Daily Schedules that Calm the Crazy

Life with three kids is crazy. One is screaming about needing his bottom wiped, while the other is throwing food at his sister, while the baby crawls around looking for dangerous things to put in her mouth. Each night I thank God that we all survived the day. When I complain or apologize for not getting to the laundry again or dinner not being on the table, my husband laughs and usually tells me that he just thankful we survived the day.

Most days survival is our goal, but I have learned recently that if I take the time to create a schedule for our day our chances of not completely losing our minds increase greatly! The teacher in me has this grand idea of how amazing it would be if I had pictures printed off of all our daily options. But the mom in me thinks that teacher is crazy, and we usually make our schedule on paper with markers.

Sitting down to make the schedule usually works best before or after breakfast – while the kids are waiting for the eggs to cook or after they shoveled food into their mouths. We start with me putting the non-negotiable things on the schedule, like rest time, if they have preschool that day, or if we have an already scheduled play date. It usually looks like this:Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

Then, I give each of my boys a time slot (in this case it’s labeled as “Play”) that they can choose what we do that day (for my two year old I usually draw a picture of a couple options, often times my four year old need options as well because we can’t choose Chuck E Cheese every day!) The things they get to choose are usually how we spend our time at home (books, toys, chores, etc.)

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

I know many of you are wondering how this stay at home mom isn’t a famous artist. I just haven’t been discovered yet.

My four-year-old son and I are a lot a like. Days without structure are really hard for us as we both wander aimlessly without a plan. I have found scheduling out our day even when we will play together, and when he will play alone, and when mommy will cook dinner has helped ease his anxiety. When he knows what to expect from our day, he is much calmer and able to engage with me and his siblings.

I think schedules benefit moms and kids alike – even if it’s not used every day, it’s a must have for cold, indoor days. It’s amazing to see how something so simple can help kids like my son thrive. His day is different when I make the time to talk him through our plan for the day. My day is different, too.

Jenn
"Jenn is a Special Education teacher turned health enthusiast. Most days she can be found chasing her three kids (4,2, and 8 months) around some park in Kansas City wearing workout clothes and sweaty hair. Jenn is an ACE Certified group fitness instructor and loves teaching group fitness classes around KC. She is also a NETA certified Wellness Coach. You can visit Jenn's wellness coaching website at http://www.jennmarasco.com .Jenn is crazy in love with her husband of seven years, Matthew. Their idea of a great date includes playing or attending some type of sporting event followed by a delicious meal from a local KC restaurant. Jenn and Matt lived in the Midtown neighborhood of KC for four years and recently moved to Overland Park."