my daily schedule

I love visiting Kelly's blog each day just to see what she and Harper are up to.  I don't often participate in the show us your life weekly link ups, but I thought this week's theme is quite fitting.  This week the theme is:

Show Us Your Life, What is your Daily Schedule Like?

I'm sort of obsessed with scheduling and making lists for myself, my day, my classroom, my goals, etc.  This is NOT to say these lists get accomplished in a timely fashion!  It just makes me feel somewhat organized to have a plan.  In preparing for what my future is about to hold for me, I thought I'd share a schedule of what I will attempt to have when Ms. Molly is finally home!  Being a single mom, I know sticking with the schedule will be the key indicator to my success each day!  Not everyday will be perfect, however I hope in staying within this routine Molly will get acclimated to her new home and family and this will bring forth some great attachment for us both!  I can't wait to have something to look forward to after school besides going to a quiet, empty home and watching Oprah all by myself!  (Did that sound like heaven to you mom's out there?  ha!)  People often say, "you'll never eat in peace again" and all I can say is I really hope not!  I have prepared (as much as possible) for this moment in my life.  I never thought I would be a first time mom at 35, I felt like I could have done it at 15! ha!  And I definitely NEVER thought I'd be a single 35 year old first time mom!!!!

My Daily Schedule (M-F through the school year)

5:00  Get up, shower/makeup/hair/get dressed
6:15  Make breakfast for Molly and me, eat mine first, plan for dinner (start crock pot, lay out frozen foods, etc.)
6:30  Get Molly up, wash up, dress, eat her breakfast, pack up for daycare
7:10  Leave home for daycare
7:30  Leave daycare for school
(My school day starts at 7:45 with kids arriving and unpacking while I'm preparing for the day, we get started after announcements and pledges around 8:15 each morning, and most days I am driving out of the parking lot at 3:15 p.m.  The occasional faculty meeting or parent conference sometimes delays this timing.  I learned a long time ago that I could stay at school until 7pm or later every night of the week, but kids and parents don't really care about that at all.  The only thing that suffers is my life.  So I use my time during the day to do any and all paperwork and grading.  I train trustworthy parents to grade for me if they volunteer and it just gets done.  I almost never take anything home.  ever.  I could, but I won't.  If it doesn't get done, it doesn't get done.  I DO NOT stress over it and I WILL NOT let it rule my life.  I only say that b/c I know there are teachers out there who struggle with this all the time.  My personal time at home is for me.  I feel I'm a better teacher because I leave it all at school!)
3:15  Use this time for a quick grocery trip, bank run, post office, other errands, etc.
3:30-3:45  Pick up Molly from daycare
4:00  Arrive home, unpack car, get mail, change clothes, start dinner, play with Molly, take a walk, etc.
5:00  Eat Supper, Play
6:00  Bathtime, dry hair,get ready for bed, pick up Molly's room together, read stories, pray
7:00 Bedtime for Molly
Use this time to clean up kitchen, put food away, prepare lunch, do laundry, blog, watch tv, etc.
9:00 Bedtime for me!  This will be crucial!  Now, I get stuck on the computer and the next thing I know it's almost midnight and I'm still up.  I cannot let time get away from me like that.

Do it all over again the next day!

Saturdays will be our day to grocery shop together and visit the grandmas (her great-grandmas).  Right now I go to one of my grandma's each week (usually Wednesdays after school) to help her with her bills, money, appointments, and medicine sorting for the week.  I will continue to do this with Molly on Saturdays because my grandma (who is 88 years old) will be so excited to see her each week!  I believe it is also important for her to learn that we help our family out and we respect and love our grandparents by visiting them often.  That is how I was raised.  She will actually see my other grandmother every day b/c she works at the daycare with my mom.  I am so blessed that Molly will be taken care of each day by her grandmother and her great grandmother!  Saturdays will also be our shopping/haircut/misc.day.  I will try not to pack too much into these days because I believe time at home is so important, but I will have to build some of this into our routine.

Sundays will be our day for worship of course and I CAN'T WAIT to dress her for church each week.  I know church is not about your clothes, but I always was decked out for Sunday church (thanks to my granny for making every dress I owned until I was about 8 years old...hand smocking and everything! and thanks to my mom for caring enough to roll my hair every Saturday night in those little pink sponge rollers that hurt so bad when you slept in them you thought they were permanently indented into your scalp!  She wanted me to look like Shirley Temple but my hair is so straight!!!)  We will also use Sundays to rest, plan, and prepare for the week.  This is my afternoon to iron and get all of my clothes ready for the week and I'll do the same when Molly is here.


I've been practicing this schedule some lately and during the times when I will "be with Molly" I've been trying to go to her room and pray for her as I sort through books, or clothes, or just sit in there and imagine what it all will be like.  Sometimes it's scary, sometimes it's fun, but it's always exciting when I think of my preparations for her.  The good news is that I'll have the summer to get us both ready for this schedule in August.  I'm going to try and get into a scheduled routine when we return from China, because I know that is how children feel the most attached and settled.  It will be interesting to look back at this post in September and see how it compares...only time will tell!

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my daily schedule