large
YEARLY CALENDAR in the kitchen. This is where I put important dates (things that pertain to school, holidays, outings) that all of us can see at a glance. I printed out these calendar pages at the
beginning of the year (free download) and it's been GREAT having them up. I keep meaning to put numbers on top "2014" but obviously haven't gotten to that!
2. My iPHONE CALENDAR. I use that weekly calendar because it's what I have with me at all times. I can quickly see what's up next each day and I refer to it often. It's easy to add recurring appointments with an end date too so you don't have to keep entering the same info repeatedly. My husband and I share our calendar so he can "invite" me to let me know he has a work meeting or is taking James for a haircut. And I do the same.
Here's an example:
3. My
MONTHLY BLOG CALENDAR. I have an at-a-glance monthly calendar where I schedule my blog posts. Since I have two blogs (this one and
Honey We're Healthy), I divide the days into two sections so I can keep track of both blog posts in one calendar. I schedule these out for the week on Saturday or Sunday. I keep them in pencil in case they change (as they often do). I love having Wardrobe Wednesdays and Friday Weekend Steals & Deals because I always know those are the posts I'm doing on those days. A running list of
blog ideas is kept on my
MASTER LIST.
4. My
WEEKLY APPOINTMENT SCHEDULE.
This is the one I'm crazy about! It's a new download I found this weekend on
etsy shop, Lizzie Lou Creations ($6.95) to help me write out and visually see how our week will go. I wrote this out on Saturday and it gave me such a sense of relief to see everything on one sheet of paper. This download is awesome because it has
appointment times! Just what I need! On top I wrote out what blog posts are scheduled for that day, and below, I wrote out our schedule for the day. I can also circle when I need to eat, so I can either be home or have food prepared to take with me. It is extremely difficult to eat five healthy meals a day if you don't plan for it in advance.
Seeing these appointments all on paper made me realize I don't have a lot of time for blogging, unless I do it at night or in the afternoon (while my son is home). I can usually take photos while he's home with me (and he likes to help arrange things or also take pics), but I don't like to be on the computer drafting the posts unless he's watching a video or happily playing independently. So, while the appointments are in stone, blogging and what we will do in the afternoons is flexible and we'll play it by ear while we're getting used to our summer groove. I doubt my son will nap anymore (but I will try to incorporate quite time). I have a feeling that as the summer weather really starts heating up, we'll be at the pool pretty often. Houston is too hot and humid to enjoy the outdoors for long unless you're wet.
If you're home with your kids, do you follow a general schedule or routine?
