As I’ve been working on our family’s routine in this back-to-school season, I thought I’d share more of what we are doing to try and maintain peace and consistency in the home! We are a family who loves and thrives off of routine. It’s not always possible to have everything running smoothly – but we work hard to make adjustments that will benefit our home!
My schedule includes maintaining my priority as a wife and mommy – while also running a business at home. Let’s jump in!
Evening Routine
Let’s start with the night before a new day.
When I’m putting Roux to bed & he is finishing in the shower & brushing his teeth – I lay out his clothes for the next day. He is at an age where he can also do this himself now. So, between the two of us – someone lays out his school uniform + socks, etc. before bed. This way Roux can get dressed easily & on his own in the morning – even if he’s sleepy. This saves us a ton of time and unnecessary complaining.
I actually do this for myself too. Before I head into bed – I walk into my closet and pull out my workout clothes for the morning. I set out my leggings, sports bra, my socks, shoes, and optional tee shirt for my early morning workout.
It’s important to me that the kitchen is cleaned up before bed every night. It really only takes a few minutes & a big part of keeping this rhythm is loading the dishwasher before bed & running it while we sleep.
Morning Routine
This brings us to the morning routine.
Each school day – my goal is to be up between 5:30 a.m. – 6:00 a.m. This works really well for me to start my day before the rest of the house. I love a quiet house & getting my workout in before the day starts. I love to spend time quietly praying, reading a devotional, and organizing my to-do list for the day ahead. I have to be up early anyway to pack a lunch & get Roux ready for the day – so why not start the day 45 minutes earlier and invest in my peace of mind and health before the day gets crazy? If you haven’t made this a part of your routine – I highly recommend it.
By 6:30 a.m., I’ve worked out & had a little quiet time.
Now, I’m starting to pack Roux’s lunch for the day & IF there is time – I’ll go ahead and unload the dishwasher that was running while we slept.
Roux’s alarm goes off at 6:55 a.m. and he usually makes it to the kitchen by a few minutes after 7:00 a.m.
Roux’s school lunchtime is extremely early – more like brunch time – so he does not need a big breakfast. It’s also pretty early, much earlier than he’s used to & he doesn’t want to eat much anyway. We make him a simple whole food smoothie [it’s called Daily Sunshine] which gives him a serving of organic fruits and vegetables, organic pea protein, fiber, and healthy fats. There is nothing artificial & isn’t loaded with a bunch of unhealthy junk.
He usually sips on his smoothie while watching a show & trying to wake up fully. Sometimes, he brings his smoothie in the car to finish too. Roux gets dressed & brushes his teeth at 7:15 a.m. & if I haven’t already I’ll rinse off in the shower & change into some clean clothes before loading up for school drop-off at 7:40 a.m.
Before I leave, I’ll try to remember to start the robot vacuum to do a quick clean-up of all the animal hair that accumulates on the floors every day.
Checking In With Roux
Roux and I spend the car ride talking about the day ahead or any questions he comes up with. This really is precious time with him because he’s strapped in & he isn’t distracted by anything. Our conversations are usually one of the highlights of my days & starting the day with him is my favorite.
We try to keep conversations positive, silly, and fun. I try really hard to help him start his school day in a low-stress state. So, even if we are discussing something not-so-positive, like a behavior issue, or something like that – we really try to have calm conversations in the morning and stick to solutions & understanding. I’m NO perfect parent – but I do have vivid memories of attending school very stressed out as a kid because of intense conversations in my home first thing in the morning. Who wants to start the day that way?
Time To Work
After I’ve dropped Roux off at school for the day – I’m ready to start my work day. I usually listen to some type of personal growth or business podcast on my drive back home.
When I get home I may do a very quick clean-up of the house & living area or start a load of laundry. But I usually try to get straight to my home office – because those school hours that I have to work pass by quickly.
My workday schedule varies quite a bit from day to day. There are days when I need to squeeze in appointments with my work time – but I try my best to put all my appointments right after school drop-off, so I can get them over with first thing in the morning & then have time to work for a few consecutive hours.
Most of my days involve a few conference calls, answering emails, checking in with my Fit Camp girls working on their health goals, creating content, and mentoring the newer entrepreneurs on my team. I’m often creating resources for my team of coaches and creating valuable content for others – and it’s so much fun. Believe it or not, a part of my job is to work out – but on most days, that’s already done with.
Most days – my work hours fall between 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. If there aren’t a lot of other things needing my attention, I may have from 9:00 – 2:30 p.m. to work. I usually take a midday break for some lunch & to do some things around the house. That may be changing over laundry, folding a load, wiping down the counters, or opening any packages that are at the front door.
After Work
2:30 p.m. is my cut-off time for work. This is when I need to get in the car and head back to the school to pick up Roux.
I’m usually listening to an audiobook or a podcast on the way to pick up – and will sometimes be able to catch up on any emails while I wait in the car line for about 20 minutes.
It’s about 3:15 p.m. when I have Roux in the car. We do all the normal things – asking Roux about his day & seeing what he remembers and wants to tell me about right away. We make it home by about 3:45 p.m. I check out his backpack + folders, empty out lunch containers & his water bottle, wash everything right then so it’s ready for the morning, and have Roux change out of his uniform.
We spend this part of the afternoon just hanging out. Sometimes we will play a game, do a coloring activity, or play with other toys he’s wanting to play with.
Time For Sports!
A few nights a week he has sports practices. These always feel a bit more challenging.
Because of the times of his practices – it’s ideal for Roux to eat dinner before practice. This works well for me because I love eating dinner early, but my husband doesn’t always have the same feelings.
I usually start cooking at about 4:30 p.m. and we aim to eat at 5:00 p.m. If my husband isn’t ready to eat dinner right then – I’ll just set some aside for him to have after practice. These dinners are always “quick” dinners – something like tacos, or super simple foods that don’t take a lot of time to eat.
Another reason I love an early dinner is being able to clean up the kitchen earlier and be “done” for the day.
Even when Roux doesn’t have practice – I like an earlier dinner! It helps me clean up, he’s still in the slow eating phase and gives him plenty of time to hang out and relax before we start our bedtime routine.
Eating dinner at the same time, or around the same time each night, is a helpful habit for our family.
After dinner, it’s about 5:15 p.m. and I am doing a quick clean-up [I’m one of those people who usually wash dishes as I cook – and my husband is the opposite]. All I have to do is put any leftovers away, wipe down the counters, and load the dishwasher. Then we are either heading out to practice, or just hanging out together in the living room, playroom, or playing basketball outside.
Evening Routine
When we don’t have practice – our bedtime routine starts at about 6:30 p.m. Usually, we start with a bath for Roux so he has time to just play and unwind. Then we are doing jammies, brush our teeth, and pick out a few books to read in bed. Remember, this is when we are laying out his clothes for the next day. Bedtime is ideally about 7:45 p.m. because it takes him a little while to settle & actually fall asleep.
If it happens to be a night when Roux has a team practice – it’s much more of a rush-around. We usually get home at about 7:15 p.m. and he’s hopping in the shower right away. If we’ve done it well, he’s not hungry – but sometimes he is interested in a snack before bed because we ate early & he worked hard at practice. This is usually something simple like an apple or Greek yogurt, etc. He’s getting into jammies, brushing his teeth, and usually only grabbing one book – because we are making it to bed at about 8:15 p.m. on these nights.
We have always maintained a consistent bedtime routine for Roux and we feel like it’s been a huge help for our family. Not only does it give Loren & me time at the end of the day to talk, spend time together, and hang out – but it’s also helped Roux to develop really great sleep habits. It also allowed me to schedule work nights when needed – and while I don’t do that very often in this season of life – it was very important as I was beginning to build my business.
At this age, having sports practices during the week – we are in a learning season and having to transition a little, but I feel like our foundation for bedtime routine stays the same and really helps us to get Roux to bed as quickly as we can. I’ve always been so convinced that sleep is a huge support for positive behavior and wellness.
Goodnight!
This brings us full circle to my own bedtime routine. I’m usually in jammies at the same time as Roux. I’m doing a quick loading of the dishwasher, cleaning up the kitchen, and setting out my clothes for the next morning. I have the time to spend with Loren & then I happily hop into bed – knowing 5:30 a.m. comes earlier than I think every morning!
I hope this helps you a little! And just remember, it takes time and patience to develop a routine & manage your time efficiently for your family. Keep working on it & of course if you have any tips for me – comment below!
XOXO
