Using Time Wisely

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Vacation Recovery . . . Almost

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Overwhelmed laundry pileThough we are back from our long and much-needed vacation, I am far from caught up and in my groove. With late nights, late mornings, and naps as needed, I’m not sure I want to fully recover from our vacation routine. 😉

Overcoming the piles of laundry, snagging the last few back-to-school items, and squeezing in those last days of summer fun, I have mixed feelings about this week of vacation recovery. On the one hand, I am ready to get back on a routine as I really. need. my. exercise. time. back. I look forward to keeping the same routine each day and knowing where to fit in exercise, errands, cleaning, homework, and extra activities.

But the flip side of this equation is that our summer fun is coming to a close. Gone are the late nights watching the Olympic athletes strive for gold, the all-day carefree days spent splashing and swimming at the water park, the family outings, summer picnics, and double-header baseball games. In using time wisely, I have maximized the time I have had with my kids this summer. We are not promised today, tomorrow, this school year, or next summer.

Sorting - breaking down into manageable sectionsAs I plan for our new routine (taking effect this week), I choose to enjoy the process. This season of change will have its challenges, but with brand-new school supplies, new teachers, and a fresh start, I’m embracing this up-coming school year.

With no regrets from the summer, I press on. Like the mound of clothes in the laundry pile, the start of this new school year may overwhelm. But by taking the pile and sorting it – breaking it down into manageable chunks – I will find a schedule that works for our family. This is my plan as I emerge from vacation recovery . . . almost.

While you finish your summer or adapt to a new routine, press on without regrets. Make sure the important things get done today while using time wisely.

Question: How is your schedule or routine changing?  

Scheduling the Great Harvest Field Trip

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When my son’s teacher announced that she was considering field trips for a Community Helper unit, I recommended the Great Harvest Bread Company. If you are not familiar with this franchise, I highly recommend them. The bread is delicious. Each loaf is baked that day and from scratch. The price per loaf ranges from $4 to $7. I have purchased the apple cinnamon swirl bread and the blueberry cheesecake bread as gifts. Check here to see if there is a local Great Harvest Bread Company near you.

Our local Great Harvest store offers story time on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. The owner reads 3 books interactively with the kids, presents each child with a sugar cookie, and awards large (about 4 inches in diameter) cookies for kids who have returned their coloring pages from the last story time. (If you missed the last story time, you can download the current coloring page from their website.)

Knowing how friendly the owner of our Great Harvest is toward kids, I knew the students in my son’s class would love the opportunity to see the break-making process. To help my son’s teacher, I did the following:

1.       Coordinate with the teacher. I e-mailed his teacher, suggested Great Harvest for the field trips, and offered to help plan it. She replied and quickly accepted my offer to help.

SIDE NOTE: Most teachers love to have extra help when planning events. If you can give of your time to help, then please do. Our teachers need all the assistance they can get.

2. Research and inquire. When I took the girls to story time at the Bread Company, I arrived early to speak to the owner. I asked him about a possible field trip. He confirmed that he gave some tours. After discussing the cost, number of students, time frame, and age group, the owner decided that this visit was possible for this class.

3. Report back to teacher and check availability. After getting the information, I reported back to the teacher that the bread company was an option. I then asked for some possible dates and times for the field trip. Once the teacher supplied me with the possible dates, then I contacted the owner of our Great Harvest.

4. Schedule field trip and make note of special requests. The owner checked his calendar, and a date was determined. I then asked if there were any special requests he had for us. To my surprise, he had the following requirements:

a. The girls’ hair pulled back out of their faces.

b. All children to wear short-sleeved shirts.

c. Due to the height of the kneading table, no children under the age of 5. (Younger siblings were not able to attend.)

5. Write out information and forward to teacher. With the field trip scheduled, I wrote out all the requirements, cost, directions, contact information, date, and any other information I received from the owner. I then forwarded that information to the teacher.

6. Be available to assist teacher. When the day of the field trip arrived, we ended up getting snow. Since there was no school, we did not attend the field trip. Knowing that the snow was coming, the teacher called and postponed the trip with the owner. After the snow day, I offered to help reschedule the field trip, if needed. Again, the teacher took my offer. I then received new available dates from the teacher and coordinated with the Great Harvest owner on a new date. Then I let the teacher know. Once the date was set, I remained available to assist the teacher with anything else she needed.

7. Volunteer to chaperone/drive to field trip. If at all possible, please attend the event you plan. If there are any questions, you, as the contact, may be called upon to help. Knowing that I needed a babysitter for my daughter, I setup that arrangement early and then offered to help chaperone and drive on the field trip.

Setting up this field trip took me a little time here and little time there. I seized the opportunity to help out my son’s teacher, and used my time wisely to plan the event. Next week, I will share how I was able to assist the teacher while on this field trip to the Great Harvest Bread Company.

Time to Clean

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When I was a teenager, Saturday mornings were deemed cleaning the house time. My brother and I had a list of chores that had to be completed before the fun activities commenced. I quickly began to dread Saturday mornings.

Up until this year of my married life, I have worked hard to keep the weekends free of housework. This plan worked for me as I am a stay-at-home mom. This year was a big change for our family. Our eldest child started school. My week days are spent driving to and from school, and my time at home is broken up into small sections. I still attempt to keep Saturday mornings free, but the cleaning must be done.

My cleaning schedule is currently in a transition phase. I am trying to clean one room at a time on different days. With each day having a different schedule, I am still testing out ideas. Here are some ideas:

  • Clean the same type of room on certain days of the week? For example: Mondays – bathrooms, Tuesdays – laundry, Wednesday – bedrooms, Thursday – heavy traffic areas, and Friday – laundry.
  • Start at one room clean in geographical order? For example: start in the upstairs bathroom, and then move counter-clockwise to a bedroom, then to the next bedroom, etc.
  • Choose an order based on my answer to the question, “What must be cleaned first?” For example: clean the downstairs bathroom since guest will be arriving, or the kitchen since milk was spilled all over the floor this morning, etc.

As I continue to try these options, I have a better understanding of why my mom used Saturday mornings to clean. With a block of about 4 hours, my mom, with help, could have her whole house cleaned. Though it is nice to have the entire house clean at once, I still do not like cleaning on Saturdays.

Have you found a system that works for you? I would love to hear your suggestions and guidance as I adjust to a new cleaning schedule.

Rising above Household Disorder

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If you are like me, then you have those days when everything in your life feels unorganized and chaotic. As a wife and mother of three small children, I have days like this at least once a month. You might not have these feelings or you may feel overwhelmed more often, but I do understand the feeling of crawling out from under the mess and getting back on track.

To keep my home running smoothly, I must have a system that works for me. What works for me may or may not work for you. My organizational system has changed many times over the years. I can no longer take three to four days to clean my house top to bottom. However, I can break the cleaning schedule into bite-size pieces to make the task manageable.

So please join me on Mondays as I share with you how I work to keep my home organized. Next Monday I hope to reveal how we efficiently pickup a room of toys.