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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

Well, first off I'm not in school any more.

Some of the weekly prep stuff we do:  To make mornings run smooth, on Sat/Sun I have all of the kids outfits for the week already picked out and pulled together.  They hang on a low rung in their closets separated by hanger dividers so they can get themselves dressed each morning.    On Sunday mornings, while everyone is eating breakfast, we make a weekly meal plan together.  This includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  The kids and I also prep any food we can ahead of time - waffle batter, cut up veggies, make a batch of chili, etc.  I also make lunches the night before while making dinner, which are quick since we prepped a lot on the weekend.  We also do a few household chores each day so we don't have a messy/dirty house to clean on the weekend (more free time on the weekend).

I get up at 5am and my youngest usually gets up and we talk while I get ready for work.  I'm at my office by 6am.  My oldest calls me every morning to chat for a few minutes before heading off to school.  My DH husband goes in fairly late, so he has time to make a nice breakfast and eat with the kids, play and spend one-on-one time with them, and get the oldest off to school.  Then he has more time to spend one-on-one with the youngest before he takes him in to his home daycare and heads to work.  He also throws in a load of laundry and lays it out on the bed for me to fold when I get home.  He loads the dishwasher with breakfast dishes and runs it (has dinner dishes in it from the night before) and one or two other chores - e.g., sweeps/mops main floor.  The kids also have a few chores that they do in the morning and the evenings.  Mainly keeping their own rooms clean, beds made, one gathers the laundry, the other empties garbage cans.  They put their own clothes away in drawers (the oldest has started hanging clothes as well).

Each evening is a little different but three of the days when I get off (330p) I pick up each kid and head straight to the gym.  I do strength training for an hour.  The kids go to the playroom at the gym.  By this time the youngest has been in daycare for only 5hrs (a home daycare where they've been since 9 weeks old - so they are like family) and the oldest has been in a full school day.  We leave the gym and come home and make dinner together, pack lunches together (I find they're more likely to eat when they've helped plan the menu and make/pack the food).  If the oldest has homework that's done at the kitchen table while the youngest and I make dinner.  Dinner usually take under 30 minutes because we've prepped and thawed out everything we need.  Then play time, baths, storytime, and bed.  After they go to bed I jump in the shower, check email, and do a household chore or two.  I've emptied the  dishwasher and loaded it back with dinner dishes.  I've taken care of the mail - immediately gets shredded, filed to be paid, pinned on family schedule board, or filed to be scanned.  All school paperwork is taken care of immediately as well - forms signed, money in an envelope, etc and straight back in backpack.

Another day I come straight home and coach my oldest on a team, then we go back and get the youngest (his longer day at home daycare) and that is my day off at the gym.  We start the afternoon/evening routine.

The final day I take a class at the gym and it's late so my DH is usually home and the kids in bed by the time I go.  Rest of the evening is the same.  I always shower in the evening so my mornings are fast getting out the door.  I also group my clothes together for the week.  When I get out of my showers in the evening I lay out any under garments and jewelry (this makes it faster but also less disturbing to my sleeping DH).

Friday night is family movie or family game night - kids choice.  On the weekend our kids have a few activities, but they are not over-scheduled so we have lots of free time.  The house is mainly clean and tidy.  I take an early morning class at the gym on Sat and a little later one on Sun.  So I get in 3 days of weight training and 3 days of cardio.

I recognize that our exact schedule wouldn't work for many other families, but we sat down and looked at the things we can't/aren't changing - my DH's work schedule is not flexible, but mine is.  We decided it's nice for the kids to get one-on-one time with each parent so I go in really early which also limits the time they are in daycare and I get one-on-one time as well.  We focus "family" time for the few evenings DH is home a little early and the weekends.  I also read up on several blogs and mags on organizing tips - both physical organization and routines.

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Thank you for sharing your schedule.  It is really inspiring.  What blogs and mags did you read up on?  I'd love to get some different ideas to see what might work best for my family.  Thanks.[/quote]

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