routines

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

Huffinton Post reported: On June 24, 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued its first-ever policy statement focused on literacy promotion, calling for pediatricians to advise all parents about the many benefits of reading aloud, which promotes literacy and social-emotional skills.

“Reading with young children is a joyful way to build strong and healthy parent-child relationships and stimulate early language development,” Dr. Pamela High, a pediatrician and professor at Brown University’s Alpert Medical School, told The Huffington Post.

“Even in higher-income families, many children do not experience the enhanced engagement and language-rich parent-child interactions, including book handling, print exposure and other early literacy experiences afforded by daily shared reading,” the authors write. “All families face issues of limited time, limited parental understanding of the key role of reading aloud and competition for the child’s interest and attention from other sources of entertainment, such as electronic media.”

“As for parents, High said they should remember the so-called ‘5 Rs‘ of early education: reading with their children daily as part of a set routine; rhyming, singing and cuddling with them throughout the day; establishing routines and regular times for meals and sleep; rewarding them for their efforts and successes to boost self-esteem; and developing relationships that are reciprocal and nurturing. Parents should make daily reading a part of their regular, set routine.”

So, Moms and Dads, take the time, make the effort to include reading books together as part of your daily routine with your babies and young children.

Read Aloud Every Day