Weekly routine

Where have we been?

My friend Jen reminded me that sometimes, when we don't have time to blog, the best thing to do is to write down the mundane tasks that have been keeping us so occupied. Then, when you look back on them later, you will either: 1. understand that your priorities are completely out of line and it will give you a new-found sense of clarity, or 2. feel accomplished in knowing that you made it through.  I liked this idea, so here it goes. **This is not an exciting post. It is only for my reference for later.

Our typical weekly schedule for September - November. Keep in mind this only includes weekly events. It does not include; conferences, back to school nights, school socials, reconciliation practice, meetings, play dates, birthday parties, or other such social events that pop up each week.

DAILY ROUTINE:
5-6AM Craziness of getting ready. I'd like to say I work out most mornings, but that is an overstatement with day-light savings not providing quite as much daylight as I would like at 4AM. Shower, get ready, start some laundry, wake the girls, make breakfast(s), remind the girls they DO have to wear clothes to school, referee some arguments, braid some hair, wipe up some spills, repack the backpacks that were already packed and someone unpacked searching for the "most important thing ever", find the missing mittens that the dog has carried off because in a sense of organization I thought it would be a great idea to set everything out for the girls to put on.
7AM Out the door for school. 20 min. drive to St. Matt's, 20 min. drive to work. Thank God my kids are getting a great education because the commute to Catholic school when we live across the street from a public school is killer.
7:30 - Welcomed by the line outside of my classroom by students wondering why I can't get to school earlier. Surely it must be my lack of motivation and organization. :)
7:45-3PM - Answer about a billion questions, teach 6 classes, oversee a study hall, attend a meeting or two (PT, ST, LMS, SHH, CST, LMC, DHM, PEP), dodge a few (figurative) bullets, answer a billion more questions after school, and try to remember to switch back to English before I leave the building. Thank goodness we get to stop and pray 9 times a day.

MONDAYS:
Today I stay longer at school to get make- up work done and to try to put a dent in my "papers" before I go home. I say "papers" because it appears that I walk out of school with nothing these days because everything is digital, therefore all in my iPad. I wish.
3:45 - Get Grace from Choir practice
4:00 - pick up girls
4:30 - home to make dinner (did I mention Mark doesn't come home until 10 on Mondays? - He's working)
5:00 - leave for gymnastics - you read that right, 30 minutes to drop backpacks, prepare food, eat, let the dog out, change to gymnastics clothes, and get out the door...x3. It's rough.
5:25 - Emma and Grace gymnastics. (Norah is mad she can't go too, it makes this hour....interesting.)
6:30 - done, home we go.
7:00 - big girls do homework, practice piano, fill in reading log (30 minutes each night),
8:00 - bedtime routine
8:30 - 1:1 time with each girl and bed.
9:00 - Clean up the shrapnel...wash dinner dishes, pack lunches, backpacks, layout clothes for the next day.
9:30 - remember those papers I started putting a dent in....better finish them.
10:00 - Mark home from work! Eat some dinner with him, catch up and we sit down to work.
12:00-1 bed

TUESDAYS:
Same routine except:
3:00 - leave school
3:15 - Coach Girls on the Run *more on this later
4:30 - Drop these girls off at Care and pick up my own.
5:00 - Head for home
5:30 - make dinner, unpack bags, homework, dog, give baths/showers, etc
6:30 - head to Hoover to help with ESL classes *more on this later, but the girls like it.
8:30 - home, bedtime routine
9:00 - Clean up from the day
9:30 - since I bolted out after school, tons of school work to be done. Mark and I do homework (so sweet)
12:00 bed

WEDNESDAYS:
Same routine except:
3:45 -Grace - piano lessons
4:30 -Home! No more activities
5:00 -dinner and then FAMILY GAME NIGHT!
**By far my favorite night of the week. We'll work some after the girls go to bed, but Wednesdays we have a better shot of maybe watching a show on TV together.

THURSDAYS:
Same routine except:
3:00 - leave school
3:15 - Coach Girls on the Run again
4:30 - Drop these girls off at Care and pick up my own.
5:00 - Head for home
5:30 - make dinner, unpack bags, homework, dog, give baths/showers, etc
6:30 - head to Hoover to help with ESL classes again
8:30 - home, bedtime routine
9:00 - Clean up from the day
9:30 - again, lots of school work since I had to leave so early after school.
12:00 bed

FRIDAYS:
Same routine except:
3:30 - get groceries??
4:00 - pick up the girls
4:30 - homework, piano practice, laundry, etc
5:00 - dinner
5:30 - Grace basketball practice
6:30 - fingers crossed for a relaxing night, but the only time that we have available to catch up with friends or attend school activities.
8:00 -bedtime routine
9:00 -finish up laundry, and yep...there is school work to be done.
1:00 -bed

SATURDAYS:
6AM - go for a run if I didn't have time to get groceries I'll get them before the girls wake up.
8AM - Grace BB game or soccer game
**every weekend except one Sept-Nov we went out of town after Grace played her game.

SUNDAYS:
8AM Mass (when we are in town)
**Hurry back for Reconciliation and First Communion meetings in the afternoon
Try to cook meals ahead of time to prepare for the upcoming week since the dinner hour is crazy and we need something quick and healthy.
5:00 - dinner and same night routine to plan for the upcoming week.
Um...somewhere in here we dust the house and vacuum and attempt to clean toilets.

***Ok, time to stop procrastinating and grade some papers. I'll check back to this post in a few weeks and see how my priorities are looking.