All is quiet and calm at my house right now.
It feels good because it was one heck of a long day.
I started out with an hour and a half drive, with a colleague, to Trenton.
We had day one of a two day session for math teachers and supervisors on the new New Jersey Algebra I end of course exam.
Sounds thrilling to you non-math geeks, I know.
Me…loved it.
Well, loved part of it.
The other part was…well, it was what most workshops and seminars are.
A teeny, tiny bit boring.
However, we were given some great information that I can bring back and share with my math teachers. So, it was a good use of the day.
And…I didn’t have to talk, because I was being talked “to,” which was helpful considering the fact that I have laryngitis and feel like horse pucky. That’s right…I said horse pucky.
So, from 9-3, I was getting my Algebra on. (I know, I know…I attempted the street slang again…perhaps I should just learn that things like Algebra and street slang don’t go hand in hand…I’ll try to stop, although it may not be the last you’ll hear a little street slang on this blog.)
We drove home, and faced much less traffic, so we were back by 4. I picked up Baby Monkey and headed home to where Monkey Girl and Monkey in the Middle were busy doing their homework with my Dad.
The rest of the day is an example of why I don’t run around in the morning like a chicken with my head cut off, and is just a little bit of how we organize ourselves in a home with three kids and two parents that work full-time. Although, really, it would work beautifully in any home!
While the kids finished up their homework at the kitchen table, I emptied their lunchboxes and made and packed their lunches for tomorrow. They are currently in the fridge, and in the morning, I just pull them out and pop them in backpacks. I also made my lunch and Real Man’s lunch, which will also just be pulled out and ready to go in the morning.
I checked all of the homework, had the kids put it back in their folders, and put their folders back in their backpacks. I then went through all of the gajillion papers that had come home in their folders, and oohed and aahed over artwork and tests and classwork.
The kids went to play and I started dinner. While dinner was cooking, I went to the basement and switched the monkey boys laundry from the washer (where I put it this morning) into the dryer. Then, I headed back to the kitchen to keep an eye on dinner and to go through the mail.
I never make dinner alone.
Every single night I have a little companion who perches on one of the counter chairs, plays with things that are not toys, like empty Pez dispensers, and regales me with tales of his day.
Although I am not a fan of cooking, it is one of my favorite parts of the day.
When Real Man gets home, we eat, and after dinner Monkey Girl clears the table and sweeps under the table while Real Man helps the boys start getting ready for bed. I use this time to get dinner for the next day moving along. Tonight, I set out the crockpot with two cans of cream of mushroom soup on the counter, and put the porkchops in the fridge to defrost. In the morning, all I have to do is pop the pork chops in the crock, open the cans of soup and toss them in, turn it on and viola! Dinner will be ready when we get home. (Okay, I’ll still have to make the rice and beans, but seriously…that’s nothing.) I start the dishwasher and Monkey Girl goes up and gets ready for bed. We all pick out clothes for the monkeys for the morning and set it out where they can find it.
Once everyone is in jammies, there is some more playing, and one by one monkeys are read to, sung to, and put to bed.
It’s 7:53 pm as I type this and the monkey boys are sleeping soundly…well, Monkey in the Middle is sleeping soundly. Baby Monkey is quietly singing to himself. Monkey Girl is next to me on the bed finishing up her 20 minutes of reading for the night. Although, I know how it will go. 20 minutes will be up and she’ll beg for 10 more minutes…not to stay up, but because she love, love, loves to read.
Then, she’ll go to bed and Real Man and I will sit and chat about our days, watch some tv and just be together. I can rest soundly because I know that everything is set for tomorrow and that it won’t be a mad dash out the door.
Every night doesn’t go this smoothly.
There are certainly nights with bumps in the road or unforseen happenings.
But, for the most part, this is the routine, and it helps us all live a less stressful life, despite our busy schedules, and definitely lets us make the most of our time together as a family.
What are your routines? How do you stay organized? Any tips or tricks you could share?
