Sort of Schedule

So how does busy look in my house? I don't do well with chaos. I am sure you find that odd, since I have a large family. You have to realize a large family does not have to equate with chaos. You can have two kids and have chaos! I do have boys and *that* equates with chaos, though!

I have always tried to have a somewhat organized morning routine. Somewhat and organized - not all in the same breath. It has come to be time to be 'just plain almost organized'. So this is how my day sort of goes:

Cassidy (12) hits the floor at 6:30 am. He comes downstairs and opens the blinds, has a shower, makes the coffee, goes upstairs to wake the girls, and then comes back downstairs to start the breakfast. It is usually a big vat of good old fashioned hearty oatmeal, or toast and jam. He makes enough toast and jam for the younger five and himself, or the oatmeal for the whole family.

At the same time, Ray or I am knocking on bedroom doors waking the troops: the girls go to the bathroom, Cooper and Austin make their beds and get dressed and then play in their rooms until they are called. Briton is my tag-along. It is my only way to ensure that he is not being Mr. Destructo. He is so busy that it is safer to keep him in my room until my day takes off. I then hustle the big boys, who are *supposed* to have been in and out of the kitchen by 7:00 am. They never make it!

Mesai is the next one on the job. She and her sister make their beds and then she heads downstairs and does the dishwasher unloading, while her sister dresses. After this is done she gets dressed and then by then Cassidy is assembling the younger troops to breakfast. They traipse downstairs and they are so wonderful about sitting quietly in their chairs with their eyes closed waiting for the last little one to arrive. At which point one of them begins to pray for their meal.

While this is happening Colt and Dane are getting ready for school or work, and I am getting my day started. I am working really hard on training my boys, so that they will be amazing husbands. You might think after hearing my list of jobs for the boys that I don't work, but who do you think is training all these skills into the boys? *smile*

Once the kids are down from breakfast, the little ones head upstairs to wash up, brush teeth, and begin their playtime. Austin (9) takes on the kitchen clean-up, while the other kids begin various forms of school. Me? I wander from person to person, job to job - working and training. Meanwhile, I have phonecalls to field - I have begun *not* answering phones. I simply screen calls. I have a select few people that I will respond to simply because I don't have time to sit and chat. Sadly, I have a couple messages on my phone that are *still* waiting for a callback and it has been at least a week! You know who you are and I *will* call you! Looking for a gap!

From here we move into lunch, which I make, usually from leftovers and the troops reassemble, inhale their food and then head for naptime. Cassidy does the lunchtime cleanup, while I put the kids too bed. Thankfully, all four of the younger children lie down or sleep, and the 9 year old reads in his bed for two hours.

At some point of my morning the older child who is cooking dinner has a session with me. Since I have instituted this two week menu things have been so much smoother! They really only need a little guidance from me and I only have to worry about meals 2-3 days a week. I love it! And I have now begun adding more to their plan. We are a family that is well versed in the frozen pea department, but lately, since I am not rushing to get dinner on the table, I am able to teach my Cook of the Day how to do a nice vegetable. Suddenly we are able to eat different veggies that require extra work: broccoli and cheese, fresh carrots, etc. Sounds pathetic, but believe me, in my life it is much easier filling a saucepan with frozen peas than it is 'doing the vegetables'. But hey, that is now another lifeskill my boys are learning.

Our day flies by with school and cleaning up and cooking and before I know it another day has shot by. The kids have dinner, baths, big boys do kitchen cleanup and bathroom cleaning, while little boys tidy up other areas, and little ones get ready for bed.

Our day is now over by 7:30. I used to have kids in bed by 8-9:00 pm. I now have the girls in bed by 6:30pm. Can you imagine?! I used to hear of people with kids in bed at 6 or 6:30 and I thought - why? How? But the girls so need their sleep! They fall asleep at 6:35 pm and sleep til we wake them at 7:00 am!! They also sleep a solid two hours every afternoon.

The little boys follow suit at 7:30 and then the middle ones after that by 8:30. But having big, big ones keeps the house moving until later. I have just instituted the 10:00 pm rule. I have been getting to bed so late - past midnight. It has been ridiculous and it has a lot to do with having older sons. But you know, they are not out on the town, so there is no reason that we have to stay up so late. So now it is 'get up early, head to bed earlyish'.

They don't like it, but I don't like such late nights. So now, when I say, 'lights out' they know I mean it, because they know I can flick the electric breaker if I don't get action. And trust me, with teenage boys, you don't get action. You get plodding.

This is just the frame-work of my day. I can't even begin to list off my day when it comes to the stuff that really eats up my time! It is busy! But I wouldn't have it any other way! I think of people who go to work to get fulfillment, and I think that noone ever showed them the many ways they could be fulfilled at home.

I am a:

beach sitter, tubing mama, road-trip planner and executor, English as a Second Language teacher,interior decorator, tutor of highschool students, teacher of elementary grades, baker, cook, graphic artist, blog designer/writer, sewer, knitter, photographer, memory book maker, hairdresser/hair beader and designer, book writer, reader of many good books, house builder, gardener/landscaper, business bookkeeper and accountant - and the list goes on.

The list is as limited as you want to make it!!! Anything that your heart desires to do can be done at home, while raising your family.

So though I am insanely busy, I am very happy. I just have to learn to create more margins. And that will be my next post.
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