The holidays are finally over. Christmas, New Years, and Chinese New Years and all the fun and hard work is finished. The older kids are back in school and if you are working outside your home, you are commuting again.

This is the perfect time to consider your routines. Think about which ones are working and which ones cause more frustration.

• Do you have a regular bedtime with enough sleep to wake naturally in the morning? If not, consider ways to create an earlier bedtime. Morning routines are easier when everyone is well rested.
• Do you have a routine for getting everyone dressed, fed, and out the door on time in the morning? Maybe you need to consider setting out before bed, everything that will be needed in the morning. A basket by the door for each person is a way many families manage the morning rush.
• Do you have a time that is yours with your Heavenly Father? Even a short time is better than no time. Consistency with this will put you in a better frame of mind for the rest of the day.
• If you are working from home with a baby or small child, do you have a routine that allows for time and attention to your child and yet a way to complete your work? Perhaps sharing childcare with another SAHM would provide you both with some valuable time without your children.
• Do you have a routine for meal planning and preparation? One of the handiest kitchen appliances we have is a slow cooker. It means the main dish is ready with just a short time putting together a side dish just before sitting down to eat. Steamers are another way to shorten preparation time. It takes a bit of planning, but reduces the time commitment for healthy, home-cooked food.
• Do you have a plan for family time together every day? If you don’t plan it into your routine, the time will get chewed up by other more ‘urgent’ things. I heard someone say that if we spend more time on the important things in our life, we will have fewer urgent things to attend to. When we are running around ‘putting out fires,’ we miss time for the important people in our lives.

OK, I’m sure you get the idea. I’d love to hear about any changes you make in your routine that gives you more time for loving on your kids and letting your spouse know how much you love and appreciate them.

Last year I wrote a post about Goals you might like to read it as you consider changes in your routines. See: New Year Goals