Morning Routine

So this is how we (are supposed to) roll in the mornings.

Goal~ Mommy wakes up at 6:00, makes bed, exercises, showers, has devotions, does hair and make-up.  This is an excellent day!  Most mornings it's more like 7:00-8:00 before I am dragging my rotund self out of bed, but I'm feeling an extreme measure of grace these days as my sleeping habits have not been all that peaceful due to an incredibly active small child in my womb.  Result~ my exercising regime has been rather pathetic of late!

Goal~ Breakfast helper wakes up at 7:00 to get their morning routine done before helping with breakfast.  This time is also adjusted to comply with Mommy's waking time.  The breakfast helper sets the table and helps in whatever way time and ability allows.  Great jobs for a breakfast helper (mine are 2-5 yrs.)~ Make oatmeal (with a little practice Lydia can complete this independently), make toast, stir pancake, waffle, coffee cake, muffin etc. batter,  scramble eggs, help fry eggs, pour granola or cereal and many other jobs that just take a little practice and instruction.  This is one of those areas that it is so easy for me to just do myself and get the job done quickly.  I am always blessed though to see my girls thriving as they learn new skills and serve their family.  The breakfast helper is also responsible for clearing and washing the table after breakfast.

Goal~ The rest of the girls wake up at 7:15 and begin their morning routine.  We keep this posted in a prominent place and the girls can either read "enough" to know what it says or they can remind each other.  Either way, I am not having to constantly tell them what comes next.

Our "Morning Chores" have been tweaked slightly since I last posted about them.  They now fall in three simple groups that are switched monthly.  We've found that sticking with the same ones for a whole month rather than changing weekly has helped them to do their jobs more efficiently and to help them remember what they are doing!  The chore groups are;

Living room floor, kitchen floor and downstairs hallway

Upstairs hallway, dining room floor, and office floor

Bathroom counter and sink, swish toilet and pick up bathroom floor (and sweep if you are over three!).

So that is the start of our day!  It is supposed to land us at 8:30, ready to start Bible and school with breakfast all cleaned up.  Most days it is more like 9:30, or even 10:00.  But quite honestly, that's okay!  I really want to work back towards our early mornings as it really helps to get our days off to a boom.  But at the same time, our schedule helps  keep us moving and a more relaxed family is just what we've needed these days!

(I apologize for the appalling lack of pictures of late!  My camera has seen better days and I am simply out of the habit of snapping pictures.  I will try to do better in the future!)