The Daily Routine

A friend of mine posted a comment on facebook asking moms about their evening routine.  I'm interested to hear what you do.  She specifically was interested in hearing what time every one's kids went to bed and how each family makes time for "quality time."  I'm going to share my daily routine with you, but it is constantly changing due to the children's activities and my husband's work schedule.

5:55am- My husband's alarm goes off- he gets up, showers, and is out the door to work at 7:00am.
6:40am- The alarm clock rings!  I get up and take a shower.
7:10am- I wake up the children, if they are not already awake.  I changed diapers, help the kids get dressed, and brush hair. 
7:25- Breakfast time!
7:40- The kids are usually done eating and the older ones go brush their teeth.  I help our 2 yr old brush her teeth.  The kids get their shoes on and play quietly until 8:00am.
8:00am- The bus comes.  I put our oldest child on the bus.  Then I load everyone else in the car and drive to the local elementary school.
8:20am- I have dropped off at the elementary school and I meet my babysitter in the parking lot and help her load up the younger two.  Then I'm off to work.
8:30am-2:30pm- I work at my job.
2:30pm- I leave and go get my kids from both schools and the babysitters.
3:30pm- We are home and the kids have a snack before going outside to play.
5:00pm- The kids are winding down from playtime and I start to cook dinner.  My oldest begins her homework if she didn't finish it at school (which she usually does).
5:30pm to 6:00pm- We eat dinner.
6:00-7:30pm- We are usually running around at soccer, flag football, or dance.  If our evening is free we sit around in the playroom with the children or take a family walk. 
7:30pm- Bathes, books, and bedtime for the younger two.
8:00pm- Bedtime for the older two kids.  My husband and I usually lay down with them, read, and snuggle them.  They both fall asleep in our bed every night and then I carry them to their bed before I go to bed around 10:30pm.  My boys and girls share a room, so putting the older two in our bed to fall asleep really makes bedtime less chaotic! 
8:00pm-9:00pm- I clean up the house.  I have my children put their toys away, but I straighten up the house and put everything back in it's place for the next day.
9:00pm- My husband is home from work and we have quiet, adult time which usually involves watching TV, playing on the computer, and talking.

Potty Talk

Do you have trouble with your kid's talking potty talk?  Owen, our 5 year old, is constantly talking about poop, farts, bottoms, etc.  When Owen was in preschool, his teacher caught him and two other boys in the class talking potty talk.  She made all three boys go to the bathroom and finish their potty talk, since that is the only place you should speak those words.  I thought this was such a great idea!  Now, when my children talk potty talk, they go to the bathroom until they are done, and then they can come out! 

House Rules & Consequences

Yesterday I decided that our family needed to write down our basic house rules and then consequences for not following them.  Alex (my 8 year old daughter) and Owen (my 5 year old son) have been having a difficult time following our house rules, so I decided we needed to have written consequences for their actions. 

We have already used the consequences today!  Owen decided to yell and stomp off, so he had to sit in the corner, on the landing of the steps for 10 minutes.  Owen then decided to yell more, so he had 5 more minutes tacked on!  I set the timer on the stove, so he would hear when his time was up!  I have thought about using a reward system, like a marble jar and every time the kids do something good or have an excellent day, they get a marble and when they have trouble listening, I take a marble out of their jar.  When the jar is full, they get to do something fun, like date night with Daddy or Mommy, stay up late, or have a friend spend the night.  If the list of consequences do not work, we may move to that! 

While I was in the list making mood, I decided to go ahead a make a checklist for this school year.  I want Owen and Alex to be as independent as possible in the mornings.  I want them to take care of themselves as much as possible before school, without me standing over them saying, "Did you make your bed?  Did you brush your teeth?"  I wanted to help them remember the usual things they need to accomplish before leaving for school, so we can have less chaotic mornings! 

Do you have something like this for your children?  Does it help?  I would love to hear from you!