Happy Thanksgiving, Gentle Reader! I hope it was a day full of contentment and reflection. Perhaps, like me, you are now wrapping up dishes and cleaning the floors from the day’s adventures, reflecting on: What in the world am I going to do with all of that TURKEY! Tonight I am making my plans for the leftovers, and tomorrow I will swing by the grocery store to pick up whatever items I don’t already have on hand.
Normally I would have done this before Thanksgiving, and completed all my shopping at once. I have been a little overwhelmed lately… so preparations for the holiday were a bit different than normal.However, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to sit down tonight and reorganize myself. I have a few new habits that need implementing, and what better time to start implementing than the beginning of a new month?
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Habit #1: Involving Giggle in meal preparation. Today as I was preparing our Farmhouse Stuffing, my 28 month old, Giggle, noticed my hand’s occupations. “Onions!” she cried. “I want to cut onions!”
About a month ago I bought her this neat little Curious Chef 3-Piece Nylon Knife Set
Today, when she wailed about wanting to help, it reminded me that we are on the precipice of independence, and that I need to harness this helpful attitude! It won’t be forever that she will beg to help with household chores. Yet- I need help and she needs to use her hands, mind and body in fruitful labor! And after all, capable and enjoyable food preparation skills can only be cultivated by time working in the kitchen.
So for this month, I plan to involve her in meal preparation during Wiggle’s naptime at least once per week. I am excited to see how she reacts to this new responsibility. Hopefully this will be a bonding experience for us as well.
Habit #2: A morning routine on a clipboard. Don’t scoff! Our mornings are “somewhat” chaotic. Let me give you a preview (Skip reading this section if you have two kids ages two and under, ’cause you’re there with me, friend!).
Both little ones wake screaming at the top of their lungs at basically the same time, usually before my alarm is set to chime (no matter what time the alarm is set to chime!). I get them up, change the baby’s diaper, help the toddler with the potty, give them milk, make them breakfast, dress myself (you can forget a shower), put in contacts, wipe up flying food/spills/puke/boogers, keep them from putting miraculously found crayons or raisins in ears, noses and mouths- and all before my morning coffee. Add in a morning devotional, prayer and Bible story, washing the breakfast dishes, changing pee pee bed sheets, starting the diapers in the wash, teeth brushing, hair brushing and fixing, and putting on clothes for the morning (in Giggle’s case, on and off and on and off again), and it’s already close to 9 am…. three or more hours and at least one diaper change from when we first began! Snacktime is around the corner at 9:45, lunch at 11 and the baby naps at 11:30! To put it bluntly, it’s difficult to stay motivated.
This “routine” has left me scratching my head on how to improve efficiency without steamrolling the girls. I love learning about ways to improve my routines and practices to be more efficient! Recently I listened to a podcast done by blogger Kat Lee and guest Kellye Peters where she talked about clipboards, routines, and other helpful tips for “automating motherhood”. One thing Kellye talked about was encouraging your kids to make God part of their morning routines. Her phrasing for this step is “Prepare Your Heart”. If this is at all interesting to you, I encourage you to listen to the podcast. After I heard the show, I found this morning routine chart to help calm things down. I have a few tweaks to make, including a block for “Prepare Your Heart” (and one for hair brushing!).
All habits take time to implement. I am hopeful, though, that these new habits will be fruitful and bring more order and productivity to our days! What do you think? Are you struggling with a routine that needs tweaking?